Dinner Plans
 |
 |
Simon
|
Todd
|
Todd: OK, Simon, let's go get something to eat? Let's go out to dinner. I'm really hungry.
Simon: Yeah, OK, me too. I'm really hungry as well. Ah, what is there to eat around here?
Todd: Well, around my house there's a few restaurants. Um, there's an Italian restaurant. There's a grilled chicken restaurant. There is a fish restaurant, and there is a family diner.
Simon: Family diner. What's that?
Todd: The family diner is one of those restaurants that they serve many types of food, for example they have noodles, they have pasta, they have hamburger, they have salad. Pretty much anyone in the family could order what they want. They have desserts, things like that.
Simon: Well, that makes sense, that's why it's called a family diner, or family restaurant because I guess everyone in the family will be happy if they eat there. Yousaid Italian restaurant.
Todd: Ah, yeah, there's an Italian restaurant. It's a very small family owned Italian restaurant. They have really good pasta,fresh salad. They always have really good specials. The only problem is that it's really crowded and it's a little expensive because it's very popular.
Simon: Oh, really. Ah, do they have pizza? I like pizza.
Todd: Actually, they don't have pizza. They only have pasta.
Simon: OK. What were the other choices?
Todd: There's also a fish restaurant and there's a grilled chicken restaurant. A grilled chicken. That's pretty general.
Simon: How do they serve that?
Todd: It's actually, it's not a restaurant. This guy has a small stand, a very small area, and there are some small tables in front of it, and he just grills chicken, kind of on the street, and then he has little tables in front of his booth or stall and you eat chicken for really cheap.
Simon: Oh, that sounds really cool. Let's do that.
Todd: Yeah, yeah, and they have beer, too.
Simon: Oh, yeah, I like beer.
Todd: Cool, let's go.
Simon: OK.
go out to dinner
Let's go out to dinner. I'm really hungry.
When you 'go out to dinner' you go to a restaurant to eat. Notice the following:
- Can we go out to dinner tonight? I don't want to cook.
- Going out to dinner is always a special thing for them.
family diner
Around my house, there's a few restaurants: Italian,
grilled chicken restaurant, fish restaurant, and a family
diner.
A 'family diner' is a casual restaurant which is a good place for families to eat because it has a menu with food that most people like. A 'family' diner can also refer to a restaurant that is owned and run by a family. Notice the following:
- We are looking for a family diner to eat at tonight.
- My dad goes to the family diner every Sunday for
breakfast.
makes sense
It makes sense that it's called a family diner, because
everyone in the family would be happy to eat there.
If something 'makes sense' it is reasonable or logical. Notice the following:
- All of his answers make a lot of sense, but they aren't
something that I would think of.
- It doesn't make sense for all of us to drive there
separately.
crowded or expensive
The Italian restaurant is really crowded and a little
expensive, because it's very popular.
A place that has too many people and is uncomfortable because this is 'crowded.' If something is expensive it costs a lot of money or more money than it should. Notice the following:
- It's too crowded to eat here. Let's go somewhere else.
- I don't want to go anywhere expensive, just a place with
good food.
stand or stall
This guy has a small stand and little tables in front of
his stall.
A 'stand' or 'stall' is an informal restaurant on the street that usually serves only a few things at a very cheap price. Notice the following:
- The juice stand is only here in the morning. It's
usually gone by noon.
- The only thing that he makes at his stall are tacos, but
there are always lots of people around there.
grills or booth
He just grills chicken kind of on the street and serves
them on little tables in front of his booth.
When you 'grill' something you cook it over an open fire or charcoal. A 'booth' is another word for stall or stand - see the definition above. Notice the following:
- I think we are just going to grill food for the party.
Maybe we'll have some chips and potato salad too.
- There is a booth over there that sells the best
hamburgers in the world.
Vocabulary Quiz
crowded • expensive • stalls • grilled
Simon compares bar service around the world from three different places.
