Meals in Britain

A traditional English breakfast is a very big meal – sausage, bacon, eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms. But nowadays many people just have cereals with milk and sugar, or toast with … , jam or honey. Marmalade is made of oranges and jam is made of other fruit. The traditional breakfast … is tea, which people have with cold milk. Some people have coffee, often – instant coffee, which is made with just hot water. Many … to Britain find coffee disgusting!

For many people lunch is a quick meal. In cities there are a lot of sandwich bars, where office workers can choose the kind of … they want – brown, white or a roll – and then all sorts of salads and meat or fish to go in the … . Pubs often serve good, cheap food both cold and hot. Schoolchildren can have a hot meal at … but many just take a snack from home – a sandwich, a drink, some fruit, and, perhaps, some crisps.

Tea means two things. It is a drink and a meal! Some people have afternoon … with sandwich cake.

The evening meal is the main meal of the day for many people. They usually have it quite early … 6 o’clock and 8 o’clock.

On Sundays many families have a traditional lunch. They have roast meat, beef, lamb, chickens, potatoes, … and gravy. Gravy is a sauce made of the meat juice.

The British like food from other … , too, especially Italian, … and Indian. People often get takeaway meals – you buy the food at the … and then bring it home to eat. Eating in Britain is quite international!

Task 12

1) Pre-reading task.

What do you know about potatoes? What are the main methods of cooking potatoes? What is the difference between roasting, frying and baking?

2) Reading.

All About Potatoes

1. A lot of potatoes are eaten in many parts of the world, particularly in Northern Europe and North America. The potato had been cultivated in America before it become important food in Europe, Africa and Asia. It was introduced to England in the time of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16^th century. Nowadays it is such an important part of the English man’s diet that it is difficult to imagine how he used to manage without it.

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2. Potatoes can be cooked in many different ways. The four main methods used in England are boiling, roasting, baking and frying. When potatoes are boiled, they are cut up and put in a saucepan with water and a little salt. When potatoes are baked, they are put in an oven for half an hour. They usually are not peeled. Baked potatoes with their skins on are called “potatoes in their jackets”. Roasting is like baking because it is usually done in an oven. The main difference between baking and roasting is the usage of fat. Fat is used while you are roasting, but it is not while you are baking.

3. Frying is like roasting because fat or oil is used. There are two main ways of frying potatoes. They can be cut into slices and fried in a special shallow pan called frying pan. For this way of frying English people use animal or vegetable fat which is sold in packets or tins. The other way is called deep frying. The slices of potatoes are put into a deep pan or metal box full of oil.

4. In Britain fried potatoes are called “chips”. We must be careful not to get confused about the meaning of the word “chips”. In America fried potatoes are mostly called “French fries” and the word “chips” is used in America and now also in Britain for potato crisps. Potato crisps are very thin slices of potato fried by a special factory method and sold in a plastic bag. It is this second and newer meaning of the word “chips”, which has been borrowed by some other languages.

5. One of the most popular dishes in Britain is fish and chips. Before the fish is fried it is dipped in a mixture of flour and water called batter. Both fish and chips shops where one can go and buy chips and fish for the whole family.

3)Post-reading task.

Task 1. Match headings A-F to paragraphs 1-5. There is one heading you won’t need to use.

A. Chips and crisps.

B. Four main methods of cooking potatoes.

C. A short history of potatoes.

D. The most popular dishes in Britain.

E. Potato diet.

F. Two main ways of frying potatoes.

Task 2. Complete the sentences.

1. Potatoes were introduced to England in the time of …

2. Baked potatoes with their skins on are called …

3. In Britain fried potatoes are called …

4. In America fried potatoes are mostly called …

5. Very thin slices of potato fried by a special factory method are called …

6. One of the most popular dishes in Britain is …

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Task 13

Correct the mistakes in the text:

Americans do not like to prepare meels at home. They prefer to eat at cafes and 1________

restaurants. Usually they have three meals a day: brekfast, lunch and dinner. 2________

American breakfast as a rule consists of batter, jam, bread and a roll. Usually 3________

people also eat cereal with milk, some chees, soft-boiled eggs and drink 4________

orange juise, tea or coffee. Most Americans do not come back home to lunch, 5________

they have it at Fast Food Restaurans. The most common menu consists of 6________

apple-pie, hamburger, cheeseburger, sandwishes. There are a lot of “fast food” 7________

shops to buy something to et quickly. They are situated on many street corners. 8________

These sell humburgers, hot dogs and drinks like Coca-Cola. For dinner they 9________

have meat, fried or baked potatoes with ketchup, corn, peas and makaroni. 10________

In general many drinks are drunk with ise, even tea. 11________

Task 14

1) Pre-reading task.

What “eating” places do you like the most and why? What is important for you?

2) Reading.

Andrew, 15. I only ever eat out on special occasions, birthday, for example. I don’t really like going to restaurants. It takes too long. I get bored. I usually go to the restaurant with my family, mainly to traditional restaurants or pub restaurants. I like pubs with gardens best – where you can sit outside. My favourite food is hamburger with chips and ice-cream, plain food, nothing fancy. I hate spicy food.

Matthew, 18. I often eat out with my friends an evening out at the pub. We usually end up in a pizzeria, burger bar or Chinese restaurant because you don’t have to dress smartly to get in and they’re the type of place where you can eat most cheaply. I like going to the nearest Chinese restaurant “The Dragon” best because the food’s good there and the waiters are really friendly. It’s also cheap and convenient – just next to the put! I have to say that my favourite food is Chinese. The food I hate most is salad.

Carry, 16. I often eat out with my friends on Saturdays. We spend the morning shopping, then stop for a burger. I like my local burger place best because they serve you more quickly than other burger places, and it’s so big, you can always find a seat. It’s also cheaper than other burger cafes. The food’s not brilliant, a bit tasteless, but what I like most is being with my friends and catching up on all the gossip1 My favourite food if you can call it food, is milk shake, especially strawberry flavour! I love all sweet things – chocolate, desserts, apple pie. I dislike fish most.

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Clive, 17. Every Saturday I meet my mates in the Video Rock Café. We don’t have much to eat, a burger, maybe a sandwich, but then we don’t go there for food – it’s the atmosphere really lovely – and you don’t have to dress smartly. I like music too. There are always a lot of people I know there. I suppose my favourite food is Indian, the hotter the better, and my mum’s roast dinner. There isn’t any food I don’t like.

3) Post-reading task.

Which people said these things were important for them? Put any marks in the table (×) or (+).

	Andrew	Matthew	Carry	Clive
Price
Music
Kind of food
Size
Dress
Quality of food
Service
Atmosphere

Task 15

1) Pre-reading task.

What do you know about meals in Britain?

2) Reading.

Lunch is taken in the middle of the day, between breakfast and dinner. The English lunch usually consists of two courses: a meat or fish with vegetables and a dessert. For his lunch an Englishman may have chops, beefsteaks, cutlets, fried fish with vegetables, some salad and so on. A cup of coffee, fruit or fruit puddings are usually taken for the dessert.

Some people call this meal dinner, they don’t have any larger meal after lunch. Thus, the English word “lunch” can hardly be translated or explained as “the second breakfast”. There is a special word in everyday use to denote the second breakfast. This word is “elevenses”.

Everything in London stops at midday for lunch. Most offices, institutions and small shops are closed for lunch for an hour from 1 to 2 p.m. The streets, squares, crossings are

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full of people who are on their way of cafes. At factories, plants and docks workers get their lunch in canteens.

There are also many flowers in the garden.

3) Post-reading task.