VOCABULARY

Alternative /ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv/ alternativă Joint /dʒɔɪnt/ mușchi

Amazed /əˈmeɪzd/uimit Kipper /ˈkɪpə/ scrumbie
Apricot /ˈeɪprɪˌkɒt/caisă Knock/nɒk/ bătaie, ciocănitură
Atmosphere /ˈætməsˌfɪə atmosferă Lamb/læm/ miel
Awaken /əˈweɪkən/ a deștepta (pe cineva), a trezi Meal /miːl/masă (de prânz, de seară, etc.)
Bacon /ˈbeɪkən/ /slănină Orange/ˈɒrɪndʒ/ portocală
Beans /biːnz/ fasole Peach/piːtʃ/ piersică
Beginning /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/ început Pineapple/ˈpaɪnˌæpl/ ananas
Biscuit /ˈbɪskɪt/ biscuit Plum /plʌm/ prună
Boiled /bɒɪld/ fiert Porridge /ˈpɒrɪdʒ/ fulgi de ovăz
Brush /brʌʃ/ a peria Potato /pəˈteɪtəʊ/ cartof
Cabbage /ˈkæbɪdʒ/ varză Poultry /ˈpəʊltrɪ/ (numai la singular) păsări de curte
Call up /kɔːl ʌp/ a chema la telefon Prepare /prɪˈpɛə/ a pregăti
Caramel /ˈkærəməl /ˈcaramel, zahăr ars Pudding /ˈpʊdɪŋ/ budincă
Carrot /ˈkærət//morcov Receptionist/rɪˈsɛpʃənɪst/funcționar la biroul de recepție
Castor sugar/ˈkɑːstəˈʃʊɡə/ zahăr tos Ring up /rɪŋ ʌp / a chema la telefon
Cauliflower /ˈkɒlɪˌflaʊə/ conopidă Roast /rəʊst/ fript, prăjit
Cheese/tʃiːz/ brânză Sausage /ˈsɒsɪdʒ/ cârnat
Chicken /ˈtʃɪkɪn/ pasăre, pui Slice /slaɪs/ felie
Consist /kənˈsɪst/ a consta Soup /suːp/ supă
Cook /kʊk/ bucătar, bucătăreasă, a găti Spinach /ˈspɪnɪdʒ/ spanac
Corn flakes /kɔːn fleɪks/ fulgi de porumb Stewed /stjuːd/ fiert
Course /kɔːs/ fel de mâncare Strawberry /ˈstrɔːbərɪ/ căpșună
Cream /kriːm/ cremă; sour cream smântână Substantial /səbˈstænʃəl/ subtanțial
Dish/dɪʃ/fel de mâncare Supper/ˈsʌpə/ cină (rece)
Enormous /ɪˈnɔːməs/ enorm Tart/tɑːt/ tartă
Find out /faɪnd aʊt/ a descoperi Tray /treɪ/ tavă
Frequently /ˈfriːkwəntlɪ/ frecvent Trifle/ˈtraɪfl/ (un fel de) șarlotă
Fresh/frɛʃ/ proaspăt Vaguely /ˈveɪglɪ/ în mod vag
Grapefruit/ˈɡreɪpˌfruːt/ grepfrut Waiter /ˈweɪtə/ chelner
Household /ˈhaʊsˌhəʊld/ gospodărie Wel-to-do/ˌweltəˈduː/ înstărit, avut

PHRASES
That very day-chiar în ziua aceea You bet I did-cred și eu As a rule-de regulă
I had asked to be called up at that time-cerusem să fiu trezit la acea oră

MEALS
Dan: I’d like to ask Victor to tell us something about English meals today.
All: Yes, yes.
Eva: That’s a good idea. It will also prepare the atmosphere for the tea which we are going to have after
our conversation class.
Victor: All right. Let’s begin then at the beginning. First I’d like to tell you that if English people don’t
eat more than we do, they certainly eat much more frequently. The first morning in the hotel I was
awakened at seven o’clock by a knock at the door and when I opened it I found a tray with a cup of tea
and two or three biscuits. I thought to myself that that was rather a poor meal but after brushing my teeth
quickly I ate the biscuits and drank the cup of tea and then I went into the bathroom to have a bath and
shave.
At half past seven one of the receptionists rang me up to tell me I had asked to be called up at that time
and to inform me that “breakfast” would be served between eight and ten. I then remembered vaguely that
I had heard something about the English breakfast before.
Dan: So then the early morning tea had only been something to wake you up properly and make you feel
fresh.
Victor: That’s right. So, a little after eight I went into the breakfast room, that is a smaller dining-room,
where I sat down at a table for four people. A waiter came up to me and asked me whether I wanted
pineapple or grapefruit juice.
Maria: Which did you choose?
Victor: I chose pineapple juice. Then he asked me whether I wanted porridge or corn flakes. I chose the
corn flakes which I ate with milk and a little castor sugar. Next he brought me some bacon and eggs
which I preferred to the kipper he offered me as an alternative. After asking me whether I wanted tea or
coffee, he brought me a pot of milk and coffee, which was what I had chosen. He also brought me a few
slices of bread, a few pieces of toast, some butter and some orange marmalade. I was amazed at this
enormous quantity of food and I must tell you that I struggled hard to eat all that I was given.
However, I soon found out, even that very day, that breakfast was a substantial meal for many English
people.
Maria: What do English people eat at noon?
Victor: At one o’clock English people usually have lunch. This consists, as a rule, of two courses: a dish
and a sweet or pudding. The first course is some meat or poultry--beef, mutton, lamb, pork or chicken. As
vegetables they have boiled or roast potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, cabbage, cauliflower or spinach.
Maria: Do English cooks make good puddings?
Victor: Yes. The puddings are quite good. You usually have to choose between rice or plum pudding or
apple tart, stewed fruit, cream caramel, or trifle. Instead of pudding some people prefer cheese and
biscuits and fruit: apples, pears, apricots, peaches, grapes, oranges, etc. Lunch ends with a small cup of
white or black coffee.
Paul: I’ve heard English people also drink a lot of tea. Is it so?
Victor: Well, yes. Besides the tea--a strong tea with a little milk in it-- which they have at breakfast, it
seems everybody in England takes one or two cups of tea in the afternoon, between four or five o’clock.
Besides bread and butter and most often strawberry jam, English people have a few slices of cake or some
chocolate cakes with their tea.
Eva: What do English people have in the evenings?
Victor: At about half past seven they have dinner. This begins with a soup--a tomato soup for instance--
which is followed by fish or a joint of meat, perhaps roast beef served with vegetables. The third course is
some kind of sweet pudding or fruit salad or ice-cream, followed again by black or white coffee.
Maria: By the way, Victor, what kind of pudding is the one which is called “black pudding”?
Victor: Black pudding is no pudding at all. It’s a kind of sausage.
Paul: What’s supper, Victor?
Victor: Supper is a light meal taken in the evenings instead of dinner. Dinner is the most substantial meal
of the day and some English people have it in the middle of the day instead of lunch. In such cases, they
have supper in the evening instead of dinner. Many people have a “cooked tea” or “high tea” which is a
richer tea taken between five and six o’clock and at which they may serve some cold meat and salad. In
such cases they will have supper in the evening. In well-to-do households the order of the meals is:
breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner but with most of the working people the order is: breakfast, dinner, tea,
supper. Then, very many English people have a cup of tea, late in the evening, before they go to bed.
Paul: By the way, did you miss our Romanian food in England?
Victor: Of course I did. None of our “ciorbe”, which are called “sour soups” in English, nor “mititei”,
which English people call “rolled mincemeat (richly spiced)” when they come to Romania. The phrase
“maize polenta” translates our “mămăligă“ and “ stuffed cabbage leaves” our “sarmale”. ”Smântână” is
just ”sour cream” in English but it isn’t so thick as in in our country.
Paul: I think you rushed upon our good Romanian food the very day you came back home.
Victor: You bet I did.

Answer the following questions:

1. What did Victor find in front of his door at seven o’clock in the morning?
2. What did he do in the breakfast room?
3. What do English people usually have in the morning?
4. What do they usually eat at noon?
5. What do they usually have with a cup of tea?
6. What do English people usually have for dinner?
7. What is “cooked tea”?
8. Would you name some vegetables?
9. Would you name some fruit?
10. What do you usually have for lunch and dinner?