📘 Part 3: Food, culture, and social interaction

This episode's vocabulary

Socially acceptable (adj) – considered correct or proper by most people in a society. → Using your phone while someone is talking to you is not socially acceptable.

Rarity (n) – something that is very uncommon. → A handwritten letter is a rarity these days.

Lose touch with (idiom) – to stop communicating with someone or being aware of recent developments. → After moving abroad, I started to lose touch with my old friends.

Social bonds (n) – the connections and relationships between individuals or groups. → Team-building activities are designed to strengthen social bonds among colleagues.

Readily available (adj) – easy to obtain or access. → Information on almost any topic is readily available on the internet.

Go out of one's way (idiom) – to make a special effort to do something helpful. → She really went out of her way to make us feel welcome in her home.

Shell out (phrasal verb) – to pay a specified amount of money, especially unwillingly. → We had to shell out a lot of money for the concert tickets.

Fork out (phrasal verb) – to spend a lot of money on something, especially when you do not want to. → I had to fork out for a new laptop after my old one broke.

Off the top of my head (idiom) – from memory, without careful thought or checking facts. → I can't tell you the exact number off the top of my head.

Coincide with (v) – to happen at or near the same time as something else. → The festival is timed to coincide with the spring equinox.

Off-putting (adj) – slightly unpleasant or worrying, making you not want to engage with it. → I found the smell of the dish quite off-putting, even though it tasted good.

Homogeneous (adj) – consisting of parts or people that are all of the same type. → Globalization can lead to a more homogeneous global culture.

Stand out (phrasal verb) – to be very noticeable or different from others. → His innovative ideas made him stand out from the other candidates.

Height of bad manners (idiom) – extremely rude behaviour. → Arriving an hour late without an apology is the height of bad manners.

Questions and Answers

Maria: What do you think of people using their mobile phones during a meal?

Rory: Well, I don't think that's socially acceptable really, is it? Or I should say it shouldn't be so. It's quite rude to have them out on the table where they could just distract you from the people you're meant to be spending time with. Obviously, there are some exceptions when this doesn't apply, like an emergency or something, but that's a rarity.

Maria: And can you explain it further?

Rory: Yeah, I think people are kind of losing touch with each other and social bonds are becoming weaker, which isn't something that's helpful to have in any society. So, we should be actively trying to avoid things that might damage that further.

Maria: In your country, do people cook at home now as frequently as people did in the past?

Rory: I'm not sure to be honest. I suppose with the rise of fast and readily available food, there might not be as much of a need for it as before, but I don't know if that's translated to people doing things less. Although it could do.

Maria: And what evidence do you have for that?

Rory: Well, when things are readily available, few people go out of their way to do more under normal circumstances. It's just easier not to, isn't it?

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

Rory: It's pretty much unavoidable, isn't it? But yeah, it's usually a good idea. We already talked about social bonding and that has various psychological and physical benefits. So, yes, it is a good idea.

Maria: Has that always been true?

Rory: Probably for as long as we've been a social species, I'd certainly say so. I'm sure there are times when it's not been a good idea, like if there's conflict in a family, but that's not the norm, is it?

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

Rory: Well, I suppose the logic is that by investing money in something, you show how much it means to you. Plus lots of people usually show up to these things and they demand some extravagance. So, that means that you have to shell out more than usual.

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

Rory: I can't think of any off the top of my head. Oh, wait, that's not true, actually. We usually eat something called Haggis on Burns night, which is a celebration of our national poet and culture. The food itself is basically awful, but lots of people like it since it coincides with the spirit of the evening.

Maria: Do you think that can change?

Rory: I think so. There are more vegans and vegetarians these days. So, vegan and vegetarian Haggis is probably going to be increasingly offered as an option.

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

Rory: I'm not sure since I haven't actually sampled many of them. Although the ones I have tried generally involve something that might be traditionally considered off-putting, like offal or fermented animal parts. It's just been the animal used that's been different. So in Sweden they have fermented fish dishes, for example, instead of Haggis, which is more sheep organs.

Maria: Do you think that will also be true in the future?

Rory: I think that depends on the direction of globalization. On one hand, things could become increasingly homogeneous as countries and cultures come together, but there could also be a backlash to that that might encourage people to try and stand out more in terms of their food.

Discussion

Rory: Oh, no questions about cake, so we don't even get to say it's a piece of cake. That's sad.

Maria: Yeah, I know. No, no cake questions.

Rory: Can we not add in a part three question? Do you think people will be eating more cake in the future?

Maria: Okay, okay.

Rory: No.

Maria: No. Okay. Could you imagine if the examiner said that? A lot of people use their mobile phones, their smartphones during a meal. This is absolutely unacceptable.

Rory: The height of rudeness. Even though Maria's doing it right now. You should have seen the expression on your face when you were caught. You're like, how could people use their phones and not pay attention to what's going on? Meanwhile, Maria's like, yeah, how could it happen?

Maria: Continue as normal. You can say it's quite rude to use a phone during a meal.

Rory: You could say it's the height of bad manners. That means it's the rudest thing ever. Which it probably isn't, but it's still not very nice.

Maria: And mobile phones could distract you from the people. So you should be spending time with people. But a phone is a distraction. It distracts you from doing something. But if it's an emergency, if it's something urgent, an emergency, so you need to do something urgently, something like a serious or a dangerous situation. So it's okay if it is an emergency.

Rory: Then the rules don't apply.

Maria: And if people use mobile phones during a meal, they lose touch with each other. So lose touch, they kind of stop communicating. Lose touch with someone is an idiom.

Rory: It's a very good idiom.

Maria: To no longer communicate with someone. For example, I lost touch with Bob. So Bob and I are no longer friends. I don't know who Bob is. Which is Bob, sorry. Sorry that we lost touch. Because you were using mobile, your mobile phone during our meals. And social bonds become weaker. Social bonds between people, social connections. Bonds mean connections. So they become weaker.

Rory: And if you want to have a functioning society, you should probably want that.

Maria: The examiner might use the word frequently. It means often. So do people cook as frequently now as they did in the past. And this is a common question. You should compare the past to the present. So we can use used to. In the past, people used to cook at home every day. Now the situation has changed. So use used to plus present perfect. And today people are going out, people are cooking less at home, present continuous because it's a trend.

Rory: Well, it seems like they are. I don't know if that's true or not.

Maria: Yeah, kind of what about the delivery for example? Because very often people order delivery.

Rory: Oh, they order in. That's what it is.

Maria: Then you say just I'm not sure to be honest. Dear listener, if you don't know, if you are not sure, you just say it, okay? Because I don't know what people did in the past. I was five years old. I was fed by my parents. I'm not sure to be honest. So that's absolutely fine. This is a natural reaction to the question. Or I don't know what people did in the past. And then you say kind of, I suppose, I think today we have readily available food. You just you go to a shop and it's ready, it's available, it's ready made.

Rory: You make no effort.

Maria: You don't have to cook. There's no need to cook. So I suppose that people might be cooking less these days. But in the past, they used to cook a lot more. Then the examiner might chitchat and ask, oh, can you prove that, okay? What evidence do you have, prove it to me. It's fine because it's a conversation, right? So you say something, then the examiner asks more questions if they don't understand what you say, or if they want you to add more information, so that's fine. Evidence means facts, information, documents, to prove something.

Rory: But maybe you have no proof.

Maria: Yeah, and you say kind of, okay, I don't know.

Rory: Who knows? Leave me alone. What do you want from me?

Maria: Yeah, just do you have evidence?

Rory: Maybe don't ask the examiner for evidence. But still, just, I have no idea. And then guess.

Maria: Yeah, and you can say from what I see online, there are a lot of deliveries, there are a lot of restaurants, and most people all over the world prefer deliveries.

Rory: Or just rely on good old human nature. If things are easier, then probably people will take the easy option.

Maria: For band nine, you can use a tag question. So it's easier not to cook, isn't it? So it is easier, then in the question, it's negative, isn't it? Rory, could you pronounce it?

Rory: It's just easier not to, isn't it?

Maria: Yeah. Isn't it? So it's not a question. The intonation goes down because it's kind of a fact, okay? So we are not asking a question, it's much easier, isn't it? Isn't it? No, it doesn't go up. It should be, isn't it? So it's easier, isn't it?

Rory: Well, I think it is easier, isn't it? Isn't it?

Maria: Oh, if you are if you are asking, then the intonation goes up. It's easier, isn't it? Really?

Rory: But it is easier, isn't it? Maria, do you agree?

Maria: I agree.

Rory: Oh, thank god, okay.

Maria: Yeah, I go somewhere to eat. I find a few venues where a dinner is quite cheap. So it's kind of a homemade food. So I just eat there. I rarely cook. Dreadful.

Rory: Oh, it's fine. It's probably fine.

Maria: We communicate when we eat with our families. And the examiner asks you, is it good to communicate when you eat with your family? It doesn't mean your family, it means in general. Speaking part three is in general. So do not talk about your family. Don't say, "Oh, it's for me, my family." No, no, no. You can, if you want a five or a six, but more, for more than a six, it's safer to talk about things in general. So most families, people in my country, some people communicate with their family, some people eat in silence, okay? Some people don't talk during a meal, but not your family, right? And you can say, yeah, it's a good idea to talk about things, to speak about different things, to discuss the weather. And again, social bonds, it strengthens social bonds, social bonding.

Rory: You would hope so anyway. It makes people like each other.

Maria: And you can say, okay, we are a social species. So people are social, so that's why we talk, right? Especially during our meals, with our families. So as we are a social species, we prefer to talk, why not? People are willing to spend a lot of money. This means that people want to spend a lot of money on meals. Spend money on something. And a very nice synonym, a phrasal verb, shell out.

Rory: Yeah, to pay money for something.

Maria: And Rory, do I say, shell out for a cake, or shell out on a cake?

Rory: Shell out for.

Maria: Yeah. So pay, give money for something. Usually unwillingly. So if you kind of, if you don't want to spend this much money, but you kind of, you have to. So some people shell out for a massive wedding cake. So they may not want this cake, but they have to pay for it. And you can say, yeah, many people shell out more than usual for a birthday meal, for a wedding dinner, okay, shell out. Another synonym is fork out.

Rory: Fork out money for something. Lots of money.

Maria: Yeah. Ooh, many people fork out for a wedding dinner. Yeah, it's expensive.

Rory: Shell out, fork out, paying money for expensive things.

Maria: Yeah, we have special meals, special occasions. Occasions, special events, weddings, birthdays, celebrations, anniversaries. And what food is served in your country. So you should investigate what food. For Rory is from Scotland, so they eat Haggis. So in your country, maybe you eat noodles, I don't know, cabbage soup, what? So name two dishes but use English, dear listener, all right? So use English, translate those dishes into English.

Rory: And if there is no English translation, then you just describe the dish.

Maria: Yes, for the trends you can mention vegans, vegetarians. So some people prefer to go vegan, to become vegetarians. And the difference between your country and other countries, you can mention spices. For example, in my country, we use a lot of spices, but in other countries, they don't, or we eat a lot of meat, we eat a lot of, name specific dishes from your country. And you can say, oh, I'm not sure to be honest with you. I have never been anywhere.

Rory: I don't get out much.

Maria: Yeah, I don't get out. Yeah, why not? Yeah, feel feel free to lie.

Rory: Maria's life advice, just lie.

Maria: No, but why not? If you don't know, just why not? You can talk about globalization. Fancy. So it depends on globalization.

Rory: Oh god, are you about to try and define globalization?

Maria: No, no, homogeneous is the word.

Rory: Ah, okay.

Maria: Things become homogeneous, homogeneous, means consisting of similar parts.

Rory: Globalization is just the idea that the world is getting more and more connected in various different ways. Possibly not as popular as it used to be, but still.

Maria: So cultures come together. Okay? So you can say, food-wise, there will not be many differences because of globalization. Countries become homogeneous, and cultures come together.

Rory: Well, there might be more differences because they're trying to avoid being, I don't know, standardized and boring.

Maria: And they want to stand out more. Stand out is our super phrasal verb, which means to be different from somebody else. Stand out from the crowd, for example, be different, be very noticeable. And you can say that some countries might want to stand out and they will have their own food or their own cuisine, dear listener. Cuisine is food.

Rory: Well, it's all the food, all the things that define the food in a particular place.

Maria: Yeah, French cuisine, Italian cuisine. Thank you very much for listening.

Rory: Hopefully you enjoyed our delicious answers.

Maria: And we didn't make a meal of it. We'll get back to you in our next episode. Bye.

Rory: Bye.