Topic: Food & Nutrition - part 1

Vocabulary

Các danh từ nói về các loại thức ăn:

home-cooked / homemade food: thức ăn nấu ở nàh

processed food = a ready meal: đồ ăn làm sẵn

a takeaway: đồ ăn mang về

a quick snack: ăn xế

local specialty (US) hoặc speciality (UK): đặc sản địa phương

delicacy: sơn hào hải vị, món ăn độc đáo & đặc sắc 

staple food: thực phẩm chính, ăn mỗi ngày

canned food: thực phẩm đóng hộp 

cereals: ngũ cốc ăn sáng 

seasonings: gia vị (salt, pepper or spices added to food)

organic food: thực phẩm hữu cơ (food that is produced without using harmful chemicals)

vegetarian food = plant-based diets = meat-free meals = all-vegetable meals: đồ ăn chay 

meat-based diets = vegetable-free diets = all-meat meals: chế độ ăn toàn thịt, không rau củ

junk food: đồ ăn vặt loại không bổ dưỡng.

3-course meal: bữa ăn gồm 3 món: starter/ appetizer (khai vị), main course (món chính) and dessert (tráng miệng).

Các tính từ đồng nghĩa với 'delicious':

Scrumptious /ˈskrʌmp.ʃəs/ (a): tasting extremely good; delicious

E.g: This cake is scrumptious that I cannot stop myself from eating another piece.

Delectable /dɪˈlek.tə.bəl/ (a):

E.g: The restaurant serves delectable food. Everything is good

Appetizing /ˈæp.ə.taɪ.zɪŋ/ (a): 

E.g: Your dessert looks appetizing. I should have ordered the same.

Tasty (a): /ˈteɪ.sti/ (>< tasteless)

E.g: This is a very tasty ice cream

Flavourful /ˈfleɪ.vɚ.fəl/ (a) (>< flavourless)

E.g: a flavourful sauce

Mouth-watering (a)

E.g: You bread looks mouth-watering

Các tính từ khác miêu tả mùi vị thức ăn:

Sweet (ngọt) >< bitter /ˈbɪt̬.ɚ/ (đắng) , sour /saʊr/ (chua)

Hot, spicy (cay, nồng) >< mild, bland, tasteless, flavourless (nhạt nhẽo, không có mùi vị)

Salty (mặn chát) >< sugary (ngọt gắt)

Greasy /ˈɡriː.si/, oily (nhiều dầu) >< dried (khô)

Lean [has little or no fat] (nạc, không mỡ) >< fatty [has a lot of fat] (nhiều mỡ)

Các cụm động từ miêu tả cách ăn uống:

To overeat = Eat too much: Ăn quá nhiều

E.g: If you overeat, you’re bound to get fat.

A fussy/ picky eater: người ăn uống kén chọn, khó ăn >< an easy eater: người dễ ăn

To have a sweet tooth = to enjoy sugary food: thích ăn đồ ngọt 

To be full up = to eat to the point that you can no longer eat any more: no căng bụng

To dine in/ eat in = to have main meals at home: Ăn cơm ở nhà

To dine out/ eat out = to have main meals out: Ăn ngoài

E.g: I’d prefer to dine in with my husband rather than dine out with my colleagues.

To grab something to eat: to eat something quickly (when you’re in a rush): ăn vội vàng vì bạn đang vội

Các cụm từ nói về dinh dưỡng:

To be on a balanced/moderate diet = Eat in a healthy diet: Ăn uống điều độ

Eg: I have a crack at following a balanced diet so that I can live healthily and live longer.

Diet (n): chế độ ăn  |  Meal (n): bữa ăn  |  Portion (n): khẩu phần ăn

nutritional benefits: lợi ích dinh dưỡng (an advantage gained from substances that are essential for good health and growth)

nutritional values: giá trị dinh dưỡng

nutritional balance: cân bằng dinh dưỡng

to be sufficient nutritionally: đầy đủ dinh dưỡng

nutrient(s): (các) chất dinh dưỡng

nutritious (a): bổ dưỡng    e.g: nutritious food

health consciousness: ý thức giữ gìn sức khỏe (being aware of how to maintain the state of being free from illness or injury)

to get obese: trở nên béo phì (to become grossly fat or overweight)

to gain/ lose weight: tang/ giảm cân

health awareness: nhận thức về sức khỏe (knowledge or perception of how to maintain the state of being free from illness or injury)

addicting effect: hiệu ứng gây nghiện (a change resulting in being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity)

Sample answer

Well, I am not interested in cooking since I'm not really good at it. Honestly, I have problems with tasting. I don't know how to season the food adequately for better flavour. So, the dishes I cook are usually either salty or bland. That's why I can't and don't like cooking.

Sample answer

I think it’s a really important life skill that everyone should learn when they are young. Being able to cook allows you to live a healthy life without relying on ready-made or junk food. It doesn't have to be complicated dishes, knowing to cook the basic ones is enough.

Sample answer

Answer 1: No, not really... I'm an easy eater so in general there are no kinds of food that I don't like to eat. Luckily, I also don't have an allergy to any foods so I can enjoy any dish I want.

Answer 2: I cannot handle the heat of spicy food so I don't like such dishes. Chilli and hot pepper are in the top my must-avoid list so I cannot eat any dish cooked with these seasonings. Spicy herbs are also not of my interest.

Sample answer

Needless to say, my mother is the one who does most of the cooking in my home. She is the best cook ever since she knows the taste of each family member and makes the tasty meals.

Sample answer

I can say lunch is my largest meal in a day. I usually skip breakfast because I get up late and in a hurry to go to work. I work 10 hours a day so I normally go home after 9:00 pm and feel very tired, therefore I just have light dinner.

Sample answer

The most popular local speciality in Vietnam that foreigners would like to taste is 'pho', which is a dish cooked with rice noodle, beef or chicken and soup. Another dish that also gains popularity for foreign visitors is 'com tam', which is broken rice eaten with grilled pork chop and pickled vegetables.

Sample answer

Answer 1: I prefer dining at home to dining out because it is more economical than order food at restaurants. Also, home-cooked food is healthier and more appetizing because it is to my taste.

Answer 2: Well, in general, I love home-made food because they taste like what I personally want it to. However, I sometimes go out for a fancy meal to treat myself or to taste dishes of different cuisines.  

Sample answer

I prefer home-cooked food because I think it's healthier and you know exactly what you're eating. I also enjoy cooking for family and friends. (Mr Simon's answer) 

Sample answer

Answer 1: I can tell that Japanese cuisine is my preferred one. I am in love with all kinds of sushi, especially sashimi - a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw meat or fish eating with soy sauce and mustard. Japanese pickled ginger is also of my interest.

Answer 2: What comes to my mind is Korean food. Korean BBQ is very popular because of their mouth-watering and delectable flavours. Grilled beef or pork marinated in garlic soy sauce eating with kimchi is the best dish. Korean cuisine also has various vegetable side dishes which I really like.

Answer 3: Chinese food is my favourite one because it somewhat tastes the same as Vietnamese food except a little more oily. I love dim sum and Beijing roast duck. Only smelling their flavours can make your mouth water. Chicken feet braised in soy sauce is also in my must-try list whenever I visit a Chinese restaurant.

Answer 4: In addition to Vietnamese food, I find nothing better than American dishes. My ideal 3-course meal in American cuisine would include pumpkin soup as a starter, grilled tenderloin steak with mashed potatoes and mushroom sauce as a perfect main dish, and apple pie as a dessert.