Celebrations

News Reporter = NR;

N R: Hello. This is Charles Richards from Channel 7 News, and we're down here, uh, at the City Mall, interviewing people on how they celebrate Christmas. And, uh, hi young lady. What is your name?

Young Girl: Elizabeth Carter.

NR: And, uh, Elizabeth, uh. How does your family celebrate Christmas?

Young Girl: We go sledding, and we go over to my grandparents' house and have dinner with them.

NR: Well, that is great, and let me ask this young man. Hi, what is your name? [Johnny.] And Johnny, how old are you?

Johnny: Five.

NR: And, uh, does your family eat anything particular for Christmas?

Johnny: Turkey . . .

NR: And what does Christmas mean to you?

Young Girl: Going to my grandma's and making their breakfast.

NR: Going to grandma's and making breakfast. And let me ask another young man. Hi, what is your name? [Steven.] Okay, and Steven, what does Christmas mean to you?

Steven: Giving but not expecting to get.

NR: Now, that's kind of hard for a young man like yourself. What does that mean: Giving by not expecting?

Steven: Well, one thing that we do is secret giving.

NR: Secret giving? Now how does that work in your family?

Steven: We sneak up to the porch of somebody that we want to give to, we put the gift that we want to give to them, ring the doorbell, and hide.

NR: Ring the doorbell and hide? Uh, so you're not expecting something; you just want to be generous to someone else. Is that right?

Steven: Yeah. That's correct.

NR: And let's interview one more. And, how do you celebrate Christmas? What is the best thing about Christmas and what does it mean to you?

Young Woman: It means getting off from school!

NR: Getting off from school?! Do you all feel that way?

Group of Children: Yeah!!

Young Girl: Because I hate homework.

NR: Yeah. Well, that’s all here from the City Mall. Channel 7 reporting.

_ 7. Discuss this question in groups of three.

Can you think of five things you might celebrate?

$ 8. Find in the unit English equivalents for the following Russian words and phrases.

кегельбан; проводить время в кафе, в парке, “тусоваться”; крытая площадка для катания на роликовой доске; симпатичный; салон с терапевтическими ваннами; дело кончается тем, что…; щедрый; мороженица; кататься на санках (амер.); (пойти) к бабушке; кинотеатр; особенный; крыльцо; подкрасться незаметно; галерея игровых автоматов.

Unit 3. What we eat

& 1. Read a magazine article of Paul Richardson in which he finds out who eats, what and when.

Eating in separate tables

T he Norris family is a monument to modern frozen-food technology. 'I can't remember the last time we all ate together,' says husband Michael Norris. 'Mostly the food comes out of the freezer and goes straight into the microwave. We have two dining-tables but they never get used, not unless my mother-in-law, who lives with us, cooks something.' The children, Sophie and Ben, eat when they come home from school, while watching TV. Pat Norris, who works irregular hours and travels a lot, boils soup and makes a salad when she's at home; Michael often eats out. It's informal, but everyone likes it.

THE ART OF COURSE EATING

T he Scott family like a bit of formality in their lives. ‘We're not stuffy,’ insists Caroline, 'but we always have napkins and white linen and flowers on the table. My husband always has a bath before dinner, and we always change clothes. I think it's important for the children to have good manners.’ Caroline drives across town to find food that's not full of all sorts of nasty chemicals'. The result is meals that sometimes take an hour and a half, at least, and longer at weekends.' The children attend an equally civilised breakfast served at 8.00 a.m. prompt in the dining-room. 'It's a sort of ritual so we can all see one another. We all feel it's important’ says Caroline, who doesn't have a microwave and does most of the cooking herself. 'I seem to spend a lot of time cooking’ she says. 'I don't know why. I suppose it's because we've always done it.'

SPICE OF LIFE

The evening meal at the Mughal household brings together three generations: 18-month-old Sameer, his sister Nina, parents Rubina and Haleem and the grandparents. Sometimes there are other family members as well. 'People catch up with each other at meal times,' says cousin Shamreen. 'We usually eat quite late, about 8.30 or 9.00 p.m., because we wait for everyone to get in. It's important to have a table that's laid out, although during the week it's usually just a couple of dishes. Weekends are a bit more special!' Rubina will normally cook a rice dish, a meat curry and s ometimes a salad. Quite a lot for one pair of hands, but there are always people around to help and, as Shamreen points out, a lot of Asian dishes can be made the night before, or even frozen.

STUDENT LIFE

Ade Bakare, 23 years old and a student at Thames Polytechnic, tends towards the irregular in his dining habits. Between 9.00 p.m. and 11.00 p.m. about three times a week, 'depending on how we're feeling'. Ade and his flatmates settle down to a meal. The menu may vary between Kentucky Fried Chicken and ‘ebba’ an African dish made of ground rice. 'Obviously fast food is easier, and none of the other guys are very good cooks’ says Ade. The taste for African cooking comes from his mother’s house, where the set-up is rather different. ‘I’d always sit down at the table with my mother. The food is much more substantial, much more nutritious, partly because she wants to ensure that I am eating properly.’

2. Answer the questions 1-10 choosing from the list of people (A-G). Some of the people may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0). Which of the families or people:

0. eats together every morning?	с		the Norris family
almost never eats together?			Michael Norris
eats a lot of frozen food?			the Scott family Caroline Scott
spends a long time cooking?
cook food that is healthy?			the Mughal family
feel that eating together keeps			Ade Bakare
the family close?			Ade Bakare's mother
cooks in a large group?
often does not eat at home?
thinks children should be
taught table manners?
don't have fixed eating habits?		*
have special meals at the weekend?		*

– 3. Which of the meal styles described in the article is closer to you and why?

8 4. Listen to the conversation between the father and his daughter and answer the questions.

1 . What does the conversation imply about the mother?

A. She is busy at work.

В. She had to run some errands*.¹³.

С. She is resting in bed.

2. What is the first problem the girl notices about her father's cooking?

A. He is not following the recipe.

В. He is missing the right pan to cook the pizza.

С. He is using the directions for a different food.

3. How does the girl know her father doesn't like the pizza he prepared?

A . He tells her honestly what he thinks about it.

В. She can tell by his non-verbal expressions.

С. He throws it away after making it.

4. What problem did the girl NOT mention about the pizza?

A. It was too salty.

В. It was burned.

С. It was too chewy.

5. What do they end up doing for lunch?

A. They decide to go out to eat.

В. They eat something different at home.

С. They eat at friend's house

^ 5. Ask and answer the questions with your partner:

1. What are typical foods you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

2. What are the ingredients for the dish, and how is it prepared?

3. Is there another small meal or snack between the main mealtimes?

4. Who usually prepares the food in your home?

Word bank. Foods: fish, sandwich, pasta, spaghetti, roast chicken, cereal, cheeseburger, chips, soup, pizza, cornflakes, ice cream, salad, cake.

Ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, olive oil, salt, pepper, cheese, fruit, mince, mayonnaise.

Methods of cooking: dice, fry, slice, mash, boil, grill, grate, scramble.

Models: Grandma's Pie is a traditional family dish made from mince and mashed potato. / I use fried bread, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and grated cheese to make the sandwiches.