Actual English 16 - Grocery Shopping

Reference: http://home.ebse.co.kr/actualenglish/

 

Actual Talk

https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZeaEx7ZoMNsoPP5tAFAjeLJuM7we8WPG4eV

 

W:      Peter, I hate going shopping by myself. Buying for one is a nightmare. Everything’s in bulk. And I can’t buy 20 pack toilet rolls for myself.

M:       That’s why you need a bigger place.

W:       Get a bigger place, get some friends over? Who does the grocery shopping at your house?

M:      Well, we used to go together a lot, but then once the babies were born, she would stay at home with the babies and I’d go to the big, huge store and get the big, huge amounts of everything.

W:       But you’re buying for four people.

M:       Yeah, well. Two big people and two very, very little people.

W:       So do you tend to buy fruit and vegetables a lot more?

M:       I go for the fruits and vegetables first.

W:      I think that’s how the supermarkets are usually organized. You go in and you go to the fruits and vegetables section and then you go onto the meat and poultry (section).

M:      My wife and I both like fruits and vegetables a lot.

W:      Discount stores are good, but I tend to buy fruit and vegetables at the local markets. The fresh fruit markets, they (fruits and veggies) tend to be a lot fresher and a lot less expensive as well.

M:       What do you tend to buy?

W:      I buy a lot of cucumber, a lot of lettuce because I eat a lot of meat. Ah, what else? Tomatoes, and onions, as well. And if you go to the discount stores, you have to buy a bag of… a kilo of onions; whereas I can buy one onion for myself.

M:       Ok, so do you make food just for yourself?

W:      For myself and occasionally for a friend who comes over. But I have ‘a big hand’ – that’s what you call it in Korea – I cook for about four people when I’m by myself so it lasts me a few days.

 

 

• bulk: [buhlk]   syn. amount, volume, weight          (bulk : volume, size / IN bulk: in large quantities)
• poultry: [pohl-tree]                                  (chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese)                  
• local: [loh-kuh-l]   syn. regional, town, neighborhood  (pertaining to a city, town, or small district rather than an entire country)
• tomato: [tuh-mey-toh, -mah-]                              
• kilo: [kee-loh]  syn. kilogram, kilometer

 

buy a ~ of something.

• I need to buy a bag of rice.

• I need to buy a box of ramyun.

• I need to buy 2 kilos of grapes.

 

make food for ~.

• I’m going to make food for 5 people tonight.

• I always make food for my husband.

 

 

Actual Story

 https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZdaEx7ZSNlzroFR8nL334fvGSi75LaWJFKV

(Actual Interview Question: Talk about food and grocery shopping.)

So I was recently talking to my friends about what is the finest art out there and I really think that cuisine and the art of cooking is something that involves all five of the senses. Like when you look at it, the aesthetic has to be pleasing, the taste has to be good, the smell has to be good - everything about cooking is really an art form. But I think one of the downsides to being here in Korea is that cooking can be quite difficult because groceries are so expensive. So what I try to do is go to, like, the big stores, the big grocery stores - around like 8 o clock and everything is on sale and you get a little bit of everything and it´s more possible for you to cook. I really like cooking and I have this kind of silly rule about cooking which is when I have foreigner friends come, I make Korean food and when I have Korean friends come, I make foreign cuisine. So I think that´s kind of an interesting mix for me to do when I cook at home. I really like cooking and food is something that everybody can enjoy. So if you have a taste palate, you can enjoy food. And it´s sort of a social thing and that´s why you go out and you meet your friends and you eat a lot, and you talk a lot. And I think food and the art of eating is something that you can do all the time and enjoy.