My meals

I don’t always take my meals at regular hours. Their times depend largely on my time-table and the amount of work I must do.

But at least one meal, breakfast, is a regular one. I usually have it at 7 or so in the morning.

I’m usually very short of time in the morning, so I needn’t say that my breakfast is a very quick and light meal: just a cup of tea with bread-and-butter or a cheese sandwich.

For a change I may have a cup of coffee or a glass of milk with a bun or a roll. Sometimes, mostly on Sundays, it may be something more substantial: boiled or fried eggs, fish, cold meat, ham, sausage or something. You can’t live on tea and bread-and-butter long, can you? By noon I’m awfully hungry. So are my fellow-students. In break we all go down to our canteen to have a bite.

At lunch-time the students’ canteen is usually crowded, and there is a long line of students along the counter. My friends and I take a place in the line and look at the menu-card to see what there is on the menu. When my turn comes I get the dishes from the counter, pay the money and take the tray to a table. Our canteen is a self-service one and so we must take away the dirty dishes too.

At our canteen they serve different dishes. For the first course they always have some soup, for the second one there are always some meat dishes: chops, beefsteak and others. There is usually a good choice of salads: cabbage salad, beetroot salad, mixed salad, meat salad.

In fact, I’m very fond of any salad and I always get one. I also have some meat or fish with mashed potatoes or something.

Then comes tea. Sometimes I have some juice.

The main meal of the day is dinner. It is a full-course meal, with soup: cabbage soup, milk soup etc.

There is meat or fish with plenty of vegetables for the second course and a sweet dish for dessert.

It may be stewed fruit with cake or ice-cream or, probably, some fruit. I usually have it at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

My supper is a very small evening meal. It is usually a cup of tea with cake or biscuits.

Sometimes I may have some cottage cheese with cream and sugar or an omelette.

Text vocabulary

at regular hours	в одно и то же время
at least	по меньшей мере
for a change	для разнообразия
by noon	к полудню
to take a place in the line	занять очередь

III. Answer the following questions.

1. Do you have your meals at regular hours?

2. How many meals do you have daily?

3. When do you have your breakfast?

4. What does it usually consist of?

5. Do you have tea or coffee in the morning?

6. Do you prefer it strong or weak?

7. Where do you have your dinner?

8. Do you often eat out?

9. Is it convenient to have dinner at a students’ canteen?

10. Are you satisfied with the service there?

11. What do they serve for the first course?

12. Are you fond of soups?

13. What appetizers do you usually take?

14. Is there a good choice of salads at our canteen?

15. What dishes do you order for the main course?

16. Are you fond of sweet dishes?

17. What do you usually have for dessert?

18. What are your favourite drinks?

19. What kind of supper do you prefer: a light or a substantial one?

20. What is your favourite dish?

21. Are you fond of cooking?

22. Who does cooking in your family?

23. What do you usually treat your guests to?

24. Is it better to have a holiday supper at home or at a restaurant?

25. Are you fond of fast food?