KuaiLe
Member
- Joined
- May 21, 2006
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
I'm reading The Fermented Man by Derek Dillinger. He talks about how a crock of fermenting sauerkraut used to be a commonplace scene in one's backyard. And under the influence of industrialization, sauerkraut has become a novelty condiment to be scraped off of hot dogs at baseball games. One day, he was at a supermarket surveying their fermented products, including sauerkraut. Then he says:
"Among the canned vegetables are a few lonely vessels of sauerkraut. Bags of it are strategically located next to the hot dogs in another section, but here, the few available options look more like the sad novelty sauerkraut has become. More a relic of tradition, a shrug of a condiment, than a side dish legitimately enjoyed."
I don't understand what "a shrug of" means here. I can understand "a shrug of the shoulders", but a shrug of a condiment? What does it mean?
"Among the canned vegetables are a few lonely vessels of sauerkraut. Bags of it are strategically located next to the hot dogs in another section, but here, the few available options look more like the sad novelty sauerkraut has become. More a relic of tradition, a shrug of a condiment, than a side dish legitimately enjoyed."
I don't understand what "a shrug of" means here. I can understand "a shrug of the shoulders", but a shrug of a condiment? What does it mean?
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