UNIT I

Lesson 1
EATING TO LIVE OR LIVING TO EAT?

We eat food everyday because it is important to our body. There are different types of food. Each
type of food performs specific functions in our body. To stay healthy, we are advised to eat food
which contains a combination of many types. Some food can give us energy while others can
make us grow. A combination of essential foods is called a balanced diet. It is generally believed
that you are what you eat.

Why do we eat? Do we eat because we are hungry, or do we eat for other reasons? In
fact, the desire to eat is not just governed by hunger, but there are many other factors that drive
us to eat.
We all need food to survive. Food supplies us with energy necessary for carrying out
basic physiological processes that keep us alive. We also use this energy to carry out activities
for daily living.
How often, how much and what to eat – is controlled by several factors.
Hunger and appetite both encourage eating. Hunger is an inborn stimulus – the
physiological need to eat. Whenever our bodies begin to fall short on energy from food, our
empty stomachs and intestines send signals, processed by the brain’ that stimulate feelings of
hunger.
Appetite, on the hand, is a learned response. Appetite is the desire to eat food which is
usually associated with the sensory (sight, smell, taste) aspects of food. Appetite is more driven
by external forces. It may be influenced by our emotions, social situations and cultural norms.
Our appetites are at work when we have eaten an entire meal, but see a tempting dessert item and
eat it, despite the fact that we are not hungry.
We usually experience a feeling of fullness after we have eaten, that lasts for a while. This
feeling of fullness is what is called satiety, and like appetite and hunger, is influenced by
different factors.
Hunger, appetite, and satiety are the three main factors that determine whether we eat
to live, or live to eat. While all three factors are influenced by external factors, hunger and satiety
are usually more dependent upon our body signals, than external factors.
Hunger, appetite, and satiety ultimately determine our diets and eating behaviours.

Marshall Brain:” Why do we eat? “

VOCABULARY

Food - is a general term for anything that people eat: bread, meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, milk,
tinned goods, sweets, etc.

The words below are some of the most important used when talking about the Food.
Translate them into Romanian.

How food is cooked

boiled – cooked in boiling water
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steamed– cooked over a saucepan of boiling water
fried / sautéed – cooked in oil in a frying pan
stir-fried – fried fast in hot oil
pan-fried – fried in a frying pan
roasted – cooked in oil in the oven
grilled – cooked under a grill
baked – cooked in the oven
stewed – cooked for a long time on a low heat
casseroled – cooked slowly in juices

Types of food
meat = lamb, pork or beef
poultry = chicken, turkey, goose, duck
game = rabbit, hare, partridge, pheasant
fish = salt water fish / sea fish, fresh water fish
seafood = prawns, shrimps, lobster, scallops, mussels, crab
vegetables/ fruit

Food – Condition
fresh - new, not stale or faded;
off – (of food) beginning to decay;
raw – not cooked;
ripe – matured;
rotten – decayed, unpleasant;
tough – hard to break, cut, or chew;
undercooked – insufficient cooked;

Food - Quantities
a bar of – US (bar of chocolate) - (tabletă de ciocolată);
liter (Am.)/ litre (Br) – a metric unit of capacity (1.76 pints) for measuring liquids;
a loaf of – (Pl. loaves) – a mass of bread (o franzela);
a lump of – a hard or compact mass- (bucată de);
a piece of– a part, a portion;
a pint of – a measure for liquids, one-eighth of a gallon (galon- măsură de capacitate)-(0,568
litre);- (halbă de);
a portion of – an amount of food for one person;
spoonful - The amount that a spoon holds;

Food - Taste
bitter – tasting sharp, not sweet or mild;

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creamy - rich in or resembling cream;
crisp – brittle, slightly stiff – (crocant - fragil, usor rigid);
hot – producing a burning sensation to the taste;
salty - of, containing, or seasoned with salt;
sour - having a taste characteristic of that produced by acids –(acru);
spicy - having the flavor, aroma, or quality of spice.
stodgy - indigestible and starchy; heavy: stodgy food- (greu de digerat);
sweet - having the taste of sugar or a substance containing or resembling sugar, as honey or
saccharin;
tasteless - 1. Lacking flavor; insipid.
2. Not having or showing good taste.

Food - Eating and Drinking

to bite - 1. to cut, grip, or tear with or as if with the teeth.
2. to pierce the skin of with the teeth;
to chew - to bite and grind with the teeth; masticate;
to swallow - to cause (food or drink, for example) to pass through the mouth and throat in
the stomach;
to sip - to drink in small quantities.
to fill - to put into (a container, for example) as much as can be held: fill a glass with milk.
to mix – to combine or blend into one mass or mixture.
to pour - to make (a liquid or granular solid) stream or flow, as from a container;
to shake - to cause to move to and fro (incolo si incoace) with jerky (brusc) movements.

to stir - to pass an implement through (a liquid, for example) in circular motions so as to mix
or cool the contents: stirred the soup before tasting it.

to fry means “to cook (be cooked) in boiling fat”. We usually fry fish, potatoes, eggs, bacon,
pancakes, etc.

to roast means “to cook (be cooked) in an oven or over an open fire.

Activities:
1. Brainstorm if you feel hungry, satisfied, or full:
1. When I wake up in the morning, I feel…
2. Just before lunch, I feel…
3. After recess (vacanta, pauza), I feel…
4. After dinner, I feel…
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 5. After I eat a snack, I feel…
6. After a big breakfast, I feel…
7. When I finish a meal from a fast food restaurant, I feel…
8. After I eat an apple or banana, I feel…

British food best in the world

A British restaurant that serves bacon and egg ice cream has been voted the best place in the
world to eat. The Fat Duck restaurant, near London, was at the top of Restaurant magazine’s
list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The owner and head chef Hesston Blumenthal opened
his restaurant ten years ago. He has quickly developed a reputation for experimental and
unique dishes. His menu includes leather, oak and tobacco chocolates, sardine on toast sorbet,
snail porridge, and mousse dipped in liquid nitrogen. He taught himself how to cook and is
now famous for this new style of cooking, which is called “molecular gastronomy”. It mixes
chemistry, physics, food and flavour to make unusual taste combinations. Britain, the home of
fish and chips, is famous for tasteless and boring food. However, it seems things are changing:
in addition to the Fat Duck’s award, London was named in March by Gourmet magazine as
the Gourmet Capital of the World.

DISCUSSION:

1. Do you believe this headline?

2. Was there anything in the story you cannot believe?
3. Did you agree with anything you read?
4. Which country do you think the writer of this article is from?
5. What do you think of British food?
6. Do you think your country’s food is the tastiest in the world?
7. Do you prefer home cooking or restaurant food?
8. Where is the gourmet capital of the world?
9. Do you like eating unusual things?
10. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
11. Is there any food in your country that foreigners generally dislike?
12. Would you like to eat at the Fat Duck restaurant?
13. What is your favourite restaurant and why do you like it?
14. What is more important in a restaurant – price, atmosphere or taste?
15. Do you think “molecular gastronomy” will become popular?

2. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true
or false:
A British restaurant serves bacon and egg ice cream.  T / F
A British restaurant won the title of best restaurant in the world.  T / F

The head chef cooks traditional English dishes.  T / F

The head chef studied at a French cooking school.  T / F
Britain is the home of fish and chips.  T / F
London was named as the gourmet capital of the world.  T / F

3. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

(a) serves name
(b) list cooking

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 (c) reputation food lover
(d) unique dishes up
(e) gastronomy combines
(f) mixes bland
(g) tasteless one-of-a-kind
(h) gourmet poll

4. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than
one combination is possible):
(a) A British restaurant that dishes
(b) at the top of how to cook
(c) quickly developed of cooking
(d) experimental and unique a reputation
(e) He taught himself of fish and chips
(f) new style serves bacon and egg ice cream
(g) the home are changing
(h) it seems things Restaurant magazine’s list

5. MY COUNTRY’S FOOD: Write down what you consider to be the three most delicious
dishes in your country. Talk about the points below to your partner / group:
ingredients difficulty of cooking
flavour eating style
presentation your history with this food
history price
cultural importance availability

6. Make the recipe in English for a favorite dish. Bring it to your next class and tell your
partner / group about it.

7. Translate into English: „Plăcerea şi gătitul”

În acelaşi timp, consumarea alimentelor, la fel ca prepararea lor, dă o senzaţie de plăcere, care
provoacă bunăstare. În unele ţări, ca şi România, bucătăria este ridicată la rang de artă
culinară. Unii prepară cu multe plăcere mâncărurile singuri, sau împreună cu cei dragi, în
special de sărbători, cum sunt Crăciunul si Paştele la creştini, sau Ziua Recunoştinţei în Statele
Unite. Sărbătorile au devenit prilej de reunire a familiei, de întâlnire cu cei dragi, prilej de
cunoaştere sau petrecere a timpului împreună. De asemenea invitaţia la masă a devenit un act
social, de întrunire, care relevă educaţia grupului, posibilităţile materiale, interesele sale şi
oferă prilej pentru etalarea obiceiurilor spiritual-culturale ale grupului. De multe ori invitaţia la
masă premerge o viitoare întâlnire de afaceri.

SUPLIMENTARY READING

God's Food
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm

There were once upon a time two sisters, one of whom had no children and was rich, and
the other had five and was a widow, and so poor that she no longer had food enough to satisfy
herself and her children. In her need, therefore, she went to her sister, and said, "My children and
I are suffering the greatest hunger; thou are rich, give me a mouthful of bread." The very rich
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sister was as hard as a stone, and said, "I myself have nothing in the house," and drove away the
poor creature with harsh words. After some time the husband of the rich sister came home, and
was just going to cut himself a piece of bread, but when he made the first cut into the loaf, out
flowed red blood. When the woman saw that she was terrified and told him what had occurred.
He hurried away to help the widow and her children, but when he entered her room, he found her
praying. She had her two youngest children in her arms, and the three eldest were lying dead. He
offered her food, but she answered, "For earthly food have we no longer any desire. God has
already satisfied the hunger of three of us, and he will hearken to our supplications likewise."
Scarcely had she uttered these words than the two little ones drew their last breath, whereupon
her heart broke, and she sank down dead.

Give the characteristics of heroes.

Vocabulary:
Thou – (pron.) old use (you) – tu, voi, Dvoastra;
In her need – a state of great difficulty or misfortune, poverty - o stare de mare dificultate sau
nenorocire, saracie;
To be in need of –be obliged - a avea nevoie de;
Therefore (adv.) – for that reason; as a consequence – deci, asadar;
Harsh – rough, disagreeable, sever, cruel – dur, aspru, sever;
To hearken – to listen; to give respectful attention – a asculta;
Supplication – pleading, prayer – implorare, cerere, rugaminte;
Likewise (adv.) – the same, similarly – la fel, asemenea; (conj.) de asemenea;
To utter – to say - a rosti, a exprima;
Whereupon (adv.) – upon which - la care, drept care;
To sink down dead - recently dead – tocmai decedat;

UNIT I
Lesson 2

MEALS / Conversation Questions

Food & Eating

 About how many different colour foods did you eat for dinner last night?
o Do you think about colour when you are preparing a meal?
 Are there any foods that you wouldn't eat as a child that you eat now?
 Are you concerned about your daily calorie intake (consum) when choosing something to
eat?
 Do you always eat dinner with your family?
 Do you always eat vegetables?
 Do you cook? If yes, what food do you cook the most often?
 Do you eat lunch at university every day?
o How much does lunch usually cost at university?
 Do you ever skip (a omite) breakfast? If so, how often and why?
 Do you have a favorite bar or cafe? If so, where is it? Why do you like it?
 Do you know someone who struggles with (a avea probleme cu) an eating disorder
(psychological problem with food) -tulburare alimentara?
 Do you like deep-fried food?
 Do you like food from other countries? If yes, which do you like the most?
 Do you like to eat junk food (food that is not healthy or fresh; food that is not healthy
because it contains a lot of fat, salt, and sugar)?
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 Do you like to eat some desserts after dinner?
 Do you like to try new food and drinks?
 Do you often eat out?
 Do you prefer fish or meat?
 Do you prefer to eat at a restaurant or at home?
 Do you prefer your own country's food or other kinds of food?
 Do you read the nutritional information on the foods you buy?
 Do you take vitamin pills?
 Do you think a vegetarian diet is better than a diet that includes meat?
 Do you think fast food, soda and sweets should be sold in school cafeterias?
 Do you usually want to eat dessert after dinner?
 Have you ever been on a diet? If so, how long did you stayed on it?
 How much do you eat when you are sad or happy?
 How often do you eat in a restaurant? (How often do you eat out?)
o Where do you usually go?
o Who do you usually go with?
o About how much do you spend?
 How often do you go shopping for food?
 If you are living abroad, what is the food that you miss most from home?
 Is there any food that you really dislike to eat?
 What are some foods that are considered unhealthy?
 What are some foods that you know are healthy for your body?
 What country's foods do you like the most?
 What is a typical meal from your country?
 What is the cheapest place to eat that you know?
o How often do you go there?
 Does your family have any special recipes that are passed down from generation to
generation?
 Pizza
o Do you like pizza?
o What is your favorite pizza topping?
o How often do you eat pizza at a restaurant?
o How often do you order pizza to your home?
o Are there pizzerias near your home that deliver pizzas?
o What do you like to drink with your pizza?
o Do you know how to make a pizza?
o Do you know who invented the pizza?
o Why is pizza popular?
o Have you ever called for pizza delivery?

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Meals and Cooking

Read and summarize the text: Meals and Cooking

England VS (vice versa) Moldova

  Living in Moldova one cannot but stick to a Moldovan diet. Keeping this diet for an
Englishman is fatal. The Moldovans 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 Moldovans 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 breakfasts for some Moldovans 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 Moldova 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 Moldovan’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 Moldovans person fills with joy when the hands of the clock approach three
o’clock. His or her dinner includes three courses. A Moldovan 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 Moldovans may have a bite: waffles
(gofre), cakes with juice, tea, cocoa, or something of the kind (ceva de genul).

  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 paste and a portion is three times smaller
than in Moldova. A lot of British prefer to eat but. “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 Moldova 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 Moldovans 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

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pickles, home-made preserves and traditional Moldovan pies and pancakes. But they don’t seem
to mind too much and boil, fry, roast, grill, broil, bake and make. Paraphrasing a famous proverb
one can say: ‘What is a Moldovan man’s meat is a British man’s poison’.

Meals in Britain

  The usual British meals are breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and supper.

  Traditional breakfast is a very big meal - sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc.
But nowadays many people just have cereal with milk and sugar, or toast with marmalade, jam,
or honey. Marmalade and jam are not the same! Marmalade is made from oranges and jam is
made from other fruit. The traditional breakfast drink is tea, which people have with cold milk.
Some people have coffee, often instant coffee, which is made with just hot water. Many visitors
to Britain find this coffee disgusting!

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

  Afternoon tea means two things. It is a drink and a meal! Some people have afternoon tea with
sandwiches or cakes. Cream teas are very popular. You may also have scones (a kind of cake)
with cream and jam.

  The evening meal is the main meal of the day for many people. They usually have it quite
early, between 6 and 8 pm, and often the whole family eats together.

  On Sundays many families have a traditional lunch. They have roast meat, either beef, lamb,
chicken, or pork with potatoes and gravy. Gravy is a sauce made from the meat juices.

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

Lexical exercises:

I. Complete these sentences with a suitable word. The first letter of the missing word is given.

1. There are four vegetables I really hate: peppers, courgettes [ko:gets] (long vegetable
with dark green skin). The American word is zucchini), m………………… and
a………………… .
2. We had a delicious salad of tomato, cucumber and l………………… .
3. The dessert was fresh fruit: there was a large bowl of strawberries, peaches,
c………………… and p………………… .
4. I’m always ill if I eat certain shellfish like shrimps, o………………… or
m………………… .
5. I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t eat beef, pork, lamb or v………………… .

II. Match the words on the left with the examples/definitions on the right.

1. bitter a. a lot of sugar

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 2. sour b. no flavour at all
3. hot, c. pleasant, slightly salty or with herbs
spicy d. has a good taste/flavour
4. sweet e. e.g. fruit which is not ripe
5. bland f. like a beautiful, ripe strawberry
6. salty g. sharp/unpleasant
7. sugary h. e.g. a strong Indian curry
8. savoury i. a lot of salt
9. tasty j. rather negative, very little flavour
10. tasteless

IV. Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage.

recipe take-away dish tip

menu eat out snack cookery books
fast waiter bill ingredients
food

  I’m a terrible cook. I’ve tried hard but it’s no use. I’ve got lots of (a)…………………, I choose
a (b)………………… I want to cook, I read the (c)………………… , I prepare all the necessary
(d)………………… and follow the instructions. But the result is terrible, and I just have a
sandwich or some other quick (e)………………… . So I often (f)………………… .
  I don’t like grand restaurants. It’s not the expense; it’s just that I don’t feel at ease in them. First
the (g)………………… gives me a (h)………………… which I can’t understand because it’s
complicated and has lots of foreign words. At the end of the meal when I pay the (i)
………………… I never know how much to leave as a (j)………………… . I prefer (k)
………………… places, like hamburger shops where you pay at once and sit down and eat
straightaway. And I like (l)………………… where you buy a meal in a special container and
take it home.

V. Explain the meaning of the following proverbs in English and translate them into
Romanian.

1. The appetite comes with eating.

2. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
3. First catch your hare then cook him.
4. Enough is as good as a feast.
5. Hunger is the best sauce.
6. Dog doesn’t eat dog.
7. Tastes differ.

VI. Are these sentences true or false? If they are false, correct them.

1. Lobster is a kind of fruit.

2. Salad is usually a mixture of uncooked vegetables.
3. A lamb is a baby sheep; lamb is also the name of the meat of that animal.
4. A calf is a young pig.
5. Salmon is a kind of shellfish.
6. Oil and vinegar are often used with a green salad.
7. Peas, courgettes, aubergines and cucumbers are all the same colour.

VII. Fill the gaps in these sentences with the correct noun, verb or adjective.
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 1. You will need to put the meat in the ………………… for half an hour at 200 degrees
centigrade, then reduce the temperature to 180 for the rest of the cooking time.
2. When people go out for a meal in Britain, they often have three …………………: a
…………………, a …………………, and a dessert.
3. If you are cooking steak, you need to turn up the ………………… so that your pan is
really hot before you put the meat in.
4. When I pay for my meal, I usually leave 10% for the waiter if ………………… is not
included.
5. There are basically four ways of cooking steak: …………………, medium-
…………………, medium or well-done. I like my steak medium.
6. The trouble with fattening food is that it makes you ………………… weight if you’re
not very careful.
7. Have you asked the waiter for the ………………… and the wine list?
8. I’m not very keen on curry: it’s too hot and ………………… for me.
9. The chicken is cooked in a white wine and cream ………………… .
10. It’s a very simple restaurant but the food is delicious and everything is …………………-
made.

VIII. Replace the italicized word(s) in these sentences with (an)other word(s) with the same
meaning.

1. Do you always leave money for the waiter?

2. It’s a very popular restaurant, so you may need to reserve a table one or two weeks
before you go there.
3. Do you want a drink before the meal?
4. Have you already paid the money for the meal?

IX. Put one of the following words in each space in the sentences below.

  “ at      down      of      for      out      in      up”

1. I asked ……… the menu.

2. I like to eat ……… .
3. He took ……… my order.
4. I like to go ……… self-service places.
5. Let’s invite the Smiths ……… dinner.
6. I looked ……… the menu.
7. I’m very fond ……… Chinese food.
8. Could you help me set ……… the plates?
9. Put the used cutlery ……… the sink.
10. I’ll wash them ……… later.

X. Find out what the following English idioms mean matching the two parts and translate
them into Romanian.

1. too many cooks spoil the broth a. a bad person

2. couch potato b. too many people trying to do something will cause
3 in the soup problems
4. bad egg c. to be sold out very quickly
5. coffee break d. someone who spends a lot of time on a couch watching
6. to sell like hot cakes TV ;
7. Wine and dine someone e. to treat someone to an expensive meal;
f. in serious trouble, in a bad situation;
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 g. a break from work to rest and have tea or coffee

XI. Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage.

vegetarian starter diet entertaining

washing side dish cutlery napkin
up dessert main course sink
crockery

  Maureen often gives dinner parties at home. She loves (a)………………… . She lays the table:
puts the (b)………………… in the right places, sets out the plates and puts a clean white (c)
………………… at each place. For the meal itself, she usually gives her guests some kind of (d)
………………… first, for example soup or melon. Next comes the (e)………………… is
usually meat (unless some of her guests are (f)………………… or if they’re on a special (g)
………………… ) with a (h)…………………of salad. For (i)………………… it’s usually fruit
or ice-cream, and then coffee. When everyone has gone home, she must think about doing the (j)
………………… , as in the kitchen the (k)………………… is full of dirty (l)………………… .

DIALOGUE: AT TABLE

Nick: I say, mum, I’m terribly hungry. I haven’t had a thing all day. I could do with a snack.
Mother: Why, you are just in time for dinner.
Nick: No soup for me. I’d rather have beefsteak.
Mother: Are you quite sure you wouldn’t like some soup? It tastes all right.
Nick: There is nothing like steak and chips. I’ll go and wash my hands.
Mother: How’s the steak? I’m afraid it’s underdone.
Nick: Oh, it’s done to a turn, just to my liking. I don’t like meat overdone. May I have another
helping of chips?
Mother: Yes, certainly. Hand me your plate, please, and help yourself to the salad. Just to see
how it tastes.
Nick: Oh, it’s delicious.
Mother: Shall I put some mustard on your steak?
Nick: No, thanks, I don’t care for mustard. I’d rather take a spoonful of sauce. Pass me the
sauce, please.
Mother: Here you are. Oh, isn’t there a smell of something burning?
Nick: So there is.
Mother: I’ve left the layer-cake in the oven.
Nick: For goodness’ sake get it out quick.
Mother (coming back): Oh, Nick! How awkward of you to have spilt the sauce over the table –
cloth. Get a paper napkin from the sideboard and cover it up.
Nick: I’m terribly sorry. I was quite upset about my favorite cake getting spoiled.
Mother: Don’t worry. Here it is, brown and crisp on the outside. What will you have, tea or
coffee?
Nick: A cup of tea.
Mother: Any milk? Shall I put butter on your bread?
Nick: No, thanks. I can’t see sugar-basin.
Mother: It’s behind the bread – plate. Have a better look.
Nick: I’m afraid it’s the salt – cellar.
Mother: So it is. I’m in a hurry I must have left it in the dresser.
Nick: It’s all right. I’ll get it myself.
Mother: Help yourself to the cake. There’s nothing else to follow.
Nick: I’ve had a delicious meal.

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Give the meaning of these word Combinations in Romanian:

to boil meat (potatoes, cabbage, eggs, water, milk, etc.) =

to stew fruit (vegetable, meat) =
to sit at table (having meal) =
(to sit at the table writing a letter, etc.) =
to have (take) smth. For dinner (for the first, second course, or dessert) =
to butter one’s bread (roll, etc.) =
to have a snack (a bite of food) =
to have another helping of smth. =
to roast meat (mutton, pork, beef), fowl (chicken, duck, goose, turkey), potatoes =
to fry bacon, eggs, potatoes, fish (cod, perch, pike, had-dock, trout, salmon) =
to taste good (bad, delicious, etc.) =
to be done to a turn (overdone, underdone) =
crisp toast =
to help oneself to smth =
to pass smth. to smb. =
to dine in (out) =
it’s to my liking =
there’s nothing like ice-cream (steak, etc) =
take a place in the queue -
for seconds -
wouldn’t mind having –
That’ll do for the time being -

ACTIVITIES:

I. Study the text 1, 2, 3 and

Explain the meaning of the following phrases:
A full meal, plain food, a housekeeping budget, to go under various names, social standing,
delicious (about food), layer-cake, oven, napkin, a big eater, done to a turn, seconds – (a doua
portie, inca o portie).

II. Fill in prepositions or adverbs where necessary:

1. Take another helping … salad.
2. I think I’ll trouble you … a second cup of tea.
3. Will you please pass … the sugar?
4. She is going to make some fish soup … dinner.
5. Marmalade is made … orange peel.
6. The egg is eaten … a small spoon.
7. Their meal consisted … two courses.
8. What can you recommended … the first course?
9. The meat is done … a turn.
10. No sugar … me, thank you.
11. …. midday people have their meal … home or … the canteen.
12. Custard is made … eggs and milk.
13 The fish is just … my liking.
14. Evening meal goes … various names … England.
15. I don’t take milk … my tea.
16. Help yourself … some pastry.
17. Broth is made … boiling chicken.
18. Will you please hand … the salt-cellar?

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19. What do you usually order … dessert?
20. The way to refuse … a dish is … saying “No, thank you.”
21. You may ask … a second helping.

III. Ask your partner:

1. About the dinner he usually has (time, place, dishes). 2. If he take any starter and what he likes
best of all. 3. What kind of soup he likes best of all. 4. What his favorite meat dishes are. 5. What
kinds of fish he knows. 6. If he likes stewed carrots. 7. What are other stewed vegetables or fruit
he eats. 8. What he wants for dessert. 9. How many lumps of sugar he takes with his tea. 10. If he
prefers strong or weak tea. 11. What he usually does if he spills some liquid of he sometimes eats
out. 15. If he prefers eating out.

IV. Compose dialogues between a Moldavian and an English student discussing a) English
and Moldavian meals; b) their favourite dishes; c) where each of them has his meals.

V. Study the text:

Bread and Butter Pudding

Beat up two eggs and add to them one pint of milk and a little flavoring. Butter the pie-dish and
cut three slices of bread-and – butter in fingers, removing the crusts. Put a layer of bread in the
dish, sprinkle with sugar and a few cleaned currants or raisins, add more bread, fruit and sugar
and then pour over the milk and the eggs. Leave to soak for one hour, and then bake in a slow
oven about an hour. Sprinkle with sugar before serving.

VI. Make up dialogues:

Suggested Situations
A. Helen has invited some friends to a dinner party. She has cooked all the dishes herself and
proudly mentions the fact. Her friends do not find everything quite to their liking, but try not to
show it. On the whole, everyone is having great fun.

B. An irritable husband is sitting at dinner and criticizing his wife’s cooking. He is trying to
teach her the way this or that dish should be cooked though he knows very little about it. The
wife is doing her best to defend herself.

C. A hostess is treating a lady –visitor to a meal. The visitor keeps repeating that she
is a on a slimming –diet, that she never eats anything fattening and that, in general,
she eats like a little bird. Yet she helps herself to this and that very heartily, till the
hostess begins watching the disappearing food with some anxiety.

D. A slow waitress is taking an order from a hungry and inpatient client. All the client’s efforts
to order this or that dish are refused on all kinds of pretexts: the pork is fat; the beef is tough;
they haven’t got any more potatoes in the kitchen; the ice-cream has melted; the cook has a
toothache, etc.

E. Two very young and extremely inexperienced housewives are advising each other as to the
best way of feeding their husbands. One of them in inclined to take the line of least resistance
and to serve only tinned food alone will never do and suggests other ways of solving the
problem.

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VII. Translate into English: „A mânca pentru a trăi, a trăi pentru a mânca”

A se alimenta înseamnă a satisface nevoile organismului în materie de apă, proteine, glucide,

lipide şi vitamine, cu scopul de a asigura creşterea şi întreţinerea corpului, ca în cazul sarcinii,
alăptării sau după o maladie de exemplu. Fiinţele omeneşti au într-adevăr necesităţi nutriţionale
diferite în funcţie de sex, vârstă şi gradul lor de activitate.

Proteinele, lipidele şi glucidele constituie o sursă de energie şi o sursă de molecule necesare

corpului uman. Alimentele furnizează diferite elemente, dar într-un fel neadecvate necesităţiilor
umane.
De exemplu un bărbat adult la o activitate medie va avea nevoie de 0,8 grame proteine pe
kilogram, pe zi ; consumul de carne îl va ajuta să ajungă la această cantitate foarte uşor ; din
contră, consumul exclusiv de salată nu-i va da nici o şansă. Totuşi omul va avea nevoie pe durata
zilei de nişte fibre pentru digestie şi tranzit intestinal, fibre care îi vor fi oferite de salată şi
nicidecum de carne.
Un alt element important care ar trebui sa faca parte din alimentatia zilnica sunt enzimele,
elemente esentiale pentru digestie. Ele nu pot fi obtinute decât din alimente proaspete, cum ar fi
fructele. Nou-născuţii şi copii au nevoie de vitamina D, care ar trebui să le fie oferită la modul
ideal prin alimentare, dar va fi luată în formă de complemente alimentare din cauza
disponibilităţii sale reduse în zilele noastre. În Europa, vitamina D era primită până de curând
prin uleiul cărnii de ficat.
Mâncarea preparată oferă conţinut variabil al elementelor nutriţionale, pentru a ţine cont de
dorinţele unui anumit individ. De exemplu, un om bătrân va consuma cu plăcere o supă, care
limitează problemele cu mestecarea apărute odată cu vârsta, la fel ca şi o cantitate redusă de apă,
datorită pierderii progresive a senzaţiei de sete la persoane vârstnice.

În final, bucătăria visează să transforme şi să asocieze alimente variate, cu scopul de a garanta

sănătatea consumatorului.

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