Interviews

High-intermediate

What would you choose for each of these items for the perfect meal?

• an appetizer
• the main course
• a side dish
• a beverage
• a drink

1. Everyone should try vegetarian or vegan food at least once.
2. People’s food choices should not be judged by others.
3. Spicy food is more enjoyable than mild food.
4. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
5. It’s rude to refuse food that someone offers you.
6. Sweet snacks are better than salty ones.
7. Trying food from other cultures is a great way to learn.
8. Eating at the same time every day is important for your health.
9. People eat differently when they are stressed or emotional.
10. Your eating habits as a child affect your tastes as an adult.

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

go through a phase (expression): experience a temporary period of change
– Teenagers often go through a phase during their high school years, and I can’t understand their moods.

smush (up) (verb): crush or smash
– The children smushed their grapes on their plates during lunch.

mushy (adjective): soft and wet
– The sandwiches were really mushy because of the water on the table, and no one wanted to eat them.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: In this video, we want to talk about, Aubrey, your favorite meal. And for many people, they’re thinking some people, oh, a nice salad. Other people are thinking about a nice, juicy burger. Other people, fish and whatnot. But what about you? What would you view as the ideal . . . 

Randall:  Not fish.

Aubrey: Not, Not fish, but what would be the ideal meal for you? Uh, what would be included? What are some of the ingredients and so forth?

Aubrey: Yeah, I guess it really depends on what kind of mood I’m in. Um, I do tend to go through phases where I eat one thing every day for like several weeks. Right now, all I want to eat is refried beans and rice.

Randall: Okay, Sounds simple.

Aubrey: Yeah. It . . . It’s so easy to make. Like, you just get the beans. If you have a pressure cooker, you just get your beans, you pressure, cook them. I can’t remember how long. I always look it up, but you just pressure cook them, you drain them, you rinse them off, you cook them a little longer, then you smush them up. [Okay.] Butter. Salt.

Randall: Oh, that’s simple.

Aubrey: And some jalapenos if you’re feeling fancy.

Randall: Oh, and what would you add if you, for example, wanted a piece of fruit or something like that, what would be your favorite fruit to have, and what kind of drink?

Aubrey: My favorite fruit is probably Asian pears.

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: Because they have the crispness of an apple, but the flavor of a pear because I don’t like the way apples taste. And I don’t like how mushy like western pears are.

Randall: Okay. Yeah . . .

Aubrey: But I like the way they taste, so Asian pear.

Randall: Okay. And then what about a drink, and then to top things off, a dessert?

Aubrey: My favorite drink right now is strawberry milk.

Randall: Okay.

Aubrey: I love it. I have. I get my lactose-free high protein milk, and then I get sugar-free strawberry syrup in it, and then I just mix it up and take it to work with me.

Randall: Okay. And then to top things off [. . . dessert] with dessert.

Aubrey: Hmm. Ice cream is always a good one.

Randall: All right.

Randall: All right. Thanks for sharing your favorite meal.

What are some favorite foods that people eat on some of the major holidays in your country? What are the names of these foods, what are the main ingredients, and how are these foods prepared?

The following activities deal with related topics to give you additional language practice.

• Dinner Meals
• Dinner Recipes
• Gourmet Cooking
• Gourmet Recipes
• My Favorite Meal