OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
Speaking Level 3
Topic: FOOD
I. Vocabulary

to be full up: to eat to the point that you can no longer eat any more

to be starving hungry: an exaggerated way of saying you are very hungry

to bolt something down: to eat something very quickly

to be dying of hunger: an exaggerated way of saying you are hungry

to eat a balanced diet: to eat the correct types and amounts of food

to eat like a horse: to eat a lot

to follow a recipe: to cook a meal using instructions

to foot the bill: to pay the bill

a fussy eater: somebody who has their own very high standards about what to eat

to grab a bite to eat: to eat something quickly (when you’re in a rush)

to have a sweet tooth: to enjoy sugary food

home-cooked food: food cooked at home from individual ingredients

the main meal: the most important meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening

to make your mouth water: to make you feel very hungry for something

to play with your food: to push food around the plate to avoid eating it

processed food: commercially prepared food bought for convenience

a quick snack: to eat a small amount of food between meals

a ready meal: see ‘processed food’

a slap up meal: a large meal

to spoil your appetite: to est something that will stop you feeling hungry when it’s mealtime.

a take away: a cooked meal prepared in a restaurant and eaten at home

to tuck into: to eat something with pleasure

to wine and dine: to entertain someone by treating them to food and drink

to work up an appetite: to do physical work that leads to you becoming hungry

to be full up: to eat to the point that you can no longer eat any more

to be starving hungry: an exaggerated way of saying you are very hungry

to bolt something down: to eat something very quickly

to be dying of hunger: an exaggerated way of saying you are hungry
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OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program

to eat a balanced diet: to eat the correct types and amounts of food

to eat like a horse: to eat a lot

to follow a recipe: to cook a meal using instructions

to foot the bill: to pay the bill

a fussy eater: somebody who has their own very high standards about what to eat

to grab a bite to eat: to eat something quickly (when you’re in a rush)

to have a sweet tooth: to enjoy sugary food

home-cooked food: food cooked at home from individual ingredients

the main meal: the most important meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening

to make your mouth water: to make you feel very hungry for something

to play with your food: to push food around the plate to avoid eating it

processed food: commercially prepared food bought for convenience

a quick snack: to eat a small amount of food between meals

a ready meal: see ‘processed food’

a slap up meal: a large meal

to spoil your appetite: to est something that will stop you feeling hungry when it’s mealtime.

a take away: a cooked meal prepared in a restaurant and eaten at home

to tuck into: to eat something with pleasure

to wine and dine: to entertain someone by treating them to food and drink

to work up an appetite: to do physical work that leads to you becoming hungry

traditional restaurant:

fast food restaurant:
II. QUESTIONS
Part 2
Talk about your favourite food
You should say:
You should say:
What the food is
How it is made
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OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
Why you like it
and explain why it is your favourite food
Part 3
1.Why do you think people go to restaurants when they want to celebrate something?
2.Which are more popular in your country: fast food restaurants or traditional restaurants?
3. Why do you think that is?
4. Some people say that food in an expensive restaurant is always better than food in a cheap restaurant –
would you agree?
5. Do you think there will be a greater choice of food available in shops in the future, or will there be less
choice?
6.What effects has modern technology had on the way food is produced?
7.How important is it for a country to be able to grow all the food it needs, without importing any from other
countries?
III. Model Interview
Part 2
Talk about your favourite food
You should say:
You should say:
What the food is
How it is made
Why you like it
and explain why it is your favourite food?
My favourite food is fried rice with vegetable and chicken curry with salad. This is in fact the most
popular menu in our country. The rice is first boiled in water and then the boiled rice is fried with some
chicken and vegetables and oil. The chicken curry is prepared separately using some spices and
chicken and finally the salad is prepared using different vegetables and fruits and then those are cup
into pieces and mixed together with mustard. Then these three items are served together.
I eat this menu approximately 3-4 times in a week. This menu is prepared at home mostly and
sometimes I eat it in a restaurant. There are some variations in the way this food is prepared and the
ingredients using which this food is made. Different restaurants have their own specialty in preparing
and serving this menu.
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OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
This is my favourite food for many reasons: firstly it is very delicious and healthy. This menu meets
the demand for different food values our body needs. It is available in most of the part in our country.
Thirdly, I like it as it offers the variations of tastes. Moreover, it is not that much expensive to prepare
and does not require o much effort to prepare. For all these reasons it is my favourite food.
Part 3
1.Why do you think people go to restaurants when they want to celebrate something?
I guess everyone has their own reasons, but probably because it’s not something they do every day,
so it seems more special, especially if it’s an important occasion. The other big benefit is that nobody
has to do the cooking or clearing up afterwards so everyone can simply enjoy the celebration or event
whichever it is. Nobody has to do anything. It’s always nice to be waited on, so I think that’s why
most people prefer it.
2.Which are more popular in your country: fast food restaurants or traditional restaurants?
They’re both popular, but in different ways and for different reasons. I think fast food restaurants are
popular for grabbing a quick bite or snack, as they are ‘fast’ and you can usually find one nearby.
Traditional restaurants are more popular for special occasions or going out for lunch or dinner at the
weekend when people have more time to sit and enjoy the food and the ambience or atmosphere of
the place. They usually cost more too, so maybe people don’t go as often, but they’re still popular. I
don’t think anyone would consider gong to a fast food place for a special occasion – unless it was a
kids birthday party or something similar, in which case it makes a lot of sense, as some of these
places cater specially for such events.
3. Why do you think that is?
Why are they both popular? I think it’s because they both have good and bad things about them –
they both cater for different needs and situations, and they both do what they do well, I suppose it
depends what you are looking for when you want to eat.
4. Some people say that food in an expensive restaurant is always better than food in a
cheap restaurant – would you agree?
In my experience it’s not that simple. I’ve has some amazingly good food in cheap restaurants and
some disgustingly bad food in a supposedly classy and expensive place. I think that’s why 'word of
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OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
mouth' advertising is so important in the restaurant business. You simply can’t guarantee that a place
that looks expensive and charges a lot of money will indeed offer a better dining experience than a
cheaper restaurant with fewer frills. The service can be just the same and the quality of food the same
too – it might only be the surroundings that are more up market in reality.
5. Do you think there will be a greater choice of food available in shops in the future, or will
there be less choice?
That’s hard to say, but I think that due to the fact that most industries are becoming more and more
consolidated and there are less and less independent producers of anything, you could safely say that
the choice will probably be less, as it will be dictated by only one or two giant global conglomerates in
the food industry.
6.What effects has modern technology had on the way food is produced?
Well, apart from mechanization and the implementation of technology at the cultivation level, such as
in agriculture, I think the biggest impact on food production, as it is already, is the genetic
modification of food for human consumption. We’ve already seen it become commonplace and more
and more of our everyday food is being ‘tampered’ with without our knowledge. Food is now less
natural than before and is full of things which we know nothing about. This obviously makes more
money for the food production companies but we still don’t know what the long term effects are for us
– the final consumers.
7.How important is it for a country to be able to grow all the food it needs, without
importing any from other countries?
In recent times it hasn’t been that important as it’s been easy enough to import anything that was
required. Maybe in the future there will be more emphasis on being independent in terms of food
production, as well as other essential resources such as energy and fuel. The way things are going in
the world at the moment it looks like there are going to be some major changes which could affect
everyone in terms of how we look at out ability to survive in the event of another world conflict where
food and possibly water become scarce certain areas of the world where it has never been the case
before.
Sources:
ww.britishcouncil.om/IELTS
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OMAN COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
General Foundation Program
ielts-simon.com/ielts
http://www.stgeorges.co.uk/blog/shopping-vocabulary-the-naked-stunt#sthash.wJRZ4SBf.dpuf
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