6.2. Treat the group mates to your favourite food and share your recipe with them.

Task 7. Special Family Food

7.1. Write down a recipe of a special dish or meal that you enjoy with your family. Is there a dish that is a specialty of the region you live in? (e.g. borshch and papmushkas in the Ukrainian East) If your family has come from another country, do you prepare a dish from that country? (e.g. Russian food.) Is your special food influenced by where you live? (Example: Seafood dishes in places near bodies of water.) If you report a holiday specialty, such as turkey, include a side dish that makes this meal special for you.

7.2. Get ready to share some interesting facts about your special family food with the group mates. Discuss the following questions with your family:

1. Is this food served on special occasions or throughout the year?

2. Why is this food special to your family?

3. Are there any customs or traditions related to this food?

Task 8. Look at the pictures of different products. Write the recipe of a dish using some of the products as necessary ingredients.

Task 9. Split into two groups. Take turns miming the things you ought to do to prepare a certain dish. The other group will write a recipe for it.

Eating out

Task 1. Read the texts about different eating places given in the box. Guess which place to eat is described in each text.

fast food restaurant mobile canteen wine bar

picnic site restaurant motorway service station

A ………………………….

The atmosphere is usually quite formal so people often choose to eat there on special occasions. The menu is varied and different dishes are freshly prepared each day. In addition, there is a good selection of wines. However, prices are usually expensive and start from around £15 per head. It is also necessary to make a reservation, so you need to plan in advance.

B ………………………….

You can find these places everywhere – parked at the side of the road, in parks, funfairs and at exhibitions. For this reason, they are convenient for travellers and they provide cheap food and rapid service. However, the food is usually greasy and there is only a small section of items on offer, such as hot dogs, pies, chips and hot and cold drinks.

C ………………………….

This is a popular place with people who want to meet for a drink at lunchtime or in the early evening and have a bite to eat at the same time. The atmosphere is fairly relaxed and informal. There is a fine selection of wines available and a choice of bottled beers, and a few dishes, such as lasagne and chilli, are usually served each day. The only problem is that seating place is limited and as the place can be very crowded it is not always possible to find a table.

D ………………………….

This is an ideal place to eat in the summer. You can choose your own spot and enjoy the fresh air and scenic views. People usually take their own food with them, such as sandwiches, crisps, cakes, fruit and fizzy drinks, so it’s a cheap option. You do, there, prepare your own food beforehand and clear up afterwards – there’s no one to do it all for you. Also, you have to rely on the weather and a sudden downpour can soon spoil your meal!

E ……………………………

This makes a convenient meeting place and is especially popular with young people as the atmosphere is extremely informal, the service is rapid and the prices are low. Food on offer includes hamburgers, French fries and fizzy drinks. Older people, however, prefer to eat somewhere else as they don’t consider junk food appealing and usually find the place too noisy and overcrowded.

F ……………………….

People usually stop here for a bite to break up a long journey. There is a wide selection of ready cooked, self-service meals and as these places are open 24 hours a day, they are extremely convenient for travellers. The only problem is that they tend to get overcrowded, especially on public holidays and the food is usually overpriced.

Task 2. Choose two types of place to eat and talk about their advantages and disadvantages. Use the information from the texts above and some of the useful expressions.

Useful expressions

the best thing about some people prefer … because one of the disadvantages of in my opinion/view

a drawback of what I like/don’t like about the problem with

e.g. What I like about fast food restaurant is that you get rapid service and the food is quite cheap. The problem with them is that they can get noisy and overcrowded.

Task 3. Choose two places to eat and compare the kinds of food and drinks you get there. Use the information from the texts (exercise 1) and some of the useful expressions.

Useful expressions

On the whole You can expect … You’ll usually find … Whereas/but

similar to… Generally which is similar in so far as …

e.g. On the whole you get freshly cooked meals in a restaurant, whereas you can expect much of the food in a motorway service station to be ready cooked. You’ll usually find that restaurants and service stations are similar in so far as they both have a wide selection of food.

Task 4. Here are some things people may expect when choosing a place to eat out. Use the list to complete the table below.

convenient for travellers varied menu rapid service hygienic comfortable seating self-service freshly cooked food		friendly conversation attractive décor smartly-dressed staff close to nature romantic atmosphere background music		nice view intimate formal surrounding good wine list tasty food cheap
	FAST FOOD RESTAURANT		background music, self-service,
	MOBILE CANTEEN		convenient for travelers,
	SNACK BAR		rapid service,
	RESTAURANT		comfortable seating,
	PICNIC SITE		friendly conversation,
	STATION BUFFET		self-service,

Task 5. Act out Chris and Pat’s dialogue using the useful expressions and the prompts below.

Useful expressions

What can I do for food … ? yes, but… I can’t stand they’re so …

Great! I’ll do that. What about … ? Then why not … ?

but the thing is … you could take … That’s an idea! Well how about … ?

CHRIS Tell Pat you’re going on a long journey and don’t know what to do about food. Complain about junk food. Object giving reasons. Agree. Ask what kind of food to take. Accept the ideas. Thank Pat.

PAT Suggest going to a mobile canteen; give reasons. Suggest a motorway service station. Suggest taking a picnic, giving reasons. Suggest several possible things to eat.

Task 6.

Student A: Tell your partner how you kept your last birthday.

Student B: Listen to your partner and say where he/she celebrated his/her birthday and what advantages and disadvantages you see in the way it was kept.

Task 7.

Work in small groups of four-five students.

New Year’s Day is coming. As you are going to keep the holiday together, discuss the way you will celebrate it: whether you will stay at home or go out. Talk about both advantages and disadvantages of each way and choose the best one that suits all of you.