📘 Part 3: Food and celebrations

This episode's vocabulary

Get together (phrasal verb) – to meet or gather as a group. → We usually get together for dinner on Sundays.

Symbolise (verb) – to represent or stand for something. → The dove symbolises peace in many cultures.

Quintessentially (adverb) – typically; in a way that represents the most perfect example. → She’s a quintessentially British actress.

Celebration (noun) – a special event to mark an occasion. → We had a big celebration for his 50th birthday.

Staple food (noun phrase) – a basic or main type of food eaten regularly. → Rice is a staple food in many Asian countries.

Mutton (noun) – meat from an adult sheep. → The stew was made with tender mutton and potatoes.

Livestock (noun) – animals raised on a farm for food or other products. → The farm keeps livestock like cows and pigs.

Crops (noun) – plants grown for food or sale. → The farmers harvested their crops before the storm.

Foodstuffs (noun, plural) – a general term for types of food. → The store sells various foodstuffs including grains and canned goods.

Connection to the past (noun phrase) – a link or tie to history or tradition. → Traditional dances give people a connection to the past.

Culturally speaking (adverbial phrase) – from a cultural perspective. → Culturally speaking, this festival is very important.

Wherewithal (noun) – the means or resources to do something. → Not everyone has the wherewithal to buy a new car.

Sustainable (adjective) – able to be maintained without causing harm or exhaustion. → We need to find more sustainable energy sources.

Perception (noun) – the way something is understood or interpreted. → The media shapes public perception of events.

Shell out (phrasal verb) – to spend money on something, often reluctantly. → I had to shell out $100 for concert tickets.

Daunting (adjective) – intimidating or overwhelming. → Climbing the mountain seemed like a daunting task.

Choking (noun) – having difficulty breathing because something is stuck in the throat. → Be careful when eating nuts, as they can cause choking.

Socialise (verb) – to spend time interacting with others. → It's important for children to socialise with their peers.

Norm (noun) – a usual or standard practice. → Wearing school uniforms is the norm in many countries.

Campaign (noun) – a planned series of actions to achieve a goal. → The health department launched a campaign to promote exercise.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Is any food in your country eaten at particular times or on special occasions?

Rory: Aside from birthdays, probably things like easter eggs, which are rolled at Easter to symbolise the boulder being pushed away from Jesus' tomb. Oh, and people often get together to eat haggis on Burns Night, since that's seen as a quintessentially Scottish food, so it's suitable for the national poet. Plus, I think he wrote a poem about haggis, which is often quoted at the celebration, so it fits the mood perfectly.

Maria: What are the differences between traditional food in your country and other countries?

Rory: I think with all food like that, it's a reflection of what was considered a staple food in the distant past. So, in the case of Scotland, sheep meat or mutton and oats play a central role, and they especially in making haggis. We still have lots of sheep now, and also oats, but they aren't the key types of livestock and crops they once were, so it's more about the connection to the past than anything else. I'm not sure those foodstuffs play such a central role in other cultures, but I could be wrong.

Maria: Why are some people willing to spend a lot of money on meals on special days?

Rory: Well, culturally speaking, I suppose it's considered crucial to have the wherewithal to celebrate such days as they should be, or at least as is considered appropriate, whether it's financially sustainable or not. So the perception might be, if you don't spend the money, you're not seen to be doing it right and some people can't stand to be seen in such a way. So they shell out a ton of money to demonstrate they can do it.

Maria: Do you think it's good to communicate when eating with your family?

Rory: Well, maybe not at the exact moment you're eating, I mean, medically that might pose a risk of choking to death. Also, in some cultures, I think it's considered rude to talk with your mouth full, so not in the moment from that perspective. However, between chewing and swallowing seems an ideal time. It would be awkward to just sit in utter silence otherwise, in what seems like a good chance to socialise, especially if everyone is gathered around a table.

Maria: And how can we encourage people to eat together, especially families?

Rory: That's a good question, I suppose. Just by making it the norm. So if it's something that's seen as culturally appropriate, generally people will move in that direction. So things like government awareness-raising campaigns might work, especially if they highlight the benefits of doing so.

Discussion

Maria: Yeah, dear listener, we’re talking about traditional food in your country and food in other countries, also celebrations or holidays and some traditional food eaten in your country, so you should know the names, alright? So what people usually eat in your country. Do you know the names? Of course you do. So special occasions could be holidays, celebrations, or national holidays. And here Rory is very specific. He gives an example with Easter. During Easter, people eat Easter eggs. Or for example, traditional Scottish food is haggis. And usually people eat haggis on Burns Night.

Rory: But different foods can symbolise different things. For example, here you've got this boulder being... Well, we've got the eggs, which symbolise the boulder.

Maria: What do you mean the boulder?

Rory: There is a boulder rolled in front of Jesus too. So to symbolise it being rolled away, people roll eggs down the hill.

Maria: Traditional food in your country. What is it? Here you can also mention a phrase, a collocation - a staple food. For example, pasta is a staple food in Italy. In Scotland, it's meat. So, sheep meat, mutton. Mutton is meat from sheep.

Rory: That's probably not now.

Maria: And also oats. Oats play a central role. Or, for example, potatoes play a central role in our diet in our country. And that's a staple food.

Rory: Do they play a staple role in your country?

Maria: Yeah, different grains.

Rory: Crops, if they are food for eating.

Maria: Right, different vegetables and meat is our staple diet. The staple diet here is mutton and boiled potatoes.

Rory: It sounds so appetising.

Maria: And when we talk about sheep, different cows, they are livestock. Livestock is like farm animals that you have in your country.

Rory: Animals for eating.

Maria: And birds, yeah, which are kept on a farm, usually cows, sheep or chickens. Another synonym for food is foodstuffs. So I'm not sure that such foodstuffs are popular in other countries.

Rory: I think there's a very famous quote about that. So oats are not traditionally eaten or were not traditionally eaten by English people. And there's this quote from this English lord that was saying, oh, in Scotland, you feed your people oats, but here we feed them to horses. And the response is, yes, but the people there are amazingly strong. So they're like horses now.

Maria: All right, that's true. Scottish people are strong.

Rory: Allegedly.

Maria: Have you seen Braveheart?

Rory: Yeah, that factual documentary by Mel Gibson.

Maria: Factual documentary. This is exactly it. Like everything that is in this film…

Rory: …is 100% accurate.

Maria: Absolutely true. Some people spend a lot of money on meals, on special days, special days, holidays, and celebrations. And you can say that it's considered crucial to have a big celebration. Like people consider that it's important to spend so much money on a birthday party, for example, on a wedding. So, usually we talk about birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries…

Rory: I will never understand why people feel the need to spend a tremendous amount of money on weddings. You've got the rest of your lives together. Calm down.

Maria: Well, yeah, but like it's someone's dream or it's somebody else's dream. And we can say that it's financially sustainable or it's not financially sustainable. Because if a young family spends all their money on their wedding and then they have nothing left, it's not financially sustainable. It's not healthy.

Rory: It's not healthy for your bank account.

Maria: And you can say that if you don't spend the money, you are not seen to be doing it right. So you are not doing it right. Or you can say if people don't spend the money, they are not seen to be doing it right. So they are not doing it right. And people just hate to be seen in such a way. They can't stand to be seen in such a way. They dislike the idea that other people think they are strange or that they have a problem. So they have to shell out money, shell out money to demonstrate that they're super cool.

Rory: Shell out a ton of money. So, spend a lot of money.

Maria: So we say shell out on something, spend a lot of money on something or for something. Shell out for a new car. Or you can say splash.

Rory: Splash out on.

Maria: Or splurge, splash out on or splurge, splurge on some new technology, for example. Spend a lot of money. And you can say that some people prefer to shell out a ton of money to demonstrate that they are super cool and super rich.

Rory: But it's not necessary.

Maria: Well, yeah, for some people it is, yeah…

Rory: I know. I don't know why they feel that way.

Maria: Some questions could be about communicating with your family when you are having dinner, for example. So family members should communicate while having a meal, or when you eat with your family, you should kind of talk to each other. And Rory here is very practical. He says, well, you can't talk while you are eating, while you are actually eating. You're kind of chewing your food….

Rory: And then you choke to death and die.

Maria: Yeah. Choking is when something gets into your throat. And then you like in films, you know, they kind of can't breathe because like a huge piece of steak got into a person's throat. And medically, from a medical perspective, this poses a threat. So this like talking while you're eating, might pose a risk of choking to death.

Rory: Pose is just “create”.

Maria: Yeah, create a risk. In other countries, it's rude to talk with your mouth full. So that's a nice collocation. Some people prefer to talk with their mouths full. So do not talk with your mouth full.

Rory: Unless you're OK with taking a risk.

Maria: And usually it's like it's small talk. Like what do you call this kind of conversation? You're having a meal.

Rory: Table talk, maybe.

Maria: Table talk, really? Oh, OK. Because we have small talk about the weather. Like, how are you? How's the weather? And then we have something nice to talk about during a meal. Not religion, not politics.

Rory: Something light. Not social hierarchies.

Maria: No, we don't discuss hierarchy.

Rory: Do not discuss the social hierarchy.

Maria: And it would be awkward. It would be very strange to just sit down in utter silence. A very good phrase. To sit in utter silence. Complete silence.

Rory: Utter silence. So nothing.

Maria: Yeah. So you need to socialise with people, you know, like be nice. When your family is gathered around a table, everyone is gathered. It's kind of placed around a table. Having a meal and everybody's happy. Delicious pizza.

Rory: No one is talking about something wrong, like the social hierarchy.

Maria: Everybody's cracking stupid jokes. They learned from Maria, you know. Remember the joke about the snake, dear listener? Huh? Huh? Remember? Shall I repeat it?

Rory: Thank you very much for listening.

Maria: Revise your jokes, dear listener. Seriously, seriously. You should remember at least two or three stupid jokes to tell the examiner, you know… And the examiner will understand that, yes, you're like a native…

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