Unit 4 Food service 1
Reading and Listening
Reading Here is part of the introduction to the Good Eating Guide for France 1982. Remember not to look in the Word Study until after you have read the passage.
Reading check
1 What kinds of restaurants does the Good Eating Guide recommend?
2 What is the difference between a one star and a two star restaurant?
3 What does the basic charge include?
4 Is a beverage always included in the set meals?
5 How many courses are served in the cheaper a la carte meal?
Listening Two customers have entered the restaurant of the Hotel Prince. While you are listening to the dialogue, look at the menu below. Remember, don't read the dialogue in your book or look in the Word Study until you have listened to it on the cassette.
Listening check
1 What dish does the waiter recommend for the main course?
2 What does Mr James order for his first two courses?
3 Who orders the noisettes Milanese?
4 How is noisettes Milanese served? 5 Which wines does Mr Carson order?
Language study
Making suggestions
Study the following table.
Describing dishes and drinks Example:
What's noisettes Milanese exactly7 (Cook lamb with herbs and serve it with spaghetti.) >• That's lamb cooked with herbs and served with spaghetti.
In a similar way, describe the following
1 What's a dry Martini? (Mix three parts gin with one part dry Martini and serve it with an olive.) 2 Could you tell me what paella is? (Cook rice and sea food together and serve it in the cooking dish,) 3 What's blanquette of veal? (cook veal with carrots and onions and serve it in a white sauce with boiled rice ) 4 Could you explain what an Irish coffee is9 (Mix coffee with brown sugar, Irish whiskey, and cream, and serve it as an after-dinner drink.) 5 What's sweet and sour pork? (Fry pieces of pork and serve in a sugar and vinegar sauce with rice.)
Present time
Notice how the Present Perfect and the Present Continuous are used in the examples.
Examples:
Have you decided yet, sir? (look at menu) > No, I haven't. I'm still looking at the menu.
No, he hasn't. I'm still waiting for him. (brother/arrive) > Has your brother arrived?
In a similar way, make questions or answers for the following.
1 Have you ordered yet? (wait for/menu) 2 Have you found your wallet"? (look for) 3 No, it hasn't. We're still waiting for it. ('Times'/arrive) 4 No, I haven't. I'm still waiting for a line, (telephone/company) 5 No, I haven't. I'm still filling it in. (complete/registration form) 6 Have you finished with the tour guide? (use) 7 No, I haven't. I'm still waiting for confirmation, (allocate/tour group) 8 Have you prepared the room? (clean)
Listening and Speaking
Listening
Guests in the Hotel de France are ordering food and drinks in the bar, in the coffee shop, and by telephone. While you are listening to the dialogues, note down the orders on an order pad like the one below. Remember, don't read the dialogues in your book or look in the Word Study until you have listened to them on the cassette.
Speaking
Making suggestions
Study the following examples.
Guest I'm looking for a good restaurant. (The Concorde) Hall porter Why don't you try the Concorde ?
Guest I want to go to the British Airways office, (a taxi) Hall porter Why don't you take a taxi?
Now do the exercise on the tape, making the Hall Porter's suggestions in a similar way. After you speak, you will hear the Hall Porter's words on the tape.
Activities
Activity A
There are many different ways of preparing and cooking food. Take mushrooms, for example. They can be (a) fried - fried mushrooms, (c) grilled - grilled mushrooms, or (f) deep-fried - deep-fried mushrooms. Now use the illustration below to decide how the various foods can be prepared and write out the descriptions.
Activity B
Listed below are the duties of a reception waiter, station waiter, and wine waiter in a restaurant. Decide in which order these activities should take place for the correct service of guests.
1 The station waiter brings the guests' first course.
2 The reception waiter checks on the time of the booking and the number of guests.
3 The wine waiter offers the guests the wine list and takes orders for aperitifs.
4 The wine waiter takes the order for wine.
5 The station waiter takes the order for food.
6 The reception waiter receives and welcomes the guests.
7 The wine waiter brings the wine.
8 The station waiter seats the guests.
9 The reception waiter takes the guests to their table.
10 The station waiter offers the guests the menus.
11 The wine waiter brings the aperitifs to the guests.
Writing
Writing A
Notice how the following pairs of sentences are combined using relative pronouns.
Examples:
Mr Torsen is the reservations clerk. He deals with the allocation of rooms, (who) > Mr Torsen is the reservations clerk who deals with the allocation of rooms.
For each restaurant, the Good Eating Guide shows three speciality dishes. These speciality dishes are usually served a la carte, (which) >For each restaurant, the Good Eating Guide shows three speciality dishes which are usually served a la carte.
Three stars are given to excellent restaurants. Only the very best food is available in these restaurants, (where) >Three stars are given to excellent restaurants where only the very best food is available.
Combine the following pairs of sentences in a similar way, taking care to make any changes where they are necessary.
1 As requested, we have booked you two double rooms. These rooms look over the park, (which) 2 Here is our service list. The list gives details of the services available at the hotel, (that) 3 You can buy cigarettes and sweets at the hotel tobacconist. This is situated in the hotel lobby, (which) 4 Mr Franks is one of the duty managers. The duty managers deal with day to day problems, (who) 5 There are free shoe cleaning machines available. These can be found on the 2nd and 5th floors, (which) 6 We have received a telephone booking from European Mines. The company will confirm the booking by telex, (who) 7 The porter has gone to the chemist for the prescription. The porter will bring the prescription to your room, (which) 8 The Cafe Tour specializes in salmon. Salmon dishes are served by the Cafe Tour only in season, (which) 9 There is a car park adjoining the hotel. Only hotel guests may leave their cars in this car park, (where) 10 The hotel has a coffee shop on the ground floor. Beverages and snacks are served in the coffee shop all day. (where)
Writing B
Now write out the following passage, combining pairs of sentences where possible with who, which, and where.
The Hotel Simon has two restaurants. These restaurants are situated on the ground floor and the first floor of the hotel. The first-floor restaurant is called the Grill. The Grill has only an a la carte menu. The other restaurant is called the Simon. A set menu is usually served in this restaurant. Monsieur Noiret is the reception head waiter. He deals with table reservations in the Grill and the Simon. Both these restaurants are very popular. The Grill is particularly busy in the evening, and so it is always necessary to reserve a table well in advance. In fact, the Grill is an excellent restaurant. First-rate cuisine and good wines are always available there.
Word study
Revision Unit 1
The exercises in this unit are revision of some of the work studied in Units 1-4 of the course.