National cuisine of english-speaking countries

1. Now let’s talk about food. What do people eat in Britain? Traditional British cuisine includes fish and chips, roast beef, steak, mash, and probably famous pudding. Certainly we may find different kinds of food in any restaurant in England, but these are the popular I guess because many Englishmen, answering the question about their gastronomy stereotype, will name these things.

A real British cuisine distinguishes itself either due to its high quality and high prices, or is not so expensive if you are satisfied with Bangers & Mash. A lot of bistros, snack bars, and even pubs provide us with sandwiches as well as dishes of the European cuisine.

Small cosy restaurants became more popular than big ones, which are decorated by the fashionable designers. And one more thing is pubs where the traditions of them are combined with modern - the British cuisine nowadays. The day starts with affordable lunch in the best restaurants. You may have a snack in Fast Food Shops, where you will find pizza and hamburgers and it is also available in some small fast-food bars. If you have a wish, you may make a culinary voyage in London. Indian cuisine, Chinese cuisine, American cuisine, and even African cuisine are represented in the restaurants of London.

Some people criticize English food. They say it's unimaginable, boring, tasteless.

It is disappointing, but true that, there is no tradition in England of eating in restaurants, because the food doesn't lend itself to such preparation. English cooking is found at home. So it is difficult to a good English restaurant with a reasonable prices.

Cynics will say that this is because English have no " cuisine" themselves, but this is not quite the true.

2. Do you know many recipes? Unfortunately, I don’t know many, but I really want to learn some from my mother. She is a really wonderful cook.

3. What questions can you ask a British friend about their eating habits? What is your favourite British drink? What dish would you recommend me? How many times do you prefer to have meals every day?

4. My friend wants to know more about national cuisines. Which national dishes would you recommend him to taste? I would recommend some of the various British puddings, beef and pork dishes and delicious desserts.

5. A lot of pupils refuse to have meals at school. What do you think about it? We spend a lot of time at school. So it’s necessary to have a snack at midday just to keep you going on. That’s why we have to go to a school canteen to have lunch. Our school canteen leaves much to be desired. It has become a tradition with our canteen to serve chops and watery mashed potatoes every day with a glass of tea or stewed fruit. Nevertheless sometimes you may choose something to your taste.

13.SHOPPING

1. Let’s talk about shopping. Who does the shopping in your family? When we want to buy something, we go to a shop. There are many kinds of shops in every town or city, but most of them have a food supermarket, a department store, men's and women's clothing stores, grocery, a bakery and a butchery.

I like to do my shopping at big department stores and supermarkets. They sell various goods under one roof and this is very convenient. A department store, for example, true to its name, is composed of many departments: readymade clothes, fabrics, shoes, sports goods, toys, china and glass, electric appliances, cosmetics, linen, curtains, cameras, records, etc. You can buy everything you like there.

The things for sale are on the counters so that they can be easily seen.

In a food supermarket we can also buy many different things at once: sausages, fish, sugar, macaroni, flour, cereals, and tea. At the butcher's there is a wide choice of meat and poultry. At the bakery you buy brown and white bread, rolls, and biscuits.

The methods of shopping may vary. It may be a self-service shop where the customer goes from counter to counter selecting and putting into a basket what he wishes to buy. Then he takes the basket to the check-out counter, where the prices of the purchases are added up. If it is not a self-service shop, and most small shops are not, the shop-assistant helps the customer in finding what he wants. You pay money to the cashier and he gives you back the change.

My parents do most of the shopping in our family. They usually drive to the supermarket where they go to the grocery, greengrocery, meat and fish departments and buy all the food we need for our family. They usually do it once a week.

Shopping is also a chore for me. There is a small supermarket near our house so when my mum asks me I go there to buy bread or milk or something we’ve run out.

Sometimes shopping is a kind of pastime and even entertainment for me and my mother. We can spend hours walking from one shop to another in search of something special.

2. Do you like shopping? Why (not)? I like shopping because modern shopping centres do their best to prove to you that shopping may be fun. That’s why they tend to combine shopping and leisure. Besides a great variety of stores, shops and outlets one can find there theme parks with rides, amusements and games. If you are tired you can enjoy delicious food in a restaurant or just have a snack in a cafeteria or a café.

3. What questions will you ask a shop assistant to help you to choose a purchase? What goods can I purchase in you shop? Are there any discounted goods to buy there? Have you got a dress of my size?

4. What can you advise a person who wants to buy many things (clothes, foodstuffs, etc.) but has little time? To buy much in little time you should make a list of what you need and run through familiar stores.

5. Parents usually give pocket money to their children. How do you usually spend your pocket money? I usually spend them on something really tasty in my school canteen. But I usually go there only when I’m starving and could eat a horse.