WEBVTT 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:03.759 Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast, 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:19.899 number 13. Welcome to English as a Second Language 00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:24.579 Podcast, episode 13. My name is Dr. Jeff McQuillan, 00:00:24.739 --> 00:00:27.679 Senior Researcher at the Center for Educational 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:56.259 Development. www .eslpod .com for more information 00:00:56.259 --> 00:01:00.659 on how you can get the most out of these podcasts. 00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:05.980 Today's podcast is going to be about dining out. 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:10.400 Our last podcast, number 12, we talked about 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:14.439 me going to my favorite Italian restaurant here 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:19.540 in Los Angeles. And we went to the restaurant, 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:23.799 we sat down, and we were just ready to order. 00:01:23.879 --> 00:01:27.099 We were getting ready to order our meal. And 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:30.579 that's where we're going to continue today. If 00:01:30.579 --> 00:01:35.260 you haven't heard pod number 12, it's okay. You'll 00:01:35.260 --> 00:01:38.760 still understand the story. If you want to hear 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:42.439 the first part of the story, go to our website 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:46.980 and you can download it there. Now let's get 00:01:46.980 --> 00:01:57.290 started. I love coming to this Italian restaurant. 00:01:57.989 --> 00:02:03.590 The appetizers and desserts are to die for. When 00:02:03.590 --> 00:02:06.370 the waiter came to our table to take our order, 00:02:06.489 --> 00:02:10.650 my friend ordered a lobster ravioli dish, and 00:02:10.650 --> 00:02:15.810 I ordered my favorite, lasagna. The waiter asked 00:02:15.810 --> 00:02:19.689 us, would you like soup or salad with that? My 00:02:19.689 --> 00:02:25.490 friend said yes. I passed on both. The vibe in 00:02:25.490 --> 00:02:29.469 the restaurant is pretty laid back, not at all 00:02:29.469 --> 00:02:32.610 uptight like you find in some of the ritzier 00:02:32.610 --> 00:02:37.590 restaurants in Beverly Hills. The waitstaff is 00:02:37.590 --> 00:02:42.229 courteous, although sometimes the hostesses can 00:02:42.229 --> 00:02:48.590 be a bit snooty. Anyway, when our meal arrived, 00:02:49.110 --> 00:02:54.479 everything was cooked to perfection. Since I 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:58.120 didn't order any appetizers, soup, or salad, 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:03.020 I was starved. Even though I was really hungry, 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:07.039 I tried not to gobble down my food too quickly. 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:11.500 I didn't want my friend to think I was a pig. 00:03:12.919 --> 00:03:16.840 But even though I tried not to, I still overate. 00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:23.340 We wanted any dessert or after -dinner drinks. 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:27.780 I just couldn't resist getting the apple -filled 00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:34.159 crepes. They are the best. When we got our check, 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:38.199 my friend and I split the bill, as we're accustomed 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:43.840 to do. I frankly prefer to go Dutch when I eat 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:48.360 out with friends. So that was the end of a really 00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:53.849 great meal. Now I have to hit the gym if I'm 00:03:53.849 --> 00:03:57.889 going to lose any of this extra weight I gained 00:03:57.889 --> 00:04:09.189 from eating that lasagna. Now let's talk about 00:04:09.189 --> 00:04:13.569 some of the vocabulary that I used during my 00:04:13.569 --> 00:04:17.350 discussion. At the beginning, I said that the 00:04:17.350 --> 00:04:23.420 appetizers and desserts are to die for. The expression 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:28.879 to die for means that they're absolutely wonderful. 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:33.600 They're great. They're excellent. It's the best. 00:04:34.259 --> 00:04:38.339 We usually use this expression when talking about 00:04:38.339 --> 00:04:42.379 a food or a type of food that we really like. 00:04:42.819 --> 00:04:47.689 Of course, This expression, to die for, isn't 00:04:47.689 --> 00:04:51.269 meant to be taken literally. We are not really 00:04:51.269 --> 00:04:56.009 going to die for some food, but it's so good 00:04:56.009 --> 00:05:02.069 that we could die for it. The waiter came to 00:05:02.069 --> 00:05:04.910 take our order, and that's the expression we 00:05:04.910 --> 00:05:09.930 use to take your order. So you might, for example, 00:05:09.930 --> 00:05:14.899 say, excuse me. Could you ask the waiter to come 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:20.500 over and take my order? If you needed to get 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:23.360 service at your table, if you needed to have 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:27.000 the waiter come to your table and he or she had 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:32.160 not yet come. We also mentioned that the waiter 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:37.500 offered us soup or salad. This is a common expression 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:43.269 also. An appetizer or a soup or a salad is common, 00:05:43.350 --> 00:05:48.009 of course, before a meal. I said that, quote, 00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:52.810 I passed on both, unquote. In other words, I 00:05:52.810 --> 00:05:58.269 passed on means that I refused. I decided to 00:05:58.269 --> 00:06:03.220 not have any. I declined it. This is a common 00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:07.220 expression that we use not just for food, but 00:06:07.220 --> 00:06:11.879 anything that we don't want to do. It's somewhat 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:18.060 informal. You can say, for example, I passed 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:23.180 on going to the opera tonight. Instead, I'm going 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:41.990 to stay home and watch television. Again, that's 00:06:41.990 --> 00:06:46.529 an informal expression used mostly among people, 00:06:46.769 --> 00:06:52.569 friends that you know. I mentioned that the vibe 00:06:52.569 --> 00:06:58.800 in the restaurant is pretty laid back. V -I -B 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:05.079 -E means the atmosphere, the feeling, the general 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:12.120 tone or way that you perceive the environment. 00:07:12.459 --> 00:07:16.699 We often talk about the vibe when we talk about 00:07:16.699 --> 00:07:21.860 a restaurant or a nightclub or a place where 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:26.490 you would go dancing, that sort of thing. I said 00:07:26.490 --> 00:07:29.730 that it was pretty laid back, meaning it was 00:07:29.730 --> 00:07:33.410 very relaxed. And this is an informal expression. 00:07:34.089 --> 00:07:41.610 To be laid back means to be relaxed. It's the 00:07:41.610 --> 00:07:47.290 opposite of uptight. I mentioned that this restaurant 00:07:47.290 --> 00:07:52.209 that I went to was not at all uptight, meaning... 00:07:52.939 --> 00:07:57.399 The people there were relaxed. They weren't getting 00:07:57.399 --> 00:08:02.740 anxious over anything. To be uptight means to 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:08.379 be overly concerned, to be so concerned that 00:08:08.379 --> 00:08:13.180 you bother other people. We'll often say, don't 00:08:13.180 --> 00:08:17.740 be so uptight, which means don't be so anxious, 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:22.180 don't be so worried about what is happening. 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:29.639 I also mentioned that the restaurant was better 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:33.879 than some ritzier restaurants in Beverly Hills. 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:40.480 The term ritzy means expensive, very high class. 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:45.659 That's a ritzy restaurant or that's a ritzy hotel. 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:50.340 We usually say it about a restaurant or a hotel. 00:08:52.169 --> 00:08:55.610 I mentioned in talking about the wait staff, 00:08:55.990 --> 00:09:00.110 and the wait staff means those who are waiters 00:09:00.110 --> 00:09:04.570 or those who are hosts and hostesses, that they 00:09:04.570 --> 00:09:08.690 were courteous, but sometimes the hostesses can 00:09:08.690 --> 00:09:17.549 be a bit snooty. To be snooty is to think that 00:09:17.549 --> 00:09:20.649 you're better than someone else. To be snooty 00:09:20.649 --> 00:09:25.480 means... that you don't associate, you don't 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:28.840 hang around with, you don't talk to people who 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:33.240 you don't think are your equal. It's a negative 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:38.580 expression in describing someone. A couple of 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:43.320 other expressions I used. I said that I was starved, 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:48.559 meaning I was very hungry. Literally, to starve 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:53.840 means to go without food. And, of course, eventually 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:58.200 you would die if you don't eat food. Here it 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:01.340 just means very, very hungry. We'll say that 00:10:01.340 --> 00:10:05.539 a lot. Again, somewhat informal expression. Let's 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:11.240 go eat. I'm starved means I'm very hungry. I 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:14.720 mentioned that I tried not to gobble down my 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:19.700 food. To gobble down your food means to eat it 00:10:19.700 --> 00:10:24.889 very quickly. to eat it too quickly. That's why 00:10:24.889 --> 00:10:28.190 I said that I didn't want to gobble down my food, 00:10:28.309 --> 00:10:32.730 in part because I didn't want my friend to think 00:10:32.730 --> 00:10:37.549 I was a pig. To compare yourself to a pig, of 00:10:37.549 --> 00:10:43.370 course, means that you eat too much. I mentioned 00:10:43.370 --> 00:10:48.250 that I still overate. To overeat means to eat 00:10:48.250 --> 00:10:52.769 too much. I still ordered some dessert, however, 00:10:52.889 --> 00:10:58.210 and I said in my discussion that they are the 00:10:58.210 --> 00:11:04.970 best, meaning they are the best possible. Finally, 00:11:05.070 --> 00:11:09.629 when we got our check, I said that my friend 00:11:09.629 --> 00:11:13.750 and I split the bill. Notice that I used two 00:11:13.750 --> 00:11:17.009 words there that mean the same thing, check and 00:11:17.009 --> 00:11:23.370 bill. You can say, check. For example, you can 00:11:23.370 --> 00:11:26.269 ask the waiter, excuse me, could we have our 00:11:26.269 --> 00:11:29.909 check now? Meaning you want the waiter to bring 00:11:29.909 --> 00:11:36.590 over the check. Check is the same as bill. It's 00:11:36.590 --> 00:11:39.429 usually just used, however, in a restaurant. 00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:43.809 The more general term, which you can also use 00:11:43.809 --> 00:11:48.049 in a restaurant, is bill. Could you bring our 00:11:48.049 --> 00:11:52.429 bill, please? in a restaurant is also acceptable. 00:11:53.809 --> 00:11:56.409 I mentioned that my friend and I were going to 00:11:56.409 --> 00:11:58.950 split the bill meaning we each were going to 00:11:58.950 --> 00:12:05.950 pay 50 % or whatever we ate. This is called when 00:12:05.950 --> 00:12:08.570 you go out with someone to eat and each of you 00:12:08.570 --> 00:12:11.750 pays for your own meal is very common in the 00:12:11.750 --> 00:12:16.649 United States and the expression we used is to 00:12:16.649 --> 00:12:23.519 go Dutch. Dutch, D -U -T -C -H, refers, of course, 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:27.259 to the Netherlands. This is not meant to be an 00:12:27.259 --> 00:12:30.259 insult to people from the Netherlands, but it 00:12:30.259 --> 00:12:34.419 is a very common expression, meaning that each 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:37.879 person pays for his own meal. Once again, this 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:41.399 expression we use specifically when talking about, 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:46.120 usually talking about restaurants. Finally, I 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:49.840 said because I ate so much, I needed to drop 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:54.679 some weight. To drop weight means to lose weight. 00:12:55.419 --> 00:12:59.340 So when someone loses weight, we can say, well, 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:03.480 look at him. He lost 15 pounds. You can also 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:08.480 say, look at him. He dropped 15 pounds. Either 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:12.779 expression is the same. Drop is perhaps a little 00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:18.340 bit more informal. Okay, that's going to do it 00:13:18.340 --> 00:13:22.120 today for our ESL podcast. I thank you all for 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:24.960 listening. Remember, if you want to hear some 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:28.720 of our other podcasts, you can go to our website, 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:36.440 www .eslpod .com. We also encourage you to email 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:45.399 us your comments, questions, to eslpod at eslpod. 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:53.759 And let us know where you're listening from. 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:56.159 We've heard from many different countries in 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:59.500 the last week. We've heard from Japan, Taiwan, 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:04.409 Italy, Switzerland. Austria, Australia, Mexico, 00:14:04.929 --> 00:14:09.450 France, Ireland, and Norway. So all over the 00:14:09.450 --> 00:14:12.330 globe. We'd love to hear where you're listening 00:14:12.330 --> 00:14:17.049 from and also your suggestions for future topics 00:14:17.049 --> 00:14:21.830 for ESL Podcast. Thank you again for listening 00:14:21.830 --> 00:14:25.490 and come back tomorrow for our next ESL Podcast. 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:34.500 ESL Podcast is produced by the Center for Educational 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:37.519 Development in Los Angeles, California.