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rrople like experimenting with international dishes and they go to ethnic shops to buy the special ingredients.

Take-away restaurants

Take-Away restaurants are very popular. It is cheaper than eating in the restaurant and you can even order by phone and have all the food brought to your home.

The traditional Fish and Chip Shop is still popular but there are more and more Pizzerias and Burger Bars, too.

PUBS

The “Pub” or “Public House” is part of the British tradition. It is a place where you can meet people, chat, listen to music, play darts and, of course, have a drink. The most common drink served is beer (called ale, bitter, stout or lager), but you can also choose wine, cocktails, spirits or soft (non-alcoholic) drinks.

Most pubs serve food, too.

Children under 14 are not allowed into pubs but they can stay in the garden (when the weather is fine!). Teenagers between 14 and 18 can enter but can­not drink alcohol (not even beer). The law is very strict and the Landlord (the manager of the pub) can refuse entry if he prefers.

31 Study the following. American eating habits

Many foreign people think that Americans usually eat hamburgers. But the truth is that many people in the US have become vegetarians, who eat little or no meat. Most Americans, however, like many different kinds of food. They especially like exotic foods, and restaurants that serve French, Arabic, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese and African cuisine are among their favourites.

Americans also love to cook. And they don’t always make simple things. Some of them are real gourmets, and they enjoy preparing fine meals. They spend thousands of dollars each year on cook-books and cooking utensils to use in their kitchens. Like people in many countries, people in US love to entertain, so they often invite people to dinner.

When guests arrive, they find a table beautifully get with candles and fine china, because a meal is more appetizing when it is served in pleasant sur­roundings. When guests sit down to eat, they eat heartily, and when it is time to clear the table, they feel good. For many Americans, food that is cooked at home is most scrumptious of all.

(from “English for Children", 1992)

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

32 Make the following sweet and bring it to school tomorrow. Apple crumble

Ingredients: 1/2 kg apples

nuts, sultanas, 2—3 cloves 200 gr flour

150gr butter/margarine 100 gr sugar

Method:

Place the flour in a bowl and add the butter in small pieces. Rub the butter gently into the flour with your fingers. Add the sugar and continue to rub until the mixture forms very small lumps, like breadcrumbs.

Peel and slice the apples and place them in a pyrex dish with chopped nuts, sultanas and cloves to flavour. Sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over the top without pressing down too much.

Bake in a moderate oven for 30—40 minutes. Serve hot or cold with cream or custard.

Eat and enjoy it!

33 Study the following text and complete the tasks after it. Cookouts and barbecues

When the weather is warm, many families enjoy a cookout in the yard with a portable grill that uses small blocks of partly-burned wood called charcoal. One reason for eating outside is that it may be cooler than the kitchen and dining room. However, many people enjoy eating outside because they enjoy the taste of charcoal-broiled meats and being outside in the fresh air.

Cold drinks go naturally with cookouts. Beer, iced tea and soft drinks are usually available. While waiting for the charcoal to become hot, people sip their drinks and nibble on appetizers such as potato chips and sour cream dip.

Steak, hamburg, hot dogs and chicken are the meats that are most com­monly charcoal-broiled. Cooking over charcoal is not easy, however, and many times the meats are burned because the grill is too hot. Sometimes shish ke­bab is prepared over the grill. Small chunks of meat, onions and green pepper are skewered on a long metal pin which is called a skewer. '

Another favourite summertime food, often served at a cookout is freshly picked corn on the cob. The green covering (the husk) is stripped off and the cob with its kernels of corn (an entire piece of corn is sometimes called an ear) is dropped into boiling water. When it is ready, butter is spread on the corn and it is salted. The corn is then held at the ends with the fingers and the kernels are stripped off in mouthfuls, until only the cob remains.