Restaurant

The word restaurant was used for the first time to describe a soup invented by a French cook in the 16^th century. It was a very tasty soup containing a lot of spices. Its taste gave you energy back or “restored” you. By 1760 it was very well-known. So when a French cook opened an inn in Paris he called it “Restaurant”, like the famous soup, using the French word for “restore”.

Ketchup

The famous spicy sauce based on tomatoes, onions, vinegar and sugar wasn’t an American invention, but was originally a Chinese sauce called “Ke Tsiap”. Ke Tsiap was brought to the West by some English sailors. Later, its taste was made sweeter by the addition of a little sugar.

Hamburgers

The word hamburger comes from the German city of Hamburg. In the Hamburg area the Tartars first made a sort of hamburger in the Middle Ages. They used to sit on pieces of meat when they rode horses; so the meat came out flat! But the Americans invented the modern hamburger about 100 years ago. Now they forget the origin of the word—and make cheeseburgers, fishburgers, beefburgers, eggburgers …in fact anythingburgers!

Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contractual relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities – operating room, tests, and medicines that they use. Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veterans hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders or other non-profit groups. Still others operate for profit.

Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff member, or residents who often are still in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal governments Public Health Service.

Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980^th, it is not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $100.000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the US. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost more than $12.000 annually at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency in a hospital, the first year as an intern, an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low. Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment.