Food
Food
Pictures
- Look at the picture and identify the meal. How
would you prepare it? What ingredients would you need? For what occasion would you serve this kind of meal? Do you like it? Why/ Why
not?
- Look at the picture. Talk about the eating habits of the person in the picture.
- Look at these
pictures showing different places where people can have meals. Compare them taking into consideration surroundings, target customer,
atmosphere, service, quality of food and price. Which one do you prefer? Where would you take friends to celebrate your birthday?
4. Describe and compare the meals in the pictures. Say where you can buy them. Which of these meals do the members of your family prefer? Which of
the meals shown in the pictures are considered to be fast food?
- Describe the pictures. Say what meals shown in the pictures
are your favourite ones and decide what you would like to have for breakfast, dinner and lunch. Which of these meals would you
recommend your friend who is on a diet?
Discussion
- If you were planning the meals of your family for
a week, what foods would you include?
- What is the difference between a Continental breakfast and a big English
fry-up?
- What does the word ‘brunch‘mean?
- What are your favourite meals and drinks? Do you enjoy drinking shakes
and cocktails?
- Make a list of the most usual cooking techniques. Which of them are you able to use?
- Make
a list of all the kitchen utensils you can think of and explain what they are used for.
- Are you choosy about food? If so,
why?
- Can you cook? If so, describe a meal you have recently cooked. If not, would you like to learn how to cook? Why? Why
not?
- What is your favourite meal? How do you cook it?
- What do you usually have for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
What are your most favourite and least favourite food and drinks?
- Do you like cooking or helping to prepare the meals in your
home?
- If you were planning the meals for your family for a week, what foods would you include?
- Describe how
you prepare a simple, healthy food dish.
- Pretend you are a waiter in a restaurant and try to explain your customer what is
in a dish he/she has ordered and how it is prepared. Say why you would recommend it.
- What is your favourite meal on a weekday
and during the weekend?
- Do you eat properly, that is regularly and enough every day or do you economize on food?
- Do
you avoid fatty food?
- Do you bottle fruit in summer or do you buy it in the jar in the shop?
- Describe your
eating habits.
- Do you enjoy eating in a restaurant? Which restaurants do you prefer and which of those you have visited
impressed you most? Give your pros and cons.
- Do you like eating out in a restaurant?
- What special meal would
you offer a foreigner visiting our country?
- Name some traditional dishes typical for our country.
- Which typical
Slovak alcohol would you bring as a present when visiting someone and why?
- What do you think of the eating habits of the
English people?
- Vegetarianism is popular with young girls. What reasons may girls have when they choose vegetarian food?
- What are the pros and cons of being a vegetarian?
- What do you think about a vegetarian diet?
- Do you
believe that some foods are better for one’s health than others?
- Are you trying to eat healthily?
- What is your
opinion is healthy? What are some examples of junk food?
- Why do you think there are so many over-weight people in our country?
- Are you often on a diet? What do you eat then?
Role-plays and simulations
- A: You
are a teenager who is fond of eating fast food. Your mother has just prepared your breakfast but you refuse to eat it, because you want to
buy a hamburger for your snack.
B: You are a parent. In the morning you have just prepared breakfast for your teenager.
You have noticed she / he refuses to eat at home, she / he prefers to buy unhealthy fast food, drinks. You can’t agree with this style of cooking.
/Role-play/
- You have been invited to a breakfast show to prepare a simple, healthy food dish. Introduce yourself
/name, job/, describe the ingredients the viewers should prepare and the procedure they should follow and finally thank them for their
attention. /Simulation/
- A: You are in a restaurant. You order some drinks, soup, salad and chicken for a
main course. After a while the waiter brings you roast beef instead. Tell him that he has made a mistake.
B: As a waiter you try to
be polite and insist that the customer ordered roast beef. Admit that you forgot to bring the drinks. /Role-play/
- You want
to be a vegetarian but your parents are strictly against. Give your arguments and think about your parents´ possible ideas, too.
/Role-play/
- You are working for a multinational company. Your boss asked you to prepare a farewell party for a group
of thirty business partners of different nationalities. Describe your preparations; think about the most suitable food and drink.
/Simulation/
- A: You’ve just had dinner in a restaurant. You paid the bill but after checking it at home you found out
you were overcharged. Go back to the restaurant, complain to the manager and ask him for a refund.
B: You are the manager of a
restaurant. Talk to the man/woman, apologize, explain how it could happen, offer a refund. /Role-play/
7. Your grandmother celebrated
her 70th birthday party. Your family had a great party, more than 30 people were invited. Talk to your friend describing the large family gathering.
Include the following details of the event: atmosphere, meals, presents/. State how you felt and why you like/dislike such special occasions.
/Role-play/
- A: You are a customer at a restaurant. Be prepared to order. Ask the waiter to recommend you
something special.
B: You work as a waiter at a restaurant. Serve the customer. /Role-play/
Stravovanie
- jedlá a nápoje počas dňa /raňajky, obed, večera/, obľúbené jedlo
- stravovacie možnosti a zariadenia /stravovanie v škole, doma, v reštaurácii/
- národné
kuchyne – zvyky a špeciality /suroviny, jedlá, stolovanie/
- medzinárodné kuchyne /charakteristika, rozdiely,
špeciality/
- zdravá kuchyňa /stravovanie detí, návyky, vegetariánstvo,
diéty/
A.
For many people in our country food, eating, sometimes also cooking, is a downright
pleasure /úplné potešenie/.There are some people who eat just once a day, others are figure-conscious and try to fast, cut down on some fat and
sugar, or go on a slimming diet. Many other people do not care much about meals.
The Slovaks are used to eating many floury, sweet and fatty
meals, such as dumplings, pastry /múčnik/, fat pork and sausages. Our food should consist of more vegetables, fruit, lean mean, poultry and fish
which would supply our bodies with more vitamins and minerals.
In different parts of Britain people have different eating habits. They have
five or six meals a day: breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner and later perhaps supper.
The British like to begin the day with a cup of
coffee or tea. Then they have a leisurely breakfast, they do not like to hurry. Unlike the Slovaks who have their morning cup of coffee or tea, a
roll or a slice of bread, some cheese, salami, or a cake in haste, the English take their time having breakfast.
The renowned /slávny/
English breakfast starts with a glass of juice and a cereal, usually cornflakes with milk or cream and sugar, or porridge /ovsená
kaša/. This will be followed by fried bacon and eggs, sausages and grilled tomatoes or spicy beans in tomato souce, or kippers /údenáče/. They
round off with many cups of coffee rather than tea and buttered toast and marmalade.
But such a substantial /výdatný/ breakfast is not as
common as it used to be, it is served in hotels or restaurants if you ask for English breakfast or at weekends when people have more time. For most
Englishmen breakfast is a bowl of cereal followed by toast and marmalade, and coffee or tea, of course.
In the middle of the morning they have
elevenses, which is usually not more than a cup of coffee and biscuits. Sometimes, often at weekends, when they get up later, they
have brunch, a combination meal which is eaten for breakfast and lunch.
The midday meal is generally called
lunch and is usually fairly light. Lunch often consists of a hot dish /soup/, a salad, ham and cheese sandwiches, pizza,
hamburgers and a dessert. The soup can be clear /beef, vegetable, chicken/ or thick, such as cream of tomato, cauliflower or mushroom.
The
Slovak midday meal is the main meal of the day. We can have it at home, at work canteen or dining halls, cafeterias or in a restaurant. It is
ususally a three-course meal which consists of a soup, the main course and a dessert. An aperitif and an hors d’oeuvre /predjedlo/ are served only
on festive occasions. As for soups we can choose from bouillon, clear /beef, chicken, vegetable, with liver-balls/ soups and thick soups /potato,
fish, mushroom, cauliflower, tomato/. The Slovak menu often offers a roast pork with dumplings or potato dumplings and cabbage or sauerkraut.
Another typical main dish is a fried pork chop with boiled potatoes or chips and a vegetable salad, Wiener schnitzel with potato salad or goulash
with dumplings. Sometimes another Slovak speciality is prepared – dumplings with cottage cheese. As a dessert fruit, plain or with whipped cream,
ice cream, sundaes /zmrzlinový pohár s ovocím/, or custard /puding s vaječným likérom/ with fruit are commonly eaten. Slovak beer ar any of the
soft drinks /mineral water, coke, lemonade, juice or just soda/ are served with it.
Around four o’clock it is teatime. While
in our country an afternoon snack is not common, in Britain it is a special occasion. The traditional tea consists of thin slices of white or brown
bread and butter with cheese, fish or ham, perhaps some vegetables, and jam, cakes, fruit pies, biscuits and tea or coffee which in England are
drunk with milk. Nowadays many people do not eat much at teatime but they have at least one cup of coffee or tea.
The hot
dinner which is served around 7 o’clock may have three or four courses. It consists of soup or some other starter, then the main
course /meat or fish with vegetables/ which is followed by a dessert and finally perhaps cheese and biscuits. The meat may be a stew /dusený/,
chops /sekaný/, a meat pie, a roast joint /roštenka/ or fish if it is Sunday, with potatoes and one or two of the other vegetables /carrots, beans,
peas, Brussels sprouts, cabbage or broccoli/. Beef and mutton /baranina/ or lamb /jahňacina/ are much more favoured than pork. As a dessert you may
have fruit, fruit salad, fruit pie, fruit cake, pudding with custard, jelly with cream, trifle /ovocný pohár/ or ice cream. With the meal they may
have beer, cider /mušt/ or wine. They finish their dinner with coffee rather than tea.
Later in the evening, if you stay up late, more tea,
cocoa, milk, sandwiches, bread and butter, cheese, cakes and biscuits may be eaten as supper.
The Slovak evening meal is not
so nutritious if people have a hot meal at midday. It may be some cold meat, salami, ham, cheese, eggs, bread or rolls and some vegetables. Some
people prefer a hot meal too. They may have pancakes, pizza, pasta, risotto. Some people may have a similar dish as at midday except soup, although
some thick soup with bread may be a separate evening meal.
On some special occasions such as Christmas, traditional food is served both in
Britain and in our country. Fish soup, fried carp and potato salad are commonly made for Christmas Eve. As a dessert home made sweets and apple
strudel are served. There is no traditional meal for Christmas Day, but many families prepare roast goose with dumplings and cabbage, Wiener
schnitzel with potato salad, or roast turkey with potatoes. There is a superstition about New Year’s Day dinner. You should not have any poultry on
that day, otherwise you will miss your good luck in the next year. The British Christmas Day meal is roast turkey with chestnut stuffing, potatoes
and the renowned Christmas pudding and mince pies /biskupský chlebík/ as a sweet.
When travelling we cannot observe the traditonal scheme of
daily meals. Usually we have to eat out, in a restaurant, a cafeteria, a snack bar, a fast food restaurant, or just at a refreshment stall in the
street.
Useful vocabulary
¨ something about food in general – cooking, cuisine, food, course, a
three-course meal, feast, kitchen, kitchenette, meal, calorie, nutrition, additive, cholesterol, mineral, be hungry, be starving, enjoy the meal, be
finicky/maškrtný/choosy with/about food, start eating, wolf down your food
¨ dailt meals – breakfast, snack,
mid-morning/afternoon snack, brunch, elevenses, lunch, supper, dinner, midday meal, evening meal, have lunch, have a tea/a coffee/a break, have a
snack, dine, have supper/dinner, get ready, prepare, make/cook dinner/lunch, fix a meal /colloquial/
¨ ways of preparing food
– grate /cheese/, chop /parsley/, mince /meat/, slice /bread/, mash /potatoes/, cook /broccoli/, boil /water/, stew /apples/, simmer /porridge/
/mierne variť/, steam /cauliflower/, roast /beef/, grill /chicken/, smoke /bacon/, fry /eggs/, stir-fry /vegetable/, drain /spaghetti/ /cediť/,
stuff /tomatoes/, sift /flour/, knead /dough/, bake /cake/, pour /oil/, stir /sauce/, blanch, melt, frost/defrost, whip, scramble, batter /liať
cesto/, thicken /zahustiť/, dilute /zriediť/, knead the dough, baste the meat /polievať mäso šťavou/, squeeze
¨ utensils used
when cooking – deep/flat/dessert plate, cup and saucer, mug, glass, cutlery, knife, fork, spoon, tea spoon, dessert fork, bowl, tray,
stove, oven, microwave oven, saucepan, frying pan, baking dish, cake tin, ladle, cooking spoon, peeler, spatula, grater, garlic press, egg beater,
whisk /šľahač/, rolling pin, pastry board, tin opener, bottle opener, food processor, measuring spoons, corkscrew, sieve /sitko/, sifter
/cedník/, cookery book, recipe, instruction, ingredients
¨ vegetable – cabbage, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach,
potato /French fries, chips, American wedges, hashbrowns, mashed potatoes/, chives /pažítka/, celery, batata, carrot, parsley, onion, garlic,
beet, radish, horse radish, beetroot, parsnip /paštrnák/, leek, shallot, cucumber, gherkin, pumpkin, courgette /cukina/, aubergine, bean, peas,
lentils, soy beans
¨ fruit – apple, citrus fruit, lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lime, grapes, pear, raisin, banana,
kiwi, pineapple, mango, avocado, date, fig, coconut, papaya,olive, apricot, peach, nectarine, plum, berries, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry,
blueberry, cranberry, currant /ríbezle/, gooseberry, watermelon, nuts, Brazil nuts, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, almond
¨
poultry – chicken, turkey, pheasant, hen, duck, goose
¨ eggs – scrambled eggs, soft-boiled/hard-boiled
eggs, poached eggs /stratené vajcia – varené vo vode bez škrupiny/, crack eggs, eggs sunny side up
¨ meat – beef, veal
/teľacie/, pork, lamb, rabbit, hare /zajačie/, venison /jelenie/, mutton
¨ meat cuts – ground beef/pork /mleté/, T-bone,
giblets /drobky/, steak, sirloin /hovädzie zadné/, tenderloin /sviečkovica/, spare rib, roast meat, chicken wings, liver, kidney, marrow /špik/
¨ meat dishes – stew, roast beef, smoked meat, pate, hamburger, sandwich, corned beef /nasolené/, Wiener schnitzel, steak,
beefsteak, goulash, ragout, aspic, stuffing, bouillon, headcheese/tlačenka/, hot dog, salami, frankfurter/sausage, knockwurst, bacon, ham
¨
sweet dishes – sweets, chocolate, caramel toffee, dessert, pastry, cake, pie, apple pie, muffin, pancake, doughnut, biscuit,
waffle, semolina pudding, pudding, porridge, souffle,custard, apple sauce, jelly, yam, marmalade, ice cream, stewed fruit
¨ spices
– salt, pepper, caraway /rasca/, paprika, pimento, allspice /nové korenie/, bay leaf, cloves /klinček/, dill, ginger /ďumbier/,
vanilla, saffron, thyme, sage, fennel, coriander, aniseed, basil, chilli, oregano, curry, sesame seed, cinnamon, marjoram, mint, nutmeg, poppy
seed
¨ condiments – ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, tartar sauce, soy sauce, Worcester sauce, dip, vinegar, marinade, tomato
puree, dressing
Useful phrases
¨ What are your favourite foods and drinks? What
foods and drinks do you dislike? – My favourite foods and drinks are...., I dislike...., I don’t like to drink....., I prefer
eating......, I don’t mind eating fish.
¨ What do you usually have for breakfast, lunch and dinner? – Typically,
my breakfast is...., I eat lunch /at home, in the school canteen/ and often have......, If I have a snack between meals, it’s usually........,
Our dinners include......, For dessert we enjoy......., With or after our meals we usually drink......
¨ Do you like cooking or
helping to prepare the meals in your home? – I like cooking because......, I’m learning how to cook. I already know how to
make....., I don’t like cooking because......, My mother/sister prepares most of the meals, so I don’t have an opportunity to cook.
¨
Do you like eating out in a restaurant? What other special eating occasions do you enjoy? – We usually go to a restaurant
when....., I enjoy eating in a restaurant because /the environment is special/the food tastes better/....., I prefer eating at home because /it’s
cheaper/there’s no smoking/there’s less noise/..., Our family also enjoys /picnics/barbecues/..., Sometimes friends come for a visit and
we......., We have special meals to celebrate /Christmas/birthdays/, for example....
¨ What do you think of the eating habits of
the English people? – I like/don’t like the idea of big breakfasts because..., To eat a little more fruit and vegetables like the
English /would/would not/ be good for me because...., I /would/would not/ enjoy the tradition of afternoon tea because....., Typical English foods
that I like include /fish and chips/fruit cake/plum pudding/....
B.
People can choose from a wide range of eating
places when they want to eat out. The busiest places tend to be ‘burger bars’, ‘pizzerias’ and other ‘fast food outlets’. They are
popular with both young people and whole families. In Britain, they have almost replaced traditional restaurants that offer meals like sausages,
eggs and chips. Most towns still have several ‘fish and chip shops’ and many pubs also serve reasonably priced meals. Many people eat out at
Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese and Indian restaurants and at ‘curry’ and ‘steak’ houses. On special occasions people go to smarter and more
expensive restaurants which offer both national and international cuisine. With the great variety of food available at relatively low proces, eating
out has become a very common pastime.
Etiquette at the table - At the table you have to behave
according to social principles. You shouldn`t start eating before other people have served and leave the table immediately after the
dinner.
In some countries table manners are similar and in England and Slovakia too. It`s considered rude to eat and drink noisily, to wipe
the plate with bread, to pick at food with hands, to read at the table, to rest your elbows at the table, to reach across the table
in front of people. When we need something we have to ask another person to give it us. Also you have to ask permission if you want to smoke
between courses or anywhere in other people`s home. In Slovakia people usually smoke in the balcony or in a room for smokers. Never clink glasses
when drinks are served before meals. It will be considered impolite if you yourself are entertained and do not talk to your neighbours on your right
and left. Make your food last till the other have nearly finished eating so that you all finish at the same time.
At the formal dinner the
cutlery is placed in the order in which it will be used. The fork is laid on the left side of the plate with points up. On the right side of the
plate are laid knife and spoon.The knife is first and with blade to the plate and then the spoon. The dessert spoon and fork are laid on the top of
the place setting. The glass should be on the right and the bowl for stewed fruit on the left side above the fork. When you finish eating the knife
and fork should be laid side by side in the middle of your plate and plate can be removed. If you leave them apart, it will show that you have not
yet finished eating. You `re supposed to thank for the meal but it`s not so expected as in Britain.
Useful vocabulary
¨ on the table - set the table, spread the tablecloth, put on napkins, cups and saucers, glasses, tea spoons, forks and knives, a
salt-cellar, plates, butter dish, teapot, coffeepot, sugar-basin, bowls
¨ adjectives describing food – mild /jemný/,
crispy, crunchy, tender, juicy, dry, soupy, thin, thick, tough, mushy /kašovitý/, chewy, sticky /lepkavý/, greasy /mastný/, creamy, fatty, lean,
plain, medium, rare, well-done, meatless, fresh, stale /stuchnutý/, mouldy /plesnivý/, bland /bez chuti/, oversalted, burned, raw, dietary, rich,
substantial, homemade, bitter, salty, sweet, spicy, tasty, delicious, unique, special, typical
¨ important expressions –
menu, order from menu, service, serve, offer, recommend, clear the table, spill, tablecloth, order a la carte, pay, tip, bill, course, starter,
appetizer, hors d’oeuvre, buffet tables, soup, main course, speciality, dessert, overpriced, head waiter, barman, cook, chef, busboy /pomocník
čašníka/, cashier, beckon to the waiter /col./ /kývnuť na čašníka/, napkin, pepper shaker, salt shaker/cellar, seating, reservation, book,
make a reservation, restroom/toilet, the service is not included, cafeteria, keep the change, it’s on me today, let’s go dutch /útrata sa
delí medzi všetkých/, restaurant, steak house, snackbar, pizzeria, cafe, sidewalk cafe, coffee bar, salad bar, wine cellar, coffee shop, buffet,
fastfood, drive in/drive through, food market, spirits, lemonade, tonic water, juice, coke, cooler, sparkling, cocoa, milkshake, brand, light/dark
beer, bitter, stout /čierne pivo/, lager, draught beer /točené pivo/, red/white wine, new wine, must, cider, brandy, cognac, liqueur, liquor,
whisky on the rocks, scotch, ice cubes, wedge of lemon, mixed drinks, get drunk, be tipsy /pripitý/, hangover /opica/, soft drinks, alcoholic
beverages, teetotaller /abstinent/, sparkling wine, champagne
C.
We have different eating habits, too. Some of us
prefer eating in the morning, other like to enjoy their meal in the evening. Everyone responds differently to food in the morning: some people feel
sleepy and unable to function after eating a large breakfast, whereas others need a hearty breakfast before they start their everyday activities.
Breakfast provides an invaluable opportunity to enable you to maximize zour well-being. A bowl of fresh fruit salad, eaten shortly after getting
up, for example, will provide a slow release of energy to help you get through the morning, as well as a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals.
Scrambled eggs on toast, on the other hand, supply a dose of protein that gets towards building up your muscles, which is particularly necessary if
you expand a lot of physical energy during the day.
Eating habits are influenced by things like our work, lifestyle, current economic
situation and current feelings. In Slovakia, women, spend a lot of time cooking because they think that homemade food is much better than food you
buy ready-made at the store, because it tastes fresher. People also think that homemade food shows that you care more about both the food and about
the poeple who are going to eat it because of the time and effort needed to make it.
Convenience /pohodlný/ food is food which is easy to
prepare and can be used at any time, for example tinned or frozen food. Many people living on their own prefer this style of eating. A froyen but
fully-prepared store-bought dinner, which you just heat up and eat at home is called a TV dinner.
At work, somepeople usually have a sandwich
and instant soup, which can be very quickly prepared. Others have their meals in the canteen or go to a fast food place.
Traditional
Slovak eating and drinking habits date back to the old Slavis period and were later influenced by Hungarian Austrian and German
cuisine. Slovak food is based on many different kinds of soups, gruel, boiled and stewed vegetables, roast and smoked meats and dairy products.
Cooking styles vary from region to region. Slovak specialities include both salty and sweet dishes made with flour, including dumplings. One such
dish is the popular bryndzove halusky.
The tradition of beer brewing has its roots in Slovakia as well. But Slovaks are known as wine rather
than beer drinkers. Today there are three main wine regions in Slovakia /a large region in the southwest on the Hungarian plane, a small region
between Bratislava and Trnava, and the eastern Tokay region near the Hungarian border/.
Among distinguished Slovak spirits, the most popular is
a plum brandy called Slivovica, aged for 3 years in oak barrels. Another leading brandy is a genuine /pravá/ juniper /borovica/ brandy called
Borovicka, which has a taste similar to that of dry gin.
D.
What’s the favourite food in Britain? You may have
heard that it is fish and chips or even bangers and mash /sausages and mashed potatoes/. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is almost always on the
menu in the same way that ‘rezen so zemiakmi’ is in Slovakia. However, in recent years the eating habits of the British have changed.
In
the mid-1960s Chinese food came to Britain and the takeaway was born. Chinese and Indian takeaways became very popular ans still are. A recent
survey discovered that the most popular food in Britain is now Chicken Tikka Masala, a spicy Indian dish. This shows the influence of international
cuisine on the British diet.
Many busy working people buy ready-made microwave meals and chilled foods, so called ‘convenience foods’, from
the supermarkets.
Each region of Britain has its own traditional specialities. In Scotland, haggis with ‘neeps’ and ‘tatties’ /turnips
and potatoes/ is the traditional dish for Burns night, the anniversary of the birth of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Haggis is a sheep’s stomach
stuffed with meat and vegetables. In Wales, Welsh lamb has the reputation of being very tasty and tender. They also have a kind of lamb soup called
cawl.
The traditionale meal of the year is on 25 December and consist od roast turkey ‘with all the trimmings’ /roast and boiled potatoes,
parsnips, cranberry jelly, Brussels sprouts/ followed by Christmas pudding with brandy sauce.
E.
The main aim of
people is to reduce the amount of fatty foods and sugar in diet’s and to encourage themselves to eat more fruit and vegetables. Although many
people still enjoy a ‘fry-up’, which is fried bacon, sausage and egg with fried bread or the popular ‘national meal’ of fish and chips,
there has evidently been a gradual move towards eating healthier low-fat foods. Health risks are currently discussed by the media and experts, who
warn people to be concerned about chemicals sprayed onto crops, and the amount of additives and preservatives in foodstuffs. Supermarkets sell
organic foodstuffs and products, i.e. cereals and vegetables grown without the use of chemicals. Unfortunately, the main reason that often
discourages people from buying these is their higher price.
Both Slovaks and Britons believe that food has an important effect on their
health, but they do not always eat in a healthy way. Many prefer junk food, including fast food, snacks like potato crisps and biscuits, fizzy
drinks and ice cream. But more and more people eat only health foods, take vitamins and mineral supplements and try to use olive oil, oats and
gralic in their dishes. Of course, there is always a battle between what people want to eat and what is good for them. Many people weigh too much,
and obesity has become almost a nation-wide problem.
Certain foods are considered essential to traditional British cooking. These include
bread, pastry, dairy products and potatoes, especially chips, which are eaten at lunch or dinner. They are an important part of the traditional
meal of meat and two veg, i.e. meat, potatoes and another vegetable. A ‘jacket potato’/a potato baked whole in the skin/ with cheese is a
popular ‘pub lunch’. Because of various health scares, many people now eat less meat, and some have become vegetarians and choose not to eat
meat at all, or vegans – people who eat no meat or animal products.
Vegetarians eat only foods such as vegetables, grains, fruit and eggs,
either for moral reasons or because it is thought to be healthier. There are some arguments in favour of vegetarianism. Vegetarians are less likely
to suffer from heart diseases, becasue it is unhealthy to eat too much meat. Some people are vegetarians because they don’t like the cruel
treatment of animals so their eating habits are a form of protest, as well. Vegans not only don’t eat meat and fish, they don’t eat any animal
products /eggs, cheese, milk/. Many doctors believe that a natural diet for a human should contain both animal and vegetable products. A good balance
provides all the necessities that cannot be synthetised in the human body. Others believe that a well-balanced vegetarian diet avoids many, if not
all, of the dietary dangers that can contribute to disease of the heart and blood vessels, as well as other diseases.
Zones.sk – Zóny pre každého študenta