Tipping

In general, to express satisfaction with service, it is expected that customers will give wait staff at full service restaurants a tip of 10-15% of the bill for full meals if service is not already included. Don’t pay twice for the service: you should add 10-15 % only if there’s a stamped “Service is not included” on the menu or at the bottom of the bill. A small token is added if you are just having coffee or tea. Sometimes, wine stewards are also given a tip of 15% of the bill. It is also customary to give bartenders a 10 to 15% tip. Also, small tips are usually given to coat check attendants (50 cents to one dollar), restroom attendants (about 50 cents) and car park attendants (also, about 50 cents).

It is not customary to tip in fast food restaurants. Customers are expected to dispose of the waste from their meals and stack their trays.

Water and Ice

Water from public sources is meant to be used for human consumption. In general, most people in the U.S. drink tap water, drinking bottled water for the sake of taste. There are certain places, however, such as Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles and other large cities where it is recommended to filter water before drinking.

A

1.2. Study the vocabulary used to describe food and eating habits. Practice

saying all the words of French origin. Consult a dictionary.

ny cold beverage you order at a cafe, fast food or regular style restaurant will be served to you with ice unless you request otherwise. Alcoholic drinks can be servedon the rocks.

General expressions:

to start with, to make one’s order/ to order, to take one’s order, to be on/ keep to a diet, to pay a bill, to tip, to serve/ wait on, to lay (to spread) the table, to clear the table, to recommend, to prefer, to try/ to taste;

full course /three-course dinner, hors-d’oeuvres [o:’de:vr], table d’hote [‘ta:bl’dәut] (items/ dishes), a la carte [,a: la: ‘ka:t] (dishes/ items), buffet/ smorgasbord, portion, specialty, serving, bar, selection, restaurant, snack bar, food court, café, cafeteria, canteen, refectory (in British colleges), menu, head waiter, service, waiter (waitress)/ server, service charge, ash-tray, napkin, bill;

Hors d’oeuvres/ appetizers:

mushrooms, julienne, jellied fish (in aspic), caviar, crab cocktail, salad, sardine salad, mushrooms in sour cream;

Starters:

broth, chicken broth, soup, cabbage (ox-tail, noodle, pea, tomato, fish, onion) soup, purée, minestrone, thick soup, cream of mushrooms;

Main courses:

Fish dishes:

boiled beluga, spitted sturgeon, halibut in white sauce, pike-perch in white wine, stuffed fish;

Meat dishes:

mutton, beef stroganoff, rare beef, beefsteak, beef, goulash, assorted roast, meats, kidney pie, Yorkshire pudding, Chicken Kiev, liver, kidneys, pork, veal, hamburger, pork chop, tongue, ham, roast mutton, hotchpotch, cutlet, pâté, minced meat, sausage frankfurters/ wieners (AmE);

Poultry/ game/ fowl:

goose, turkey, chicken, duck, pheasant, chick, Kentucky fried chicken, roast chicken/ turkey/ goose/ duck;

Grain and milk dishes:

porridge, oatmeal, cereal, pasta, corn-flakes, kefir, half-milk, yogurt, milk, butter, cream, sour cream, cheese, Swiss/Dutch cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, curds;

Trimmings/ side dish/ garnish:

vegetables and potatoes, new potatoes, mashed (boiled, fried, baked, roast, jacket) potatoes, rice, green peas, cabbage, cauliflower, egg-plants /aubergine, French fries, eggs (soft-boiled, hard-boiled, scrambled), omelet;

Meat:

beef, kidney, liver , venison, veal, pork, mutton, lamb, fillet;

Fish:

cod, hake, plaice, mackerel, herring, sardine, trout, salmon, eel, pike, sole, halibut, tuna, catfish, pike-perch, carp, Baltic herring, Baltic sprat, sturgeon;

Seafood:

prawns, clam, shrimp, crab, lobster, crayfish, squid, mussels, oysters;