I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted! All that waiting for the bus and hailing taxis has made me hungry. Hungry? Yes. In the mood to cook? No way! Hmmm. The hard part is deciding where to go and what to eat. Restaurant choices are endless: steaks, vegetarian meals, burgers, pizza, and ethnic cuisine from just about every country on earth. Even the picky eaters will be happy! But I think some takeout is just what the doctor ordered. There’s nothing like fast food after a busy day. Ha—fast food for when you’re feeling slow.
But don’t let fast food’s bad rap fool you. It’s more than just burgers and fries with a chocolate shake. With people becoming more health conscious (and conscious of those extra pounds!), restaurants are providing more and more healthy choices: salads, water, lean proteins, and whole grain breads. In fact, many restaurants now post the calorie counts of their menu items. I’m not sure I want to know that my mega-cheeseburger lunch has more calories than I need for an entire day!
Once you have your dream dinner in mind, you can just hop into your car and head to the nearest drive-thru. Sure, it may seem a little strange telling a machine that you want a mega-burger with cheese, but when you continue to the window to pay, the cashier will have your juicy burger order all ready to go. Ah, I can taste the fries already…
Machine Guy: Can I take your order, please?
Lia: Hmmm. A burger sounds good. I think I’ll have a mega-burger with cheese, extra pickles, no mayo.
Machine Guy: Anything to drink with that?
Lia: I’d like a Coke. Extra large.
Machine Guy: Anything else?
Lia: Yes, a kids’ meal with chocolate milk and chicken nuggets.
Machine Guy: Would you like fries with that?
Lia: Hmmm. The fries smell great, but do you have fruit instead?
Machine Guy: Sure. You can have an apple or fruit cup.
Kid: Mom, you know I like fruit cup, but I’d like to have the apple. But only if they put a pie around it!
| Tip 1 |
Most places will fix the food to order. Just ask if you want something a little different from the usual preparation. |
| Tip 2 |
Although fast food places offer many choices, don’t expect a gourmet meal. There’s a reason it’s called fast food! |
Pronunciation Pointer
Don’t forget to connect your words and phrases like native speakers do. Hop into sounds like hoppinto.
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bad rap (also called a bum rap): an unfair bad opinion
cashier: the person who takes the money when you buy something
chicken nuggets: small pieces of chicken, covered in a batter and deep fried (come on... we know you love them!)
conscious of: aware of, thinking about
dream: anything that is just PERFECT! (a dream job, a dream vacation)
drive-thru: Yep! a lane outside the restaurant you drive right through; order your food at one end, and pick it up at the other
ethnic cuisine: cooking styles from different cultures
exhausted: really, really tired
to fix the food to order: prepare exactly as you would like it
fruit cup: a serving of mixed fruits
gourmet: very special food, often expensive
health conscious: concerned about things that are good for your health
hop into: get into
in the mood: wanting to do something
just what the doctor ordered: something that will be perfect for what you need
kids: children
mayo: short for mayonnaise, a white spread made from eggs and oil
picky eaters: people who don’t like many different kinds of food
pie: a pastry treat, usually prepared with fruit
post: show clearly
takeout: pretty much what it says. You buy the food, and take it with you to eat at home
thru: a short way to write through
vegetarian: without meat products
whole grains: grains (for example, oat and wheat) that are not processed
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