III. Conversation practice

3.1. Act out the following situations:

Ask the information clerk in the hotel about the following:

• The services the hotel provides

• How to get to some place in the city

3.2. Watch Unit 6. Eating Out of Video Conference.

Unit 6. Eating Out.

Daniel Conway, waitress.

• Waitress: Shogun Restaurant, good morning.

• Daniel: Good morning. Could I make a reservation for tonight, please?

• Waitress: Certainly, sir. For what time?

• Daniel: Eight o’clock.

• Waitress: For how many people?

• Daniel: Four.

• Waitress: And the name, please?

• Daniel: Conway.

• Waitress: Mr. Conway, that’s a table for four at eight o’clock this evening. Thank you very much.

• Daniel: Thank you. Goodbye.

• Waitress: Goodbye.

* * *

Pablo Gonzalez, Ron Jacobs, Daniel Conway, Isabelle Pelletier, waiter.

• Pablo: Well, this is a new eating experience for me. You eat Japanese food all the time, don’t you, Ron?

• Ron: Yes, when I eat out in Tokyo. But at home we sometimes cook American food for a change.

• Pablo: Your wife’s Japanese, isn’t she?

• Ron: Yes, that’s right. But she bakes a great pecan pie.

• Waiter: Are you ready to order?

• Daniel: Not quite. Could we have a couple of minutes, please?

• Waiter: Of course.

• Isabelle: I don’t know much about Japanese food, Ron. What do you recommend?

• Ron: Well, yakitori is very good.

• Isabelle: What’s that?

• Ron: It’s a grilled chicken on a skewer.

• Isabelle: Sounds good. I think I’ll try it.

• Pablo: What’s a sashimi, Ron?

• Ron: Sashimi? Raw fish.

• Pablo: Oh.

• Isabelle: I’ll have yakitori, please.

• Waiter: And for your main course?

• Isabelle: I’d like mixed sushi.

• Pablo: And I’ll have the agidashi tofu as a starter, please. Is the sauce hot?

• Waiter: No, it isn’t. It’s made with soy sauce.

• Pablo: Ah, good. And I’d like to try the teriyaki. Does it come with rice?

• Waiter: Yes, it does.

• Ron: I’ll have the assorted zensai followed by mixed sushi and miso soup.

• Daniel: And the same for me please.

* * *

• Waiter: And what would you like to drink with your meal?

• Daniel: Shall we have some sake?

• Isabelle: Good idea.

• Pablo: What is sake exactly?

• Waiter: It’s a sort of wine. It’s made from rice.

• Pablo: Is it strong?

• Waiter: Quite strong.

• Pablo: O.K. I’ll try some sake.

• Ron: I think I’ll have a beer. What Japanese beers do you have?

• Waiter: We have Sapporo and Kirin.

• Ron: A Kirin please.

• Daniel: And three pots of sake. And shall we have some mineral water? A large bottle.

• Waiter: Sparkling or still?

• Daniel: Sparkling? Please.

• W: Thank you very much.

* * *

• Isabelle: Thank you…. This looks delicious…. I’m afraid I’m not very good with these!

• Pablo: Don’t worry. Isabel. Neither am I.

• Ron: You can eat sushi with your fingers, Isabel. In Japan many people do it.

• Isabelle: Really?

• Ron: Yes, it’s not bad manners.

• Isabelle: The Japanese are very practical.

• Pablo: And it tastes better when you eat with your hands.

• Daniel: Do you eat out much in Japan, Ron?

• Ron: About two or three times a week.

• Isabelle: With your family?

• Ron: Sometimes, but more often with my colleagues, after work.

• Isabelle: Do you often eat sushi in Japan?

• Ron: No, only on special occasions. It’s rather expensive.

• Isabelle: Pablo, what do you eat on special occasions in Argentina?

• Pablo: Beef, of course. We have big barbeques, called asados.

• Daniel: They sound fun.

• Pablo: They are. Next time you come to Buenos Aires I’ll take you to one.

• Daniel: Alright!

***

• Pablo: That was absolutely delicious!

• Daniel: Can we have the cheque (=check), please?

• Pablo: Let me get this.

• Daniel: No, please. This one’s on me.

• Pablo: If you insist Daniel. Thanks very much.

• Ron: Thank you.

• Isabelle: Yes, thank you, Daniel, I really enjoyed it.

• Pablo: It’s only ten o’clock. The night is young. I know a really good bar near here…. Shall we go?

3.3. Act out the following situation:

• Order a meal in a restaurant.