Автор работы: Пользователь скрыл имя, 27 Сентября 2013 в 05:55, шпаргалка
London
The capital city of England and the United Kingdom lies on the River Thames, which winds through the city. Its many bridges are a famous sight. The oldest is London Bridge, originally made of wood but rebuilt in stone in 1217. The most distinctive is Tower Bridge, which was designated to blend in with the nearby Tower of London.
Restaurant. Meals. Table Manners
Visitors to the US often think either that there is no real American food, only dishes borrowed from other countries, or else that Americans eat only fast food. While there is some truth in both these impressions, real American food does exist.
The British also have a poor reputation for food. Visitors to Britain often complain that food in restaurants is badly presented, overcooked and has no taste. But the best British food is not generally found in restaurants but in people's homes.
Certain foods are considered essential to traditional British cooking and form the basis of most meals. These include bread, pastry (for meat or fruit pies) and dairy products such as milk, cheese and eggs. Potatoes, especially chips (AmE fries), are eaten at lunch or dinner. They are an important part of the traditional meal of meat and two veg (= meat, potatoes and another vegetable). A jacket potato (= a potato baked whole in its skin) with cheese is a popular pub lunch. Because of the increased cost of meat and various health scares many people now eat less meat. Vegetarians (= people who choose not to eat meat at all) and vegans (= people who eat no meat or animal products) are relatively few. After the main course, many families eat a pudding. This was traditionally sponge or pastry cooked with jam or fruit, usually served hot with custard, but it may now be yogurt, fresh fruit or ice cream.
Good plain home cooking, i.e. food prepared without spicy or creamy sauces, used to be something to be proud of. Since the 1970s British people have become more adventurous in what they eat and often cook foreign dishes. Rice, pasta and noodles are regularly eaten instead of potatoes. Supermarkets offer an expanding range of foreign foods, including many convenience foods (= prepared meals that need only to be heated). Takeaways from Indian or Chinese restaurants are also popular.
People's interest in trying new recipes is encouraged by the many cookery programmes on television. Famous TV chefs include Delia Smith and Ainsley Harriott. Few older men know how to cook, but many younger men share the cooking as well as other household chores.
American dishes include many made from traditional foods. Corn is eaten as corn on the cob, which is boiled and eaten hot with butter, ground up into small pieces and cooked again to make grits, or baked to make cornbread. It can be dried and cooked with oil to make popcorn, which is eaten hot covered with melted butter and salt. Turkey was originally an American bird and is the most important dish at Thanksgiving. It is served with a sauce made from an American plant, the cranberry, a small, red, sour berry, and is usually followed by pumpkin pie. The hamburger may also come from the US. The sandwich, originally from Britain, is made with great variety in America.
Many of America's most popular dishes have been borrowed from other cultures. This ethnic food is not always the same in the US as in the country it comes from. Many popular dishes come from Italy, especially pasta dishes and pizza. From Mexico there are burritos, tacos and enchiladas; from China there are egg rolls, chop suey and egg foo yong; and from Japan sushi and teriyaki.
When Americans make food at home they rarely use basic ingredients (= raw foods). Cakes, for example, are often made from cake mixes bought in a box. They also use many prepared foods (= meals that need only to be heated). Americans also often order in (= have a meal delivered to their home by a restaurant).
In the 1980s younger people especially became more interested in food. These foodies helped to increase the variety of dishes and ingredients available in America. Olive oil became commonly used in cooking, and new sauces were developed for pasta. Many styles of real coffee also became popular.
Eating out
When British and American people eat out (= in a restaurant), they can choose from a wide range of eating places. The busiest tend to be burger bars, pizzerias and other fast-food outlets which are popular with young people and families. In Britain these have largely replaced traditional cafes selling meals like sausage, egg and chips, though most towns still have several fish and chip shops. Many pubs also serve reasonably priced meals.
Many people eat out at Italian, Mexican and Chinese restaurants and at curry houses. Fewer people go to smarter, more expensive restaurants. With the great variety of food available at relatively low prices, eating out is common.
In Britain the government regularly gives advice about healthy eating. The main aim is to reduce the amount of fatty foods and sugar people eat, and to encourage them to eat more fruit and vegetables. Many people still enjoy a fry-up (= fried bacon, sausage and egg with fried bread) but there has been a gradual move towards eating healthier low-fat foods. Health risks connected with, for example, beef or eggs, are discussed by the media. People are also concerned about chemicals sprayed onto crops. Supermarkets sell organic produce (= cereals and vegetables grown without the use of chemicals), but few people are prepared to pay the higher prices for this.
Americans believe food has an important effect on their health but they do not always eat in a healthy way. Many eat junk food, including fast food, snacks like potato chips (BrE crisps) and cookies (BrE biscuits), fizzy drinks and ice cream. Some people eat mainly health foods. They take vitamin and mineral supplements and rush to eat the latest foods said to be healthy, like olive oil, oats and garlic. Americans always seem to be fighting a battle between what they want to eat and what is good for them. Most Americans weigh too much, so it seems that they still mostly eat what they want.
Americans and British people generally eat three meals a day though the names vary according to people's lifestyles and where they live.
The first meal of the day is breakfast. The traditional full English breakfast served in many British hotels may include fruit juice, cereal, bacon and eggs, often with sausages and tomatoes, toast and marmalade, and tea or coffee. Few people have time to prepare a cooked breakfast at home and most have only cereal or muesli (AmE granola) and/or toast with tea or coffee. Others buy coffee and a pastry on their way to work.
The traditional American breakfast includes eggs, some kind of meat and toast. Eggs may be fried, 'over easy', 'over hard' or 'sunny side up', or boiled, poached or in an omelette (= beaten together and fried). The meat may be bacon or sausage. People who do not have time for a large meal have toast or cereal and coffee. It is common for Americans to eat breakfast in a restaurant. On Saturday and Sunday many people eat brunch late in the morning. This consists of both breakfast and lunch dishes, including pancakes and waffles (= types of cooked batter) that are eaten with butter and maple syrup.
Lunch, which is eaten any time after midday, is the main meal of the day for some British people, though people out at work may have only sandwiches. Some people also refer to the midday meal as dinner. Most workers are allowed about an hour off work for it, called the lunch hour, and many also go shopping. Many schools offer a cooked lunch (school lunch or school dinner), though some students take a packed lunch of sandwiches, fruit, etc. Sunday lunch is special and is, for many families, the biggest meal of the week, consisting typically of roast meat and vegetables and a sweet course. In the US lunch is usually a quick meal, eaten around midday. Many workers have a half-hour break for lunch, and buy a sandwich from near their place of work. Business people may sometimes eat a larger lunch and use the time to discuss business.
The main meal of the day for most people is the evening meal, called supper, tea or dinner. It is usually a cooked meal with meat or fish or a salad, followed by a sweet course. Some people have a TV supper, eaten on their knee while watching television. In Britain younger children may have tea when they get home from school. Tea, meaning a main meal for adults, is used especially in Scotland and Ireland; supper and dinner are more widely used in England and Wales. Dinner sounds more formal than supper, and guests generally receive invitations to 'dinner' rather than to 'supper'. In the US the evening meal is called dinner. It is usually eaten around 6 or 6.30 p.m and often consists of dishes bought ready-prepared that need only to be heated. In many families, both in Britain and in the US, family members eat at different times and rarely sit down at the table together. Unless it is a special occasion, few people drink wine with dinner.
Many people also eat snacks between meals. Most have tea or coffee at mid-morning, often called coffee time or the coffee break. In Britain this is sometimes also called elevenses. In the afternoon most British people have a tea break. Some hotels serve afternoon tea which consists of tea or coffee and a choice of sandwiches and cakes. When on holiday/vacation people sometimes have a cream tea of scones, jam and cream. In addition many people eat chocolate bars, biscuits (AmE cookies) or crisps (AmE chips). Some British people have a snack, sometimes called supper, consisting of a milk drink and a biscuit before they go to bed. In the US children often have milk and cookies after school. Adults are especially likely to snack (= eat snacks) while watching television.
Manners
Children are taught good manners, or simply manners (= polite ways of behaving), so that when they are older they will automatically show respect and consideration for other people.
In Britain good manners were once seen as proof of a person's worth, as in the old saying 'manners maketh man'. Though attitudes have become more tolerant over the years, people still tend to judge others according to how they behave. People may be said to have no manners if they are rude or behave without thought for others. For instance, somebody who picks their nose in front of others, or belches (= lets out gas from the stomach through their mouth), or yawns without putting their hand in front of their mouth, or who speaks rudely to somebody, will attract criticism. On the other hand, a person who is polite and courteous, who is considerate towards other people, who says little about their own achievements and who respects the privacy of others, is much more likely to win approval and respect.
Ideas about appropriate personal behaviour vary from country to country, and it can be difficult in a foreign country to know what its people consider to be good manners.
British and American parents often tell their children that 'please' is the magic word: if the children remember to say 'please', their parents are more likely to give them the things they ask for. 'Please' is used in many situations. People generally say 'please' whenever they ask for something, whether it is for goods in a shop, for help, for a favour or for information.
People are also taught to say 'thank you' or 'thanks' when somebody has given them something or done something for them. In a shop many British people say 'thank you' several times at the checkout, e.g. when the operator tells them the total cost of their goods, when he or she gives them their change or gives back their credit card, and sometimes again before they leave.
After receiving a present it is good manners to say 'thank you' and sound pleased. Some people add a specific comment, e.g. 'That's great red's my favourite colour!' When a present is sent by mail it is polite to send a thank-you note, a short letter or card to thank the person who sent it and tell them how much you like it. It is also polite to write and say 'thank you' after you have been invited out for a meal or been to stay with somebody.
Good manners are important at meal times, though people worry less about table manners than they once did now that many meals are less formal. When eating at a table with other people, it is considered polite to keep your napkin (= a piece of material or paper used to wipe your mouth) below the table on your lap, to chew with your mouth closed and not talk with food in your mouth, to keep your elbows off the table, and to eat fairly slowly. It is bad manners to take a lot of food all at once, or to take more until it is offered. It is also better to ask somebody to pass the salt, etc. rather than to reach across the table for it.
When invited to a meal at somebody else's house people often take a bottle of wine or chocolates or flowers, as a gift. Apart from this, it is not usual to give presents to people you do not know well. It is not considered polite to look round other people's houses without being invited to do so, and people usually ask where the toilet is rather than going to look for it. Many people do not smoke and visitors should ask permission before they smoke in somebody's house. Close friends are much less formal in each other's houses and may get their own drinks and help to clear away the meal.
Never stretch over the table for something you want, ask your neighbour to pass it.
Take a slice of bread from the bread-plate by hand, don't harpoon your bread with a fork.
Do not bite into the whole slice, break it off piece by piece. Never spoil your neighbour's appetite by criticizing what he just happens to be eating or by telling stories which are not conducive to good digestion.
Chicken requires special handling. First cut as much as you can, and when you can't use knife and fork any longer, use your fingers.
Never read whilst eating (at least in company).
When a dish is placed before you do not eye it suspiciously as though, it were the first time you had seen it, and do not give the impression that you are about to sniff it. No matter how surprised you are take it all in your stride.
Don't use a knife for fish, cutlets or omelettes.
When you are being served, don't pick. One piece is as good as the next.
The customary way to refuse a dish is by saying, “No, thank you" (or to accept "Yes, please"). Don't say “I don't eat that stuff", don't make faces or noises to show that you don't like it.
In between courses don't make bread-balls to while the time away and do not play with the silver.
Don't lick your spoon. If you really feel that way about it ask for a second helping.
Sit facing the table, don't sit sideways. Keep your feet under you, don't stretch them all the way under the table.
After stirring your tea remove the spoon, and place it on the saucer.
Don't use a spoon for what can be eaten with a fork. The forks are placed at the side of the dish in the order in which they are to be used (salad fork, fish fork, meat fork, etc.).
When eating stewed fruit use your spoon to put the stones on your saucer.
If there is a napkin on the table unfold it and spread it on your lap. Do not tie it around your neck. Use your napkin often and skilfully. Several pats on the lips will take the grease off. Don’t use your napkin as though it were blotting paper.
Don’t eat off the knife.
Vegetables, potatoes, macaroni are placed on your fork with the help of your knife.
Cut your meat into small pieces that can be chewed with ease. Cut off one piece at a time.
If your food is too hot don’t blow on it as though you were trying to start a campfire on a damp night.
Your spoon, knife and fork are meant to eat with, they are not drumsticks and should not be banged against your plate.
Try to make as little noise as possible when eating.
Don’t sip your soup as though you wanted the whole house to hear.
Don’t shovel food into your mouth. Take small manoeuverable pieces.
Don’t talk with your mouth full. First chew and then swallow.
Don’t put your elbows on the table.
Don’t pick your teeth in company after the meal even if tooth-picks are provided for the purpose.
And, finally, don’t forget to say “thank you” for every favour or kindness.
Good manners do not have to be formal. It is friendly as well as polite to say 'hello' or 'good morning' to somebody you meet, to say 'please' and 'thank you' to family and friends as well as to strangers, and to apologize if you hurt or upset somebody. A warm tone of voice and a smile are also important.
People shake hands when they are introduced to somebody for the first time but, except in business, rarely do so when they meet again. Nowadays, unless there is a great age difference, most adults use each other's first names straightaway. In shops and banks, on aircraft, etc. customers are often addressed respectfully as 'Sir' or 'Madam' to show that they are important to the company. People are expected to arrive on time for both business and social events and it is considered bad manners to be late or not to telephone to let people know if you are delayed.
Manners are expected even in situations when it is impossible to talk. A well-mannered driver may, for instance, slow down to allow somebody to cross the road or make a gesture of thanks when another driver lets him or her pass. Airlines encourage passengers to consider others and to leave the washroom clean after use.
In the past but less commonly today, people often bought books on etiquette (= polite behaviour) to learn how to behave in polite society. Such books give suggestions for behaviour in very formal situations and do not help much with normal life. In Britain there are books on how to address members of the royal family and the aristocracy.
Formal manners are part of the British stereotype (= the typical characteristics of a person from a particular country). British people used to shake hands when meeting somebody, make polite conversation on general topics, but otherwise remain distant. Men used to take off their hat when a woman passed, walk on the outside of the pavement/sidewalk when with a woman so that she did not get splashed by traffic, and hold doors open for her. Keeping feelings under control was also part of good manners, and it was not thought appropriate to show anger, affection, etc. in public. Now, fewer people stand on ceremony (= behave formally) and even in formal situations most people are friendly and relaxed and concerned to put others at their ease.
All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness. To let anyone see, what you have in your mouth is offensive; so is to make a noise; to snake a mess is disgusting. On the other hand, there are a number of trifling decrees of etiquette that are merely finicky, sometimes unreasonable and silly. One eats with a fork or spoon "finger foods” that are messy or sticky; one eats with fingers those which are dry; and one cats dessert with fork or spoon as one prefers.
If food is too hot, quickly take a swallow of water. If food has been taken into your mouth, no matter how you hate it, you must swallow it. It is offensive to take anything out of your mouth that has been put in it, except dry fish bones and equally dry fruit seeds. If you choke on a fish bone, cover your mouth with your napkin and leave the table quickly. To spit anything whatever into the corner of your napkin is too nauseating to comment on.
It is horrid to see anyone spit wet skins or pits on a fork or onto the plate, and is excusable only if you get a bad clam or something similar into your mouth. Even then the best – because least noticeable – method is to take it from your mouth in your fingers – thumb underneath and four other fingers forming a screen over whatever it is from lips to plate. And then, gently wipe off any moisture on your finger-tips on your napkin.
Peaches or other very juicy fruits are peeled and then eaten with knife and fork, but dry fruits, such as apples, may be cut and then eaten, with the fingers. N e v e r wipe hands that have fruit juice on them on a napkin without first using a fingerbowl, because fruit juices leave injurious stains.
When Helping Yourself Remember:
The first rule is to pay attention to what you are doing and not handle a serving fork or spoon in such a way as to scatter food particles over either floor, table, or yourself.
Always leave knife and fork on the plate when passing it and be sure the handles are far enough on not to topple off.
Gravy should be put on the meat, and the condiment, pickles and jelly at the side of whatever they accompany. Olives, radishes, or celery are put on the bread and butter plate if there is one; otherwise on the edge of the plate from which one is eating.
When helping yourself, you say nothing; but when declining a dish offered by a waiter you say: "No, thank you”. Your voice is barely audible and in fact a negative shake of the head and "Thanks" more nearly describes the usual refusal.
All juicy or soft fruit or cake is best eaten with a fork; in most cases it is a matter of dexterity rather than rule. If you are able to eat a peach or ripe pear in your fingers and not smear your face, let juice run down, or make sucking noise, you are the one in a thousand who may, and with utmost propriety, continue the feat. If you can eat a napoleon or a cream puff and not let the cream ooze out on the far side, you need not use a fork; but if you cannot eat something - no matter what it is - without getting it all over your fingers, you must use a fork, and when necessary, spoon or a knife also.