UNIT 10. MEALS
1. Read and translate the text
Living in Russia one cannot but stick to a Russian diet. Keeping this diet for an Englishman is fatal. The Russians have meals four times a day and their cuisine is quite intricate.
Every person starts his or her day with breakfast. Poor Englishmen are sentenced to either a continental or an English breakfast. From the Russian point of view, when one has it continental it actually means that one has no breakfast at all, because it means drinking a cup of coffee and eating a bun. A month of continental breakfast for some Russians would mean starving. The English breakfast is a bit better, as it consists of one or two fried eggs, grilled sausages, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms. The English have tea with milk and toast with butter and marmalade. As a choice one may have corn flakes with milk and sugar or porridge.
In Russia people may have anything for breakfast. Some good-humoured individuals even prefer soup, but, of course, sandwiches and coffee are very popular. One can easily understand that in Great Britain by one o’clock people are very much ready for lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. That would be music for a Russian’s ears until he or she learns what lunch really consists of. It may be a meat or fish course with soft drinks followed by a sweet course.
The heart of a Russian person fills with joy when the hands of the clock approach three o’clock. His or her dinner includes three courses. A Russian will have a starter (salad, herring, cheese, etc.), soup, steaks, chops, or fish fillets with garnish, a lot of bread, of course, and something to drink. The more the better. At four or five the Russians may have a bite: waffles, cakes with juice, tea, cocoa, or something of the kind.
In Great Britain they have dinner at five or six. Soup may be served then, but one should not be misled by the word soup. British soup is just thin portion is three times smaller than in Russia. A lot of British prefer to eat out. Fish and Chips shops are very popular with their take-away food. The more sophisticated public goes to Chinese, Italian, seafood or other restaurants and experiments with shrimp, inedible vegetables and hot drinks.
Supper in Russia means one more big meal at seven. The table groans with food again. In England it is just a small snack – a glass of milk with biscuits at ten.
Most Russians have never counted calories and they are deeply convinced that their food is healthy. Some housewives may admit that it takes some time to prepare all the stuff, including pickles, home-made preserves and traditional Russian pies and pancakes. But they don’t seem to mind too much and boil, fry, roast, grill, broil, bake and make.
Vocabulary
| bake | стряпать |
| to be ready for lunch | быть готовым к ланчу |
| biscuits | печенье |
| boil | варить |
| broil | коптить |
| cake | торт, пирожное |
| cheese | сыр |
| chop | отбивная |
| coffee | кофе |
| corn flakes with milk | хлопья с молоком |
| continental breakfast | континентальный завтрак |
| count calories | считать калории |
| cuisine | кухня |
| eat a bun | съесть булочку |
| eat out | поесть не дома |
| English breakfast | английский завтрак |
| fish course | рыбное блюдо |
| fish fillet | рыбное филе |
| fry | жарить |
| fried eggs | жареные яйца |
| garnish | гарнир |
| grill | готовить на гриле |
| grilled sausages | колбаски на гриле |
| groan with food again | ломиться от еды снова |
| have a bite | перекусить |
| healthy | здоровый |
| herring | сельдь |
| home-made preserves | домашние заготовки |
| hot drink | алкогольный напиток |
| include three courses | включает три блюда |
| inedible vegetables | сырые овощи |
| meat course | мясное блюдо |
| pancake | блин |
| pie | пирог |
| roast | обжаривать |
| salad | салат |
| sandwich | сэндвич |
| shrimp | креветка |
| small snack | небольшой перекус |
| soft drink | безалкогольный напиток |
| something to drink | выпить что-нибудь |
| sweet course | десерт |
| starter | закуска |
| stick to a Russian diet | придерживаться Российской диеты |
| takeaway food | еда на вынос |
| toast with butter | тост с маслом |
| thin portion | небольшая порция |
| waffle | вафля |
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2. True or false
1) The Russians have meals five times a day.
2) The English breakfast is better that continental breakfast.
3) In Russia people eat only porridge for breakfast.
4) Lunch is the biggest meal of the day.
5) In Great Britain they have dinner at 7 o’clock.
6) A lot of British people prefer to eat out.
7) Fish and Chips shops aren’t very popular in Russia.
8) Most Russians never count calories.
3. Put the phrases into the correct order.
1) In Russia people may have anything for breakfast.
2) But they don’t seem to mind too much and boil, fry, roast, grill, broil, bake and make.
3) Living in Russia one cannot but stick to a Russian diet.
4) In Great Britain they have dinner at five or six.
5) A lot of British people prefer to eat out.
6) Every person starts his or her day with breakfast.
7) It may be a meat or fish course with soft drinks followed by a sweet course.
8) The English have tea with milk and toast with butter and marmalade.
9) A Russian will have a starter (salad, herring, cheese), soup, steaks, or fish fillets with garnish, a lot of bread, of course, and something to drink.
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10) Most Russians have never counted calories.
4. Find the information in the text
| Russian breakfast | |
| British breakfast | |
| Garnishes | |
| Cuisines | |
| Places to eat out | |
| Russian lunch | |
| British lunch | |
| Second courses | |
| Sweet courses | |
| Snacks | |
| Cooking activities |
5. Answer the questions.
1. Say when you have meals and what you like to eat and drink for breakfast, dinner and supper.
2) Say what you dislike for breakfast, dinner and supper.
3) Say what they serve in the refectory at your university and what you usually choose.
4) Say what you can cook in five minutes.
5) Look at the picture and say what food is typically English and typically Russian
6. Which of these kinds of food have you eaten and which would you like to try?
American, British, Chinese, French, Georgian, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai
1. Read the restaurant guide. What kind of food does each restaurant serve?
Café Naz
Café Naz seems less crowded now because it’s bigger than before but the specialities from Bangladesh are as good as in any top class restaurant. I recommend the chicken with almonds. The waiters say which dishes are mild, spicy or very hot but be careful, they’re often spicier than you think.
Blue Spice
Brighter and more modern than a lot of Indian restaurants, the Blue Spice offers top quality Indian curries. Try the tasty tamarind lamb – and the salmon samosas are the most unusual starters I’ve ever had!
La Lanterna
La Lanterna offers pizza and pasta dishes. The terrace outside is more spacious and not as noisy as the main dining room, and it’s perfct on a warm summer evening. Try the delicious garlic pizza and the grilled mushrooms.
Eco
Eco is a pizzeria in one of the busiest parts of south London. The décor is trendy and the service is friendly. The pizza bread is the tastiest I’ve ever had and the asparagus and ham pasta was absolutely delicious! You won’t find better value than this.
Tate Modern 7th floor café
This may seem the least attractive choice. You can’t book a table and you have to queue. But the traditional British dishes and the view are worth to wait. Our table had the most spectacular view over the Thames. The décor was more basic than we expected and the prices were more expensive than in a lot of restaurants but the food was the best we’ve had on our visit to London.
2. Which restaurants would these tourists prefer?
1) Luke likes eating outside.
2) Tania would like to try British food.
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3) Oscar likes very hot and spicy food and loves chicken.
4) Silvie likes fashionable places but doesn’t want to spend a lot of money.
GRAMMAR CORNER: GRADES OF COMPARISON
| adjective | comparative form | superlative form |
| cold | colder | the coldest |
| tall big | taller bigger | the tallest the biggest |
| lazy easy | lazier easier | the laziest the easiest |
| boring interesting | more boring than less interesting than | the most boring the least interesting |
| EXCEPTIONS | ||
| good | better | the best |
| bad | worse | the worst |
| far | farther | the farthest |
| old | older elder | the oldest the eldest |
| as..as She is as beautiful as Kate no so as His apartment isn’t as elegant as hers. |
3. Translate the sentences into Russian
1) The new cinema in our district is much bigger than the old one. 2) He is one of the most dangerous criminals in the world. 3) Nevsky Prospect is much more beautiful than our street. 4) Our house isn’t as big as yours. 5) That’s the funniest story I’ve ever heard. 6) She’s getting better. That’s the most important thing. 7) What’s your height? You are taller than me. 8) She felt as strong as her brother. 9) We started earlier than you. 10) He was more careful than I was. 11) This student is the most attentive in our group. 12) I need a warmer coat. 13) He is as tired as you. 14) He was one of the most experienced workers at the factory. 15) Better late than never. 16) She wasn’t so attractive as her mother. 17) His work isn’t so difficult as mine. 18) He was the eldest in the family. 19) It is easier to swim in the sea than in the river. 20) This is the smallest room in our flat.
4. Open the brackets, using the appropriate form
1) – How do you like Smucker’s Sweet Orange Marmalade, Mrs Johnson? – I think it’s (delicious). It’s much (delicious) than the marmalade I usually buy. – We agree with you, Mrs Johnson. We think Smucker’s Sweet Orange Marmalade is (delicious) marmalade in the world. 2) The rivers in America are much (big) than those in England. 3) The island of Great Britain is (small) than Greenland. 4) What is the name of the (high) mountain in Asia? 5) The English Channel is (wide) than the Straits of Gibraltar. 6) Russia is a very (large) country. 7) Which is (large): the United States or Canada? 8) What is the name of the (big) port in the United States? 9) Moscow is the (large) city in Russia. 10) The London Underground is the (old) in the world. 11) There is a (great) number of cars.
5. Write sentences comparing the two places. Use these adjectives
Beautiful, cheap, comfortable, elegant, old, relaxed, small, tasty, trendy
Example
The Shark is more relaxed than Michel’s. The food is not as tasty as at Michel’s.
Michel
Shark
6. Work in pairs. Use comparative forms of the adjectives below to describe a food item. Take turns to guess what the food is.
big, cheap, colorful, common, easy to get, exotic, expensive, fatty, healthy, heavy, juicy, mild, salty, small, sour, spicy, sweet, tasty
Example
It’s bigger than a plum and sweeter than a grapefruit. It’s juicier than a pear. It’s as big as an apple. (orange)
7. Read and translate the dialogue