Food

Food

ESL Podcast 151 - Eating at a Buffet

Text

I love eating at all-you-can-eat buffets. It doesn't matter what kind of food it is, I'm up for it. Last week, I went to a high-end seafood buffet with my friends. We walked in and the hostess seated us at a table. She asked if we wanted to order any drinks. Drinks other than water are not included in the price. I got up and got a plate. I went over to the soup and salad station first and then over to the hot food. They had a carving station and made-to-order omelets. They also had a great dessert table, but I wasn't ready for that yet. I sat down, ate, and grabbed a new plate for the second round. This time, I went for the seafood. I loaded up my plate and sat down again. After two more trips to the buffet, I was ready for dessert. I got a little of everything. I was so stuffed, I couldn't eat another bite . I really enjoyed the meal. I like being able to serve myself. Some people don't like buffets unless they're very high-end. Not me. Give me any high-end or low-end buffet and I'm perfectly happy.

Vocabulary

Buffet = boo-fey (sounds like)

Up for it : ready for it, want to do it, it is acceptable for you

High-end : costly, expensive, higher priced

Hostess: person at the door who takes you to your seat /“seats you”

Host= male hostess= female

Not included in the price – anything you pay extra for, not in “the set price” for the meal

Station: place, area, location of specific food

Carving station: where they “carve” meat (cut it in pieces)

Made-to-order omelets: made how you request it, made to your likes,

Omelet: scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, onions, tomato, etc (anything you want)

Dessert: anything sweet you usually eat after a meal

Grab: to “take quickly” grab in your hand

“Round” – trip around the buffet table (in this instance)

Loaded up: to pile on, heap up, stack foods, add on to,make a pile, totally fill

Stuffed: completely full, cannot eat any more food, no more room

Bite: a small piece of food, or the verb, the action of “biting” your food

Low-end: cheaper priced

Made-to-order opposite: off the menu (on the menu)

A la carte: straight off the menu, written on the card

A la mode: with ice cream

Strawberry ice cream, sherbet, (fruity and tangy lighter and fluffier, contains milk and/or eggs) sorbet: fruit juice and ice (no milk or eggs)

Cookies and cream, oreo pieces and creamier ice cream

Milk shake: liquid ice-cream and milk, drink it through a straw

Soft serve ice cream: smooth and creamy ice cream

Root beer float: ice cream and pop (usually coca cola)

Float: ice cream and soda

Pop, soda, coke; (all carbonated beverages, pepsi, sprite, 7-up, coca cola, mt. dew)

Meat:

Beef, steak, roast beef, hamburger, veal (baby cow) (cow),

pork, pork chop/loin, bacon, sausage, patties, sausage links, baby pig, eisbein (pig)

chicken: wings, tenders, nuggets, legs, drumsticks (leg), breast,

duck: wing, everything,

meat patty : round flat processed meat, no bones, usually eaten on a bun

meat stew: thicker soup with larger chunks of meat and vegetables

soup: usually thinner in consistency, watery, lots of broth

chowder: usually clam, a seafood chowders, very rich, usually creamy,

lamb: chops, kebab (roasted meats)

shish kebab: meat and vegetables on a stick, usually grilled

hot dog: larger linked meat, usually a mix of meats and meat part

bratwurst: large sausage, usually pork, can be other kinds (grilled sausage) eaten in a long bun, large link

“not my cup of tea” = not something you like, not what you prefer

Venison: cured, dried and roasted deer meat (similar to beef jerky)

beef jerky: dried, very salty, tough to chew, hard to bite

Seafood:

tuna fish, salmon, cod fish, caviar, calamari (fried squid), clam, shrimp, lobster, oyster, crab, sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, shellfish, swordfish, scallops, grouper, sea eel, puffer fish, sea urchin

clam up: phrase: to become very quiet, stop talking, freeze up, withdraw into oneself

Dessert:

puddings, (creamy, usually contains milk, gooey) vanilla, chocolate, rum raison, rice, caramel,

jello: jiggly, gelatin, usually fruit flavors

caramel macchiato: flavored coffee at Starbucks

mocha: anything chocolate flavored

mousse: heavily beaten whipped cream, served cold, airy, can be chocolate, chocolate, etc
soufflé : (similar to moussee) cooked, usually served warm, all kinds and flavors, fluffy on top

pie: baked fruit in a crust, apple, cherry, peach

cake: batter, bread like sweet desert

devils food cake: extra extra chocolatey cake (red velvet: red cake)

cupcake: individual sized cake

brownie: thick, usually moist and chocolate

cobbler: baked fruit, with crumbles on top

cookies: all kinds

tart: small cookie like individual pie, usually fruit

tiramisu: fluffy custard with lots of whipped cream, usually coffee flavored & mocha

custard: most common: egg custard tart, cooked pudding

crème brule