The Thinking in English Conversation Club takes place every TUESDAY and THURSDAY at 12pm, 6pm, and 9pm UK time! You can find more details on how to participate on Patreon and Discord!
This week the ‘Thinking in English’ Community is talking about the best food in the world!
Food is important to people. Not only do we need to eat to survive, we define ourselves by what we eat and we find great feelings of pleasure and satisfactions in food
Food brings people together, all over the world. Cooking, going to restaurants or talking about food is a great way to spend time with your loved ones, but we all have our own opinions on what the best food in the world really is!
Here are 10 conversation questions to get you talking about the best food in the world!
Conversation Questions: The Best Food in the World?!
1. What is your country or region’s most famous food or dish?
2. Which country (apart from your own) has the best food?
3. What do you prefer, cooking for friends and family, or going out to a restaurant? Why?
4. What is your favourite ingredient? What makes it so special?
5. What was your favourite food as a child? Do you still eat it?
6. Do you prefer trying new foods or sticking to familiar ones?
7. Describe your dream meal. Include as many courses and dishes as you like.
8. Is food a good reason to travel?
9. What is the best modern food trend that you have seen?
10. “The greatest dishes are very simple.” – Auguste Escoffier
How much do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Vocabulary List:
- Region
- a particular area or part of the world, or any of the large official areas into which a country is divided.
- Ingredient
- a food that is used with other foods in the preparation of a particular dish.
- Stick to
- to continue doing something.
- Dream
- the best that you can imagine.
- Course
- a part of a meal that is served separately from the other parts.
- Trend
- a general development or change in a situation or in the way that people are behaving.
Model Answers:
B1 (Intermediate) Model Answers
Vocabulary:
- Yummy
- tasting extremely good.
- Various
- many different.
- Resist
- to refuse to accept or be changed by something, fight against a feeling.
- Rich
- A rich colour, sound, smell, or taste is strong in a pleasing or attractive way.
- Dessert
- sweet food eaten at the end of a meal.
- Combine
- to (cause to) exist together, or join together to make a single thing or group.
- Texture
- the properties of a food that are sensed by touch in the mouth and with the hands. .
Q1. “My country’s most famous food is definitely pizza! It’s loved by everyone and you can find it everywhere. Pizza is a round, flat bread topped with yummy ingredients like cheese, tomato sauce, and various toppings. You can choose your favorite toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, or even pineapple. People from all over the world enjoy pizza.”
Q4. “My favorite ingredient is chocolate. I just can’t resist its sweet and rich taste! It can be used in many desserts like cakes, cookies, and ice cream. What makes chocolate special to me is the way it melts in your mouth and brings a sense of happiness and comfort. I simply love the way it adds a something to any dessert.”
Q7. “To start, I would have a refreshing salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and dressing. As the main course, I would have a juicy steak cooked to perfection, with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. For dessert, I would eat a chocolate lava cake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And of course, I would have a glass of fine red wine. It’s a dream meal that combines many flavors and textures to create a memorable dining experience.”
B2 (Upper Intermediate) Model Answers
Vocabulary:
- Cuisine
- a style of cooking.
- Gelato
- the Italian style of ice cream (= a cold, soft, sweet food), made from milk, cream, sugar, and fruit or other flavours mixed together and frozen.
- Gooey
- soft and sticky.
- Comfort food
- the type of food that people eat when they are sad or worried, often sweet food or food that people ate as children.
- Taste buds
- a group of cells, found especially on the tongue, that allow different tastes to be recognized.
- Nostalgic
- feeling happy and also slightly sad when you think about things that happened in the past.
- Exotic
- unusual and exciting because of coming (or seeming to come) from far away, especially a tropical country.
- Authentic
- If something is authentic, it is real, true, or what people say it is.
- Gateway
- something in a system that allows you to use its other parts, a way of accessing or discovering a subject through one part of it.
Q2. “There are so many countries with amazing food, but if I had to choose, I would say Italy has the best food apart from my own country. Italian cuisine is famous for its pasta, pizza, and gelato. The flavors are so rich and the ingredients are fresh and flavorful. Whether it’s a plate of spaghetti carbonara or a slice of margherita pizza, Italian food always leaves me wanting more!”
Q5. “When I was a child, my favorite food was definitely macaroni and cheese. I loved the gooey, cheesy goodness of it! It was my go-to comfort food and I would always ask my mum to make it for me. Even though I’ve grown up and my taste buds have changed, I still enjoy macaroni and cheese from time to time. It brings back those nostalgic memories of my childhood.”
Q8. “Food is definitely a good reason to travel. Trying new and exotic dishes from different cultures is an exciting way to explore a country. Food can tell you so much about a place’s history, traditions, and flavors. When you travel, you get to taste authentic local dishes, visit food markets, and even take cooking classes to learn how to make traditional recipes. Food can be a gateway to experiencing a country’s culture and connecting with its people. So, if you’re a food lover like me, traveling for food is definitely worth it!”
C1 (Advanced Level) Model Answers
Vocabulary:
- Satisfying
- making you feel pleased by providing what you need or want.
- From scratch
- from the beginning, without using anything that already exists.
- Culinary
- connected with cooking or kitchens.
- Pampered
- given special treatment that makes you feel as comfortable as possible or gives you whatever you want.
- Ambience
- the character of a place or the quality it seems to have, the general atmosphere.
- Embark
- to go onto a ship, to start a journey.
- Sensation
- the ability to feel something physically, a general feeling caused by something that happens to you, especially a feeling that you cannot describe exactly.
- Embrace
- to accept something enthusiastically.
- Palate
- a person’s ability to taste and judge good food and drink.
- Pre-portioned
- Something that has already been measured and separated.
- Extensive
- covering a large area; having a great range, including a lot of things.
- Convenience
- Having the condition of being suitable for your purposes and needs and causing the least difficulty.
Q3. “I would say cooking for my loved ones holds a special place in my heart. There’s something incredibly satisfying about preparing a meal from scratch, putting in the time and effort to create something delicious. Cooking for others allows me to show off my culinary skills and creativity. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to gather around the table, share stories, and create lasting memories together. However, going out to a restaurant can be a wonderful experience too, especially when I want to try new flavors or when I’m in the mood to be pampered and enjoy the ambiance of a restaurant.”
Q6. “I definitely prefer trying new foods over sticking to familiar ones. Exploring different cuisines and flavors is like embarking on a journey. It opens up my taste buds to new sensations and expands my knowledge about various cultures and their culinary traditions. I find joy in discovering unique ingredients, experimenting with different cooking techniques, and embracing unfamiliar flavors. Of course, there are certain dishes or flavors that I love and go back to, but overall, the excitement of trying new foods and expanding my palate is something I always look forward to.”
Q9. “One modern food trend is the rise of food delivery services and meal kits. Food delivery services allow customers to order food from a variety of restaurants and have it delivered right to their doorstep, often with just a few taps on their mobile devices. Meal kits provide pre-portioned ingredients and recipes that customers can use to prepare meals at home without the need for extensive grocery shopping. These trends have gained popularity due to their convenience, time-saving benefits, and the ability to explore diverse cuisines without leaving the comfort of home. ”
See you all at this week’s conversation club!
