With your partner make up a conversation based on the information from the text below.

Different people have different mentalities. They have their own ways of thinking and acting which are reflected in their language. For example:

 

1. English people do not wish each other ‘Good Appetite.’

 

2. There are gender differences in the vocabularies of men and women. A woman may ask her husband to set the table for dinner, asking him to put out SILVER, CRYSTAL, and CHINA, while a man sets the table with KNIVES, FORKS, SPOONS, GLASSES and DISHES. His wife might think the TABLE LINEN attractive, the husband might think TABLECLOTH and NAPKINS all right.

 

3. There are also a lot of differences in idiom meaning. For example, the phrase “ хлеб с маслом” in the Russian language is associated with the idea of GOOD LIFE, while people in Great Britain use the idiom ‘cakes and ale’ to express the same idea. For Americans ‘bread and butter’ means something else. It’s ‘unhealthy food, high in cholesterol.’

 

4. In the eyes of the British people meals are rather formal affairs and are not usually shared with outsiders. Visits at mealtime are impolite. If you do interrupt a family at meal time, you should apologize for intruding. They do not expect you to be invited to share the meal.

 

5. Tea-drinking is quite a tradition in Great Britain. Englishmen don’t drink tea with lemon. They call it ‘Russian tea.’ ‘English tea’ means very strong tea with milk in it.

What other differences or peculiarities related to the topic can you talk about?

 

 

6. Make up a conversation where one of the speakers says that the dish is good while the other finds some points to criticize it.

 

Speak up about

a) a typical Russian restaurant;

b) what you think foreigners say about Russian (Siberian) way of cooking and eating;

c) Russian fast food.

 

 

8. Work with a partner. Make up a conversation using the cue cards below.

 

CUE CARD 1 You are in a restaurant and see something on the menu that looks interesting to you. Ask the waiter:   1) what ingredients were used to prepare it; 2) whether it should be served cold or hot; 3) what is special about that dish; 4) whether it is difficult to prepare it at home.

CUE CARD 2 You go to a coffee shop or an ice cream parlour and order some ice cream. The waiter brings you a glass of iced tea instead. Ask him / her:   1) to check the order; 2) to change the order; 3) to bring a piece of cake.

CUE CARD 3 A friend of yours has just come from a restaurant. You’d like to go there. Ask him/ her:   1) where it is situated; 2) what food is served there; 3) about the working hours; 4) whether the service is good there; 5) whether there is live music there.

Role-play the situation.

 

A television crew is filming an international culinary show. The anchorman asks the participants about what they are doing at the moment; what the ingredients are; what equipment is necessary; how many calories the dishes contain; what they are going to decorate them with; the special names they have, etc.

There is also a doctor here talking about the importance of keeping to a balanced and varied diet.

Two more guests are to advertise fresh-farm products. They are in strong opposition to two more guests aggressively advertising coffee and Coca Cola.

 

 

PART 2

 

CLAIMS OF FACT

 

Claims of fact assert that a condition has existed, exists or will exist. For example:

 

Claim of fact: Religion has been a powerful influence on food habits.

 

Claim of fact: Eating habits differ from country to country.

 

Claim of fact: Eating too much will result in heart condition.

 

Their support consists of information such as statistics, evidence from experts, and examples from your own experience.

 

FACT OR OPINION?

 

Arguing, people express both facts and opinions. Fact is a piece of information that is known to be true. Opinion is an idea or belief about a particular subject.

 

From the following list of claims select the ones that are a) facts and b) opinions. Then defend or reject each of them.

 

1. Adoption of a vegetarian diet leads to a healthier and longer life.

 

2. Food is as much a part of our culture as our language.

 

3. Russian food is rather limited.

 

4. Convenience foods save the housewife plenty of work.

 

5. Food cooked for a short time is much healthier.

 

6. Japanese eat a lot of sea-food.

 

7. Cooking is very relaxing.

 

8. Learning to cook is a great fun.

 

9. Fibre-rich foods (e.g. whole meal bread, nuts, cereal, and root vegetables) are very healthful.

 

10. You are what you eat!

 

11. Modern society is obsessed with the problems of weight and fitness.

 

12. Men don’t worry about weight as much as women.

 

 

EXPRESSING DISBELIEF, DOUBT, SURPRISE

 

Very often people are reluctant to accept the claim. In this case they may say the following:

 

It’s hard to believe. It/that can’t be true.

Surely not! You can’t expect me to believe that.

 

You must be joking. Do you really mean it?

Are you sure? You never can tell.

I doubt it. It all depends.

 

 

Now read the conversation ‘overheard’ in the cafeteria to find out a piece of information one of the speakers can’t believe:

 

Speaker 1. ‘Hey, how come you didn’t order the beefsteak? It’s pretty good today.’

Speaker 2. ‘Well, I read this book about vegetarianism and I’ve decided to give up meat. The book says meat’s unhealthy and vegetarians live longer.’

Speaker 1. ‘Don’t be silly. People eat lots of meat, and we are living longer and longer. It’s pretty stupid to change your diet after reading one book’.

Answer the following questions.

 

1. What does Speaker 2 try to prove? What kind of support does he offer?

2. Does Speaker 1 find that the authors of the book are a reliable source of information? What counter-argument does he offer?

 

 

Express doubt or surprise in the following situations.

 

1. A friend of yours suffers an overweight problem. One day he says: ‘The more I eat the better I feel.’

 

2. Your friend is phoning you to say that he /she’s just read that people who eat much food filled with salt look younger.

 

3. Your friend says she’s just read a popular work about ‘a miracle diet’ for instant health. She says she’s going to try it.

 

4. Your sister says that buying food from street traders is quite safe. She says she always buys a hotdog or a pizza on the way to the university.