📘 Part 3: Food

This episode's vocabulary

To thrive (verb) - to grow, develop, or be successful.

Necessity (noun) - the need for something.

Store-bought (adj.) - store-bought food is bought in a shop and not made at home.

Diet (noun) - the food and drink usually eaten or drunk by a person or group.

To dominate (verb) - to be the largest, most important, or most noticeable part of something.

Generalization (noun) - a written or spoken statement in which you say or write that something is true all of the time when it is only true some of the time.

Varied (adj.) - containing or changing between several different things or types

Small-scale (adj.) - small, especially when compared to other things like it.

To oversee (verb) - to watch or organize a job or an activity to make certain that it is being done correctly.

Sympathetic (adj.) - agreeing with or supporting.

To underlie (verb) - to be a hidden cause of or strong influence on something.

To host (verb) - to provide the space and other things necessary for a special event.

Questions and Answers

M: Do people in your country grow plants at home?

R: They do indeed. In fact, I'd say there was a thriving house plant industry, given the number I see in the homes of the people I visit. As for the types, though, they're as varied as the people, frankly. You can see people with many olive trees, and even some jungle plants. Others have bond size and things like that. The variety is amazing.

M: Are there any difficulties with growing plants at home?

R: Not unless you're completely disorganized and unaware that you haven't watered the plants in a while. And usually, that's obvious from the condition that they get into.

M: Do most people prefer vegetables from shops or grown at home?

R: Well, that's probably more a question of necessity and preference, to be honest. Not everyone has the time and resources to grow their own vegetables, even if they are better for you. So they opt for store-bought things. As a result, more often than not.

M: Which food is generally popular in your country?

R: Like many Western countries, it's easier to list what isn't acceptable compared to what is popular. There are all kinds of choices, and people eat a very varied diet by and large. I suppose it's dominated by meat and vegetables like beef and potatoes, but that's a very broad generalization in what's a very varied market.

M: Why do some people prefer growing food as themselves?

R: Well, it is rather cool when someone says that, and it marks them out as an independent person who can support themselves in addition to being knowledgeable about small-scale agriculture. So there's a status element to that, in addition to the economics of it.

M: Will there be more and more people planting food in the future?

R: Well, I mean, if the population is increasing, it seems obvious this trend will continue, just in terms of sheer numbers. However, technology is advancing, so we may find in the distant future, machines will be doing most of the agricultural labour, and people will just be overseeing it. They might even be overseen by machines. Now that I think about it.

M: Why do people like to have a big meal at special events?

R: Well, usually, these things play host to large groups of people, so it makes sense that provision should be made for them. I'm sure I've read somewhere that's like a sympathetic response. One person in the crowd gets hungry, and soon everyone feels that way.

M: Is it bad for people to look at their phones during a meal?

R: Well, surely that depends on the reasons underlying it. They might have an urgent call or an emergency or something like that. But if it's just doing it when someone is, you know, hosting you, then that's usually considered quite bad manners, at least in my country. As the guest, your job is to engage with the host.

Discussion

M: Hey! Rory, thank you for your answers! So, we can grow plants at home. And plants, well, we say, kind of like flowers, plants, something green, and some people grow mini olive trees. You know olives? Yum, yum, yum.

R: I couldn't think of like, what the best way to describe it is.

M: Yeah, or like bonsai trees. And also, you can talk about growing your own herbs. And I think here, the question might be about growing plants that you can eat, perhaps. You know? And what plants can you eat? Different herbs. Herbs? You can have a herb garden at home. And here we talk about basil. Basil.

R: I think basil or basil. In British English, I'm pretty sure it's basil, but in American English, it's basil.

M: So it's a herb with a sweet smell. They usually put it on pizza or pasta. Deliciousness. Yeah, or, for example, lavender. So herbs that you use for cooking, or you put them in your tea, fresh herbs, and you can grow them on your balcony. And usually you grow, uh, basil, parsley, thyme. No, you don't grow time, like how much time it is, like thyme, like a herb. Mint. Mint, you know? This mint. Mint tea, or mint chewing gum. And if you watch Jamie Oliver's shows, then you see him, you know, cooking. And then he goes, like, to his window, like, oh, like, I put some, you know, mint. And he goes like, he takes mint from his windowsill that he grows himself and puts into his lovely pasta or soup, very nice. So people grow herbs at home for cooking. Mint, rosemary.

R: I completely forgot about that because I don't do that. I just buy them and... Do I even put herbs on anything? I'm just thinking now, I don't even do that.

M: And you can have a herb garden at home. And people who are into cooking enjoy growing their own fresh herbs. It's difficult to organize yourself and organize the process of growing herbs. You have to water herbs and plants regularly. So if you don't do this, so pretty much you are a plant killer.

R: Which I have been accused of before. But my plants are thriving now. I have so many in the house.

M: Oh, really?

R: Yeah.

M: Ooh, okay. Well done, Rory. Wow. And it might be difficult to know what your herbs need, how much water they need, where you should grow them. What do you call this substance that you, kind of, you feed your plants with?

R: What's it called? It's not plant... Well, it is plant food, but what's it called? Ah, baby bio. That's what it's called. Well, at least that's what it's called in this country. It's a brand of plant foods that you feed to your plants and they grow.

M: Oh, fertilizer.

R: Oh, you could also call it fertilizer, yes.

M: Yeah. So it might be difficult to understand what fertilizers you need, like a fertilizer is some special substance that you put... That you feed your plants with to help them grow. And they could be good or chemical fertilizers. Not all people have the time and resources to grow their own vegetables. All right? Some people opt for shops. So they choose to go shopping instead of growing their own things. So they opt to buy things in shops. But other people who have the time and resources prefer to grow their own herbs or vegetables. No, I think it's more difficult with vegetables. Like you can grow tomatoes, and cucumbers. If you have a balcony, for example. But you need some space for it. You need the sun, for example. You need some temperature conditions. Yeah? So, might be difficult to grow vegetables in a flat.

R: Oh, yeah. I mean, I wouldn't grow vegetables in this flat. I don't think the lighting is good enough.

M: Yeah, the heat, the lighting, and the space. Which food is popular in your country? Pizza, pasta, burgers, coffee. Coffee is food. Yeah, everything which is not water, dear listener, is food. So Coca-Cola is food. Coffee is food. Tea is food. And here pretty much Rory told us that all kinds of choices, all kinds of food is popular.

R: There's so much choice in the West.

M: Yeah, but I think like, what's the most common food? I think it's like bread, coffee, pasta, meat, vegetables. So kind of the usual stuff.

R: It's a good question, to be honest. Again, diets are very personalized here.

M: Really?

R: Yeah. I feel weird about saying that one food is more common than the other because it depends on where you live and what your lifestyle is like.

M: No, but like generally in the UK.

R: Yeah, I know, generally. I don't know. Especially because we've got quite a significantly large immigrant community. And of course, they'll have their own dietary preferences as well. So it's hard to say, like in the UK, people usually eat this thing.

M: Okay, according to Google, it's very easy. So number one, fish and chips. Number two, roast chicken. Okay? Three, chips. Chips? Like potato chips, not crisps. In the UK, people eat chips like french fries. English Breakfast is very popular. Soup, beans on toast. And I think beans are particularly popular in the UK because people kind of eat beans for breakfast. They love beans. Roast beef. There you go. Is popular. And mashed potatoes. So kind of beef and potatoes are very popular in the UK. And, for example, in other countries, maybe chicken is more popular. I think chicken is quite popular everywhere.

R: Oh, yeah. People love chicken.

M: Oh, yum, yum, yum. I'm hungry. I'm hungry, dear listener. Are you hungry? Yeah, we need pizza.

R: This happens every time we do a podcast about food.

M: Oh, I need pizza. So dear listener, google the most popular products, and the most popular food in your country because it does depend on food. Like in Asia, noodles or rice is going to be far more popular. In the UK, for example, potatoes and beef. Right? In, I don't know, in the States, McDonald's and McDonald's. McDonald's, feel free to get in touch. You know? If you want to be friends, it's okay. Apple, if you're listening, go ahead, just drop a line. It's rather cool when you grow food yourself. Can you imagine? You have a house and you grow your own food? So you grow chickens. I don't know, cows, pigs. You have milk from cows, you have fresh vegetables. So everything you eat, you grow yourself. This is so amazing, but this is a lifestyle. So you pretty much spend your life doing it. Or today, it's very popular to buy vegetables and meat from local farms. I think this trend is really popular, and people started choosing what to eat, like what meat they eat, what vegetables, where they come from, you know, and local farms are really popular. And such people prefer growing food themselves because they prefer to be independent. They want to support themselves fully, and they contribute to agriculture.

R: Well, small-scale agriculture. Very small scale if it's happening in your house.

M: And maybe in the future, as the population is increasing, this trend will continue to be popular. So more people will grow their own food, or more people will grow their own herbs.

R: Well, that kind of makes sense. More people - more food. Or more people - more demand for more food.

M: And also technology is advancing, so we have new fertilizers, special equipment, maybe like research tools. And machines will be doing most of the agricultural labour. So agricultural labor? Pretty much like growing food. And what might be overseen by machines?

R: Oh, God, everything. Like if you... Machines could oversee the amount of fertilizer, the seeds being planted. What time they're being planted? The sky is the limit, really.

M: So there is no limit, right? And to oversee means kind of be responsible for this, control it. Like watch or organize a job. So artificial intelligence will be able to oversee different processes, to organize, to manage. People enjoy to have a big meal at special events. So a big dinner or a big lunch, like for Christmas, at wedding parties, at birthday parties, and a typical Italian dinner is about, like, three, four hours, easily. You know? On a Monday. Why not?

R: Is it?

M: Oh yeah. Italians love their dinners. And, like, a dinner could last like ages. It's art. It's a special, you know, like skill, to have dinner for three, four hours. Maybe even five if it's the weekend. Oh, yeah.

R: Oh, wow, that's a long time to spend on food.

M: I know. I think it could be true in Spain as well. They just love their food. Their food is like, so amazing. Like you do need time for it. Pasta, antipasta, pizza, coffee, dessert, Tiramisu. Dear listener, are you hungry? Yeah.

R: I'm getting there.

M: Yeah. Rory, I actually didn't understand your answer. So why do people like to have a big meal at special events? You talked about provision?

R: Well, I mean, if you make provision for people, that just means that you supply food to them. But if you've got a lot of people in one place and one person gets hungry, then usually that triggers this response in other people. That's a sympathetic response.

M: Yeah, but we are talking about a big meal at special events.

R; Yes, if you have lots of people together, the expectation is created that you'll have food because of this.

M: Oh... And because there are many people, there is a big meal.

R: Well, yes, I think so. At least that seems like the most logical way to think about it, in my case, at least.

M: Okay, an interesting idea, dear listener. You see? So you invite like 10 people for your birthday party, and then people, all 10 of them get hungry. One person gets hungry, and then everybody's hungry. And then if, like, one person keeps eating, the other people keep eating, even if they don't want to eat. You see? A sympathetic response. Interesting. Yeah, and usually kind of like, you ask, like, oh, who wants dessert? And everybody's like, no, we're dying. Too much food. And then one person goes, okay, I'll have some dessert. And then everybody else, yeah, yeah, yeah, me too. Oh, my God, we are social animals, dear listener. But kind of, if everybody says no, I'm not gonna have dessert, maybe like, okay, no one will have it. But if there is one person who goes like, yes, I'll have some, then everybody wants dessert. Having phones during a meal. Is it bad?

R: It depends.

M: Yeah. So why not check your Instagram or why not, like, take a photo of your meal and post it on social media? You know? Is it bad? It's your lifestyle.

R: Why do people do that? I don't understand. Are they worried they're never gonna see food again?

M: No, but actually, these days, I think it's popular to watch something on your phone or to read something or, just like, check out your social media while you are eating. You know? If you're just eating, you're wasting your time, perhaps, but kind of, you have your food and also you are on your phone.

R: Well, yes, but like, if you're having a meal with someone, then you shouldn't be on your phone.

M: Yeah, but if you're on your own, why not? But they say that if you have food, you should focus only on food, so just, you know, be mindful, okay? Like, don't get distracted. And if you are hosting a party, if you organize a party, and if you are a host, then don't have your phone. Because you invited people, you have your guests. And then as a host, as an organizer of the party, you kind of, you are on the phone all the time. And maybe if you are a guest at a party, don't have your phone during the meal, because engage with the host, like talk to the host, to the organizer. Yum, yum, yum. Rory, so if you were to grow a herb, what herb or kind of like something edible would it be?

R: Rosemary. But only because that's the only thing that's coming into my head right now.

M: Nice. Nice herb. Well chosen. Thank you very much for listening! And we'll get back to you in our new delicious episode! Okay? I'm gonna have some pizza now. Bye!

R: Unlimited pizza.

M: With basil and rosemary.

R: Nice. Nom-nom-nom-nom.

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