English & Tourism: Eating out

Welcome - English & Tourism - Eating out 

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack

Rich: and I’m Rich and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Rich: We recommend that you listen to this podcast on the Premier Skills English website because that is where we have the transcript, language examples, activities, quizzes and a discussion page to help you understand everything we talk about.

Jack: However, if you’re listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you can leave answers to our questions in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you. 

Rich: In this week’s podcast, we’re continuing with our mini-series of podcasts that focus on English and tourism. In these podcasts, you will learn lots of English connected to things you need to do when you go on holiday.

Jack: These podcasts are also really useful for those of you who work with tourists in places like hotels and restaurants and need to speak English.

Rich: In our last podcast, we spoke about what you need to say if you want to make a complaint at a hotel.  We introduced phrases such as ‘I’m really sorry but I’m afraid I didn’t get a good night’s sleep’, ‘I’m ever so sorry to bother you again’ and ‘I’m afraid that’s just not good enough’’. 

Jack: On the podcast page, we also looked at words to describe someone who is angry such as ‘a bit cross’ or ‘a little annoyed’ to describe someone who is a little angry.

Rich: And phrases like ‘absolutely furious’ to describe someone who is very angry. 

Jack: If you want to go back and do this lesson you can find it on the Premier Skills English website by clicking skills > listen > podcasts. If you are on Spotify or Apple Podcasts you’ll find it in the playlist, it’s called ‘English & Tourism: Making a complaint’.

Rich: In this podcast, we are going to talk about the language you need when you are eating out. When you are a tourist, you often eat at different places.

Jack: We’re going to look at phrases you need at two different places that you might eat at while on holiday in the UK.

Rich: You will hear two roleplays. The first at a fast-food style restaurant and the second at a traditional fish and chip shop. After each roleplay, we will ask you to stop and think about the situation and the language that is being used.

Jack: Later, we will have a task for you to do, which is when we ask you to use your English. We will have more about your task later but we want you to tell us about a good place to eat in your city or country. 

Rich: And, don’t forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have another football phrase for you to guess.

Football Phrase 1 

Jack: But, before we look at all that, let’s look at last week’s football phrase. If you didn’t hear it last week we’ll give you one more chance to guess and give you the correct answer at the end of the show when we give you a new football phrase.

Rich: The phrase was _________. The Europa League Final between Arsenal and Chelsea is an example of a _________ because both teams are from the capital of the UK. Last season there were six teams from the capital in the Premier League so there were lots of ___________.

Jack: Well done if you got the right answer last week. A special well done to Liubomyr from Ukraine, Elghoul from Algeria, Coreuser from Saudi Arabia, Lakerwang from China, Rafael Robson from Brazil and TheNext75 from Italy who got the phrase exactly right and wrote the answer on the Premier Skills English website.

Rich: We’ll tell you the answer to this football phrase and we’ll have a new one at the end of the show. Remember, if you get the right answer and write it in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website, we will announce your name in next week’s show. 

Introduction to Roleplay

Jack: You are now going to listen to roleplay 1. 

Rich: You are going to hear Jack ordering some food at a fast food restaurant - you know the type. 

Jack: After the roleplay, we will ask you to think about the conversation and we’ll talk about the language we use.

Rich: While you listen, we want you to answer a question. The question for roleplay one is: 

Jack: What was missing from my order?

Roleplay 1

Rich: Hi there. How can I help you?

Jack: Yes, can I order a hamburger, please.

Rich: Are you eating in or is it to go?

Jack: Sorry?

Rich: Is it to take away or are you eating in the restaurant?

Jack: Eating in, thanks.

Rich: Would you like the meal or just the sandwich?

Jack: The hamburger meal, please.

Rich: And would you like that with fries or salad?

Jack: Chips, please.

Rich: Would you like to go large for an extra two pounds?

Jack: No, I’m fine thanks.

Rich: And to drink?

Jack: Yeah, er, do you have any fresh orange juice.

Rich: No, sorry, just fizzy orange. 

Jack: OK, I’ll have that. Can you make it a diet orange?

Rich: Sure. Would you like anything else? Do you want any extras or dessert?

Jack: No, thanks.

Rich: OK, so that’s one regular hamburger meal with fries and a diet orange. That’ll be £7.99, please.

Jack: Can I pay by card?

Rich: Sure. Just here. Enjoy your meal.

Jack: Hold on? This is an empty cup.

Rich: Help yourself to drinks at the machine. It’s self-service.

Jack: Oh, right.

Language Focus 1

Rich: Did you get the answer to the question? What was missing from Jack’s order?

Jack: It was my drink. Well, I thought it was missing but actually, you have to get the drink yourself.

Rich: Now, let’s take a look at some of the language in that conversation.

Jack: In this first roleplay, we kept things basic. It should be quite easy to order something at a fast-food place. They are more or less the same all over the world but there are still some useful phrases to learn.

Rich: The first is to eat in or take away. You’ll often be asked this question at fast food restaurants where there is an option to eat in the restaurant or to take the food outside.

Jack: They might not use a full question like: Are you eating in or taking the food away? It’s more likely they will say something like: To eat in or take away? or they might say Is this to go? Or Eating in or to go?

Rich: To go means to take away and is used more in American English but is becoming more popular in the UK, too.

Jack: Some more basic phrases to order what you want are phrases such as ‘I’d like to order the’ or ‘I’d like to have the’. You might say something like ‘I’d like to order the hamburger meal, please’.

Rich: Or you can just say: I’d like the hamburger meal, please.’ It’s important to say ‘I’d like’ and not ‘I want’ because it’s much more polite.

Jack: Drinks seem really easy in most fast food places because we usually buy brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi or Sprite.

Rich: But, it’s not always that easy. Jack said Can you make it a diet orange? This means he wants to order a diet orange drink.

Jack: In the UK, low-calorie drinks usually have the word ‘diet’ in front of them. You can order a diet Coke, a diet Pepsi or a diet Fanta.

Rich: In many other countries, the word light is used instead of diet.

...

Rich: OK, let’s listen to the next roleplay. In this roleplay, Jack is in a traditional fish and chip shop.

Jack: As you know, fish and chips are very popular in the UK and you might want to go to a fish and chip when you are on holiday in the UK.

Rich: In my opinion, the best place to eat them is next to the sea but you will find fish and chip shops all over the UK.

Jack: While you listen to the roleplay, we want you to answer a question. The question is: 

Rich: Why does Jack buy some extra chips?

Roleplay 2

Rich: Alright there. How you doing?

Jack: Good thanks. Just looking up at the board. I’m starving.

Rich: All of our fish is freshly caught in the North Sea. We’ve got haddock, cod and plaice.

Jack: Yeah, that sounds great.

Rich: We’ve got pies, too. Steak and Kidney, Beef and potato, Chicken and Mushroom.

Jack: No, I’m definitely here for fish and chips. I’d like haddock and chips twice, please.

Rich: No, problem. Would you like them open or wrapped?

Jack: Wrapped, please.

Rich: Salt and vinegar?

Jack: Yes, please and could I have mushy peas as well.

Rich: No, problem.

Jack: Actually, I’m really hungry. Could I have another portion of chips … open

Rich: Sure thing. Do you want them on a tray or in a cone?

Jack: In a cone, please. And could you throw in a couple of cans of coke?

Rich: There you go. Help yourself to salt and vinegar. That’ll be £12.50.

Language Focus 2

Rich: Did you get the answer to the question? Why did Jack order some extra chips?

Jack: It was because I was really hungry. I couldn’t wait until I got home.

Rich: There was some interesting language that you might only hear in a fish and chip shop in that roleplay. Let’s start with that question: Would you like them open or wrapped?

Jack: Many fish and chip shops are not restaurants. They are shops. You go in, order and eat away from the shop. So, there are two options: get your meal wrapped up and take it home or have it open and eat straight away - walking down the street for example.

Rich: This is why you will often hear the question: Would you like them open or wrapped? Or Do you want them open or wrapped? Or just Open or wrapped? 

Jack: I ordered two portions of fish and chips. I said haddock and chips twice, please. This is an informal way of saying two portions of fish and chips. A portion is an amount of food that is suitable for one person.

Rich: Jack also asked for one portion of chips open so he could eat them on the way home.

Jack: I was hungry.

Rich: Greedy more like! Anyway, you may also be asked if you want your chips in a cone, which is a container made of paper that looks like an upside-down volcano or in a tray, which is usually a flat piece of cheap plastic.

Jack: Or you might get your chips in paper. In the past, fish and chips used to be wrapped up in newspapers but this doesn’t happen any more.

Rich: Finally, let’s think about food. We mentioned three types of fish: cod, haddock and plaice. These are the most common fish to buy in a fish and chip shop. The first two are sea fish that are common in the seas around the UK; the third is also common in UK waters but is a flatfish.

Jack: All of these fish are endangered because they are overfished so it’s good to look for signs in a shop that say the fish were sustainably caught.

Rich: If a fish is from a sustainable source it means that it was caught in a way that does no harm to the environment or the fish population.

Jack: Another food that is traditionally found in a fish and chip shop is mushy peas. You may never have heard of this food before but it’s something definitely worth trying.

Rich: Mushy peas are basically peas that are cooked and cooked and cooked into a soft mixture. People often eat them with fish and chips.

Jack: You’ll love them or hate them but you should try them. 

Rich: The final food is actually two condiments. Condiments are things that give food extra flavour.

Jack: The two condiments that are added to fish and chips are salt and vinegar - always. Either you do it yourself if you have your fish and chips open or they do it for you if you get them wrapped up.

Rich: OK, we’ve looked at lots of words and phrases connected to eating out in the UK. On the podcast page, on the Premier Skills English website, we will look at these phrases and some more in a little bit more detail. 

Jack: There are more explanations and activities for you to do connected to this lesson that you will find on the homepage or under skills > listen > podcasts.

Task

Rich: This week we’d like you to tell us about a good place to eat in your city or country.

Jack: Where is the best place to eat in your city? What is good about this place?

Rich: Is it the food? Is it the people and service? Is it the location?

Jack: How often have you eaten at this place? What do you usually eat there? What would you recommend?

Rich: It would also be good to hear about cheap traditional places in your country like fish and chip shops in the UK. 

Jack: Write all your answers in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

This week’s football phrase:

Rich: The final section this week is our football phrase. 

Jack: The football phrase this week is *** ** ********. Now the football season has finished, the transfer window is open and clubs want to sign new players. Some of these players cost a lot of money but some cost nothing. This is often because they are *** ** ********. These are the players who had a deal with one club that has finished and can now sign for any club they want - for free.

Rich: A difficult one this week. Let’s see who can get it right. If you know the answer, write it in the comments section at the bottom of the page. We will announce your name in next week’s podcast if you get it right.

Jack: We also need to give you the answer to the football phrase we set at the beginning of the show. The answer as you may already know was London Derby.

Rich: Right, that’s all we have time for this week. Bye for now and enjoy your football!