comfort food

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lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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A A GENERAL ISSUES

lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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A A GENERAL ISSUES

Comfort FoodLesson code: 9ZE5-26HB-881B INTERMEDIATE

1 Key words

Match the underlined words/phrases with their correct definition below:

1. The restaurant offers a wide range of Italian dishes.

2. He tends to stick to the same meals every day. He just won’t try anything new.

3. We know that your exam results are impressive. There’s no need to boast all the time.

4. Do you know a good recipe for chocolate cake?

5. Don’t blame him for what happened. It wasn’t his fault.

6. She didn’t want to admit that she had made a mistake.

7. This cheese has a very strong flavour.

8. Cooking a meal for ten people is very time-consuming. You need a few hours or more.

a. a choice or variety of different things

b. a set of instructions for preparing a dish

c. taking a lot of time

d. the taste of food or drink in your mouth

e. to agree that something is true, even if you don’t want to

f. to continuously do one particular thing and not change to something else

g. to say or think that someone or something is responsible for something bad

h. to speak too proudly about yourself

2 Find the information

Read the article on the cooking habits of British people and find the following information:

1. the average number of dishes that British people cook

2. the average number of dishes cooked by British men

3. the average number of dishes cooked by British women

4. the average number of dishes cooked by British people aged between 45 and 54

5. the number of people who cook spaghetti bolognese every week

6. the number of plates of pasta eaten in the UK every week

7. the number of roast dishes eaten every week

8. the number of Britons who eat stir-fry dishes every week

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 1/4Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.

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Comfort Food lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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A A A A GENERAL ISSUES


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Comfort food: Britons stick to just fourrecipes at home

1 Research shows that most people in Britainregularly cook just 4.1 dishes. This is affectingBritain’s growing reputation as a nation of peoplewho know a lot about and enjoy cooking.

2 An increasing number look for exotic flavourswhen eating out, but at home a combination oflack of time and lack of confidence means thatBritons tend to stick to what they know.

3 One of the most popular dishes, spaghettibolognese, is cooked at least twice a week by 6.1million nationwide. The dish is servedapproximately 670 million times a year across theUK.

4 Although men often boast that they produce thebest chefs, the average male appears to be muchless adventurous. A survey by YouGov found thatmost male cooks had a range of just 3.5 dishescompared to 4.5 for women. Young adults aged25 to 34 are the most adventurous, with almostfive recipes each. Those aged between 45 and 54cooked just 3.2 dishes regularly.

5 Despite the increasing number of cookeryprogrammes on television, the research foundmany people were unwilling to experiment in thekitchen.

6 Two in three claimed to be very interested in newideas but rarely put them into action. Almost 40per cent of people blamed time pressures, but onein five admitted they just did not have theconfidence to be more adventurous with theircooking.

7 The researchers found that about 20 million platesof pasta are eaten in the UK every week. Atraditional roast remained in the top favouritedishes, with 10.25 million plates eaten each week.

8 Traditional British favourites such as fish andchips remain among the top 10, but they are nowreplaced by stir-fries - the eastern dish is eaten by7.59 million Britons each week.

9 Almost a third of people said that 10 years agothey cooked more traditional dishes. The Scottishwere the most progressive - 39 per cent said theycook more exotic dishes than before, while cooksin southern England were most loyal to oldfavourites.

10 "It seems that a combination of time pressure andfear of failure is limiting our culinary range,particularly on weekdays," a televisionbroadcaster said.

11 "The best way to start is to take a differentingredient and add it to an old favourite. I alwayshave a number of ingredients ready in my kitchenjust for this purpose; they include lemons, limesand dried chillies." And he added: "For example, ifyou’re going to cook a chicken breast, cover itwith pancetta and add rosemary for extra flavour;it’s a simple way to give the dish a twist."

12 "Cooking with more variety on a daily basisdoesn’t have to be time-consuming or risky."

Adapted from The Independent, 19 March 2007,by Terri Judd


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3 Checking understanding

Put ‘T’ (True) or ‘F’ (False) next to each statement:

1. At home, Britons tend to cook only the dishes that they know.

2. Cookery programmes have helped people to become more adventurous in the kitchen.

3. Many people do not have the time to experiment in the kitchen.

4. Pasta is not a popular dish in Britain.

5. Traditional British dishes are not popular.

6. Exotic dishes have become more popular in Britain.

7. People in Scotland prefer to cook more traditional dishes than the English.

8. People in Britain tend to cook few dishes because they are afraid of failure.

4 Find the word

Find a word or phrase in the text which means:

1. not exactly (adj., P3)

2. said, but it may or may not be true (verb, P6)

3. new and modern, moving forward (adj., P9)

4. the number of different types of dishes that someone is able to cook (phrase, P10)

5. a change from the original flavour (noun, P11)

5 Food and cooking

Complete the table below with words from the text. Use a dictionary where necessary. A few itemsmay belong to more than one category.

Meat/fish/seafood Fruit/vegetables Herbs Dish Cooking method

Add the following words to the table above, and think of more items for each column:

pork cucumber boil grill lamb salmon troutbeef oregano sushi turkey parsley courgette auberginepineapple bake lobster veal carrot beetroot prawns


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6 Talking point

What do you know about the reputation of the UK’s cuisine? How important is traditional food andcooking in your country? Is fast food becoming more popular? If so, what are the reasons for this?


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Comfort Food - Key lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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Comfort Food - Key lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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1- Key words

1. a 2. f 3. h 4. b 5. g 6. e 7. d 8. c

2- Find the information

1. 4.12. 3.53. 4.54. 3.25. 6.1 million6. 20 million7. 10.25 million8. 7.59 million

Glossary of food terms in article: Spaghetti bolognese - a dish consisting of spaghetti with a tomato and meatsauce; Stir-fry - a typically eastern dish made by frying food while mixing it quickly; Pancetta - an Italian bacon

3- Checking understanding

1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. T 7. F 8. T

4- Find the word

1. approximately2. claimed3. progressive4. culinary range5. twist

5- Food and cooking

Meat/fish/seafood: chicken breast, pancetta, pork, lamb, salmon, trout, turkey, lobster, veal,prawnsFruit/vegetables: lemons, limes, chillies, cucumber, courgette, aubergine, pineapple, carrot,beetrootHerbs: rosemary, oregano, parsleyDish: spaghetti bolognese, fish and chips, stir-fry, roast, sushiCooking method: roast, stir-fry, boil, grill, bake

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex iReview your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.

c©Linguahouse.com