Read the text, learn new words and say what you think about English cuisine.

The English say that in their country the variety of food from meal to meal is probably greater than anywhere else in the world. They say that you can never confuse a breakfast with dinner, for example, and that in many other countries you eat exactly the same kind of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the same for the gourmet, “Ukrainian food is of extremely good quality, and it really tastes of something – unlike American food, for instance, which all tastes the same”, says an English television’s famous cook who has visited this country. He praises the Ukrainian national dishes, for example, “Ukrainian bortsch” with “smetana” looks good and tastes good.

You can have your meals at home, in a restaurant or a cafe, in the canteen of your factory or office. Those who stay at rest-homes or sanatoria have meals in the dining-hall, which is generally placed in a separate building, usually a cottage with kitchen premises. While travelling by train you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner in the dining-car as well cooked and served as if you were in a first-class hotel, or at the railway station when you are on the point of fainting from hunger you hurry to the refreshment room before the train starts. Travelling by ship your dinner or supper may be served in the dining-saloon.

In case you are up to the eyes in work and can’t go to the canteen but are hungry and want to have a bite you may drop into a self-service restaurant or “cafeteria” as Americans call a restaurant at which patrons serve themselves at a counter, taking their food to tables to eat.

Nowadays many self-service canteens, restaurant and cafe are being opened throughout the country. When employees or workers have a short break for dinner or lunch they find it impossible to get home for this meal and so they take it in a self-service cafe or restaurant. There are cafes and restaurants to suit every taste and purse.

In Britain you can find table d’hô te and a la carte dinners in every restaurant. Table d’hô te dinners are cheaper are cheaper then a la carte ones. When you dine a la carte you order course by course, as you desire. But a table d’hô te dinner consists of several courses, a choice is limited, and it is served in a canteen or a restaurant at a fixed price.

Word List:

to confuse – смешать, перепутать

gourmet [‘gu∂ meı ] – гурман

for instance – например

cook – повар

Ukrainian bortsch – украинский борщ

to taste good – иметь хороший вкус

canteen [kæ n’ti: n] – столовая

separate [‘seprit] – отдельный, раздельный

cottage [‘kotidз] – коттедж, домик

a kitchen premise [‘premis] – с прилегающей кухней

dining-car – вагон-ресторан

to drop into – заглянуть, зайти на минутку

a self-service restaurant – ресторан самообслуживания

a counter [‘kaunt∂ ] – прилавок

to suit every taste and purse [p∂: s] – подходить, быть по карману

table d’hô te [‘teibl’do: t] – комплексный обед

a la carte [a: la: ‘ka: t] – порционные блюда

a choice [‘t∫ ois] – выбор

to be limited – быть ограниченным, лимитированным