Restaurant English

Over the decades, this no-nonsense approach to cooking sank deep into the American culture, although even on the frontier a woman could gain fame for the lightness of her corn biscuits or the delicacy of her hot berry pie. Gradually, however, regional distinctions began to emerge and flourish sb that, for example, there is now fried Kentucky ham with red-eye gravy, smoked Pennsylavia Dutch ham with dried apples, cornmeal-coated Texas ham, thinly sliced Virginia ham with hot biscuits, Missouri baked glazed ham. Similarly, clam chowder was given a milk base in New England, a tomato base in the mid-America region, and the clams in the chowder were sometimes replaced by oysters in the South.

Aside from regional differences, there were lessons learnt from later arrivals from Europe who brought with them to America a taste and a skill for a different kind of kitchen craft, for sauerbraten in Milwaukee, for Polish sausage in Chicago and for a dozen different spaghetti sauces in New York.

There is a versatility and ingenuity to the American cuisine which belies its basic simplicity. It is as varied, inventive and ultimately indefinable as America itself.

Questions:

1. Why is the USA compared to a pantry?

2. What is an American kitchen like?

3. Mention some well-known American dishes.

4. Why is big-city cooking very much the same all over the United States?

5. Where does the no-nonsense American attitude to cuisine come from?

6. What is your opinion of American cooking?

According to the text, which of the following statements about American food

are true and which are false?

1. American foodstuff is plentiful and diverse mainly because it is produced in a great variety of physical environments.

2. Many different gadgets were invented in the USA to make preparation easier and quicker.

3. As a result, American cooking is very specialized and complicated.

4. American food is basically very simple and is more or less the same in all parts of the country.

5. It is because of the arrival of later immigrants from Europe that American cooking is now so difficult to define.

LESSON NINETEEN (19)

NINETEENTH (19^TH) LESSON

A sales conference

Part 1

Mr. Hunt It's seven thirty (7.30) now. At eight (8.00) I'll phone for a taxi. The taxi’ll take us to the Underground and then we'll take a tube to King's Cross. I hope Sarah won't be late. If she's late, we'll have to take a taxi all the way to the station. That'll be expensive.

We'll be in Cambridge at ten past ten (10.10). It takes an hour and a half to get there by train.

Mr. Tate's asked his secretary to meet us. She'll take us to his office. When we get to Mr, Tate's office, I'll go with him to the conference and Sarah will go out with his wife.

They'll spend the day together. I don't know what they'll do. Sarah will enjoy her day with Mrs. Tate. I think the conference'll be very interesting. I hope I'll see some of my old friends there.

Part 2

At the office

Secretary This is Mr. Tate's office, Mr. Hunt. I'll tell him you're here.

Mr. Hunt When he's free, we'll go in.

Secretary Oh no, when I tell him you're here, he'll want to see you immediately.

Mr. Tate Hello, Guy. I hope you had a pleasant journey.

Mr. Hunt Yes, thank you. Bruce, I'd like you to meet my wife, Sarah.

Sarah, this is Bruce Tate. You met before ... at a sales conference about four years ago.

Mr. Tate Oh yes. I remember very well.

Mrs. Hunt When we met, you had to hurry for an appointment.

Mr. Hunt Where will your wife meet Sarah, Bruce?

Mr. Tate She'll be here in a few minutes. She'll be a bit late because she had to go to the dentist's this morning When she arrives, Guy and I'll go to the conference. Then she'll take Sarah sightseeing or shopping.

Mr. Hunt Who'll be at the conference from the Scottish office?

Mr. Tate A couple of chaps'Il be there from Glasgow.

Mr. Hunt Will Joe Boyd be there?

Mr. Tate Yes, he's the manager of the sales department now. Ah, there he is . . . Joe!

Mr. Boyd Hello, Bruce.

Mr. Tate You remember Guy Hunt, don't you? He was at our conference in Blackpool four years ago.

Mr. Boyd Oh yes . . . and then you went to our Geneva office.

Mr. Hunt That's right.

Mr. Boyd Where will you go next?

Mr. Hunt I'm not sure. When I met the manager of our London office, he offered me a job.

Mr. Boyd Will you take it?

Mr. Hum Possibly. When we get back to London, I'll discuss it with Sarah,

Mr. Boyd If I were you, I’d take it.

Mr. Hunt I’ll have to think about it.

Mr. Boyd We'll discuss it later. If we don't hurry, we'll be late for this meeting.

After the annual conference

Mr. Hunt That was the most interesting annual conference I've ever attended.

Mr. Tate Yes, it was certainly more interesting than the one we had last year.

Mr. Boyd And more enjoyable, too,

Mr. Hunt Well, it's always satisfying to hear about success and progress.

Mr. Boyd I didn't hear everything the chairman said. Where are we going to open new offices?

Mr. Hunt In Amsterdam and Hamburg.

Mr. Tate And when they're open, we'll have five European offices: Amsterdam, Hamburg, Paris, London and Milan.

Mr. Boyd What about Stockholm, Madrid and Geneva?

Mr. Tate Oh yes, that's eight.

Mr. Hum But remember, the other large English computer company has ten European offices.

Mr. Tate But our sales are higher.

Mr. Hunt That's true. Our production has expanded more rapidly.

Mr. Boyd When'll our new offices open?

Mr. Hunt They'll open next January.

Mr. Hunt Well have to go soon, Bruce. Our wives'll be back.

Mr. Tate Oh no. They won't be back yet. Shall we have another drink?

Mr. Boyd Yes, I think you ought to have another drink. It's my round.

Mr. Hunt Oh no. We really can't.

Mr. Boyd Nonsense. Of course you can. Waiter, three pints of bitter, please.

Mr. Tate About that job, Guy . . . I think you ought to take it.

Mr. Hunt Well, I don't think Sarah enjoys city life.

Mr. Tate If you work in London, you can live in the country. If I were you, I'd buy a house in Kent or Essex.

Mr. Hunt But it takes so long to get into London.

Mr. Tate You're absolutely right. It takes about an hour. But really, Guy, you ought to take the job. If you don't you'll be sorry.

Part 3

Two hours by plane

Jim How long does it take to get to Milan?

Harry It takes about two hours by plane.

Jim If I leave tomorrow morning, Til be there by. the afternoon.

Harry And if you go by train, it'll take about twenty-four hours.

Holidays

Pat It's too nice for sitting inside today.

Harry Yes, it's a good day for walking. Pat The mountains aren't far from here, are they?

Harry No, but I can't walk there today. Pat Neither can I, and tomorrow will be Sunday. Harry Yes, and we can't walk there on Sunday, can we?

Pat No, there'll be too many people.

Комментарий к девятнадцатому уроку

Часть первая

1. A Sales Conference Совещание по торговым вопросам

2. It's seven thirty now. Сейчас половина восьмого

seven thirty - букв, семь тридцать, т.е. половина восьмого

3. At eight (8.00) I'll 'phone for a taxi. В восемь я вызову такси по телефону.

a at eight - в восемь часов

б I'll 'phone for a taxi. - букв. Я позвоню по телефону за такси.

to 'phone for - вызвать no телефону, заказывать по телефону. Например:

I’ll phone for a doctor. - Я вызову врача по телефону.

I'll phone for a ticket. - Я закажу билет по телефону.

4. The taxi'll take us to the Underground. Такси довезет нас до метро