These days in the UK, everywhere you look there's food. There are posters in the street telling you to buy this or that. Market stalls are piled high with exotic fruit my mother certainly wouldn't have recognised. Things like kumqwats, dragon fruit etc. This recipe on the Waitrose website calls for papaya, physalis, lychees and passion fruit. Exotic Fruit Platter, notice they don't say exotic fruit salad. After all, platter sounds much more impressive!
Switch on the television and it seems as if there is a food programme on every channel. Here in the U.K. we even have a dedicated food channel!
And nowadays food is sexy, it's no longer something that simply keeps body and soul together. As a result food is accompanied by its own special language. In fact it seems as if everyone in England has turned into a foody.
Listen to Nigella Lawson, a television chef. She uses words such as ‘luscious, smooth, flowing, gritty, sublime, buttery to describe something that when all is said and done is a pretty basic pudding. Watch other videos featuring her and you're likely to hear a range of foody words:-
In the UK dinner parties are very popular, but how do you organise one? Listen to Frank and Nicole discuss arranging a party:-
Frank - I think it's about time I held a dinner party. I’ve been out to dinner lots of times, so it must be my turn. What do you think?
Nicole - What do I think? Well, you’ve only got 4 dining chairs, and one of them has a wobbly leg.
Frank - True, but I could have a barbie. Even the word makes your mouth water. Gorgeous beef, marinated pork and luscious juices dribbling down your chin. Lots of cold beer and a bowl of coleslaw. Its so easy. As for my so called wobbly legs, everyone can sit on the grass.
Nicole - I’ve been to one of your barbeques. Three hours to burn a sausage, but by then everyone has drunk so much beer they don’t care.
Frank - Exactly!
Nicole - And what are you going to give the vegetarians?
Frank - That's easy. I won't invite any. Only one problem; it might rain.
Nicole - I'll tell you what. We can hold the party here. I’ll make sticky toffee pudding and you can buy lots of nibbles from the delicatessen. A big bowl of salad and some drinks and Bob's your uncle. Then while everyone is waiting for the food to heat up they can all help me to lay the new tiles in my bathroom.
Frank - You've got to be joking!
Nicole - Yes. Of course I am. We can forget the salad – no one ever eats it anyway.
