Unit 11

Meals: Dinner (I)

Dinner is the main meal of the day, eaten at midday or in the
evening. The meal normally consists of a combination of cooked, or
sometimes uncooked, proteins (meat, fish or legumes), with
vegetables, and/or starch products like rice, noodles, or potatoes.
The word dinner comes from the rench word dner, the
chief repast (meal) of the day, ultimately from the !atin disiunare,
which means to break fast (as in the "nglish word breakfast). #
dinner can also be a more sophisticated meal, such as a ban$uet.
%n the &nited 'ingdom, dinner traditionally meant the main
meal of the day. (ecause of differences in custom as to when this
meal was taken, dinner might mean the evening meal (typically used
by upper class people), or the midday meal (typically used by working
class people, who describe their evening meal as tea). )estiges of
the "nglish class system remain in the choice of word for the evening
meal * a person with upper+class antecedents might use neither
dinner nor tea but, confusingly, supper for a less formal meal
(which people in the ,orth use to refer to a hot, often milky, drink
such as cocoa or hot chocolate and biscuits, taken immediately
before retiring for the night).
!arge formal evening meals are invariably described as
dinners (hence, also, the term dinner -acket which is a form of
evening dress).
School dinners is a (ritish phrase for school lunches *
reflecting the fact that such school meals were originally provided
chiefly for the children of the working class, who typically had their
main meal in the middle of the day * and women working in school
canteens are generally known in the &' as dinner ladies (however, if
a pupil brings his or her food from home, it is a packed lunch).
#mbiguity can be avoided by using lunch for the midday meal.
# more formal definition of dinner, especially outside ,orth
#merica, is any meal consisting of multiple courses. The minimum is
usually two but there can be as many as seven.
The .omanian dineu comes from the rench dner, meaning
ban$uet, dinner, evening meal, festival evening meal. (#fter
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)
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Vocabulary
avoid (v.) 1 a evita
choice of word 1 alegerea termenului
confusingly 1 2ntr+un mod confu3
cooked 1 g4tit(4)
dinner 1 banchet, cin4, dineu
dinner jacket 1 smoching
dinner lady 1 buc4t4reas4
evening dress 1 hain4 / rochie de sear4
hence 1 de unde
legume 1 plant4 leguminoas4
neither nor 1 nici 5 nici 5
noodles 1 t4i6ei
packed lunch 1 pr7n3 la pachet
potato 1 cartof
pupil 1 elev
retire (v.) 1 a retrage
starch product 1 produse care con6in amidon
uncooked 1 neg4tit(4)
upper class people 1 oamenii din clasa superioar4
vegetables 1 legume
working class people 1 muncitorii
Exercises
8. #nswer the following.
+ 9hat is a dinner:
+ 9hat does it consist of:
+ 9here does the word dinner come from:
+ 9hat did dinner traditionally mean in the &':
+ 9hat may dinner mean in the &':
+ 9hat is a school dinner:
+ ;ow are women working in school canteens generally known
in the &' as:
+ ;ow can be ambiguity avoided:
+ 9hat does the .omanian dineu mean:
<=
>. ?atch the following.
8. dinner
a. a restaurant that presents a play during or
after dinner
>. dinner jacket
b. the chief meal of the day eaten in the
evening or at midday, a ban$uet or formal
meal in honour of a person or an event, the
food prepared for either of these meals@ table
dAhBte
C. dinner theatre
c. the plates, serving bowls, platters, and other
tableware used in serving a meal@ a set of
dishes
D. dinnertime
d. the time during which dinner is normally
eaten
E. dinnerware e. tuFedo
C. Group the following words related to feast, as in the model.
banquet dinner dinner guest feast first course guest
guest of honour host main course master of ceremonies
propose a toast
Words referring to
a large or
important
meal
te leader
of a feast
te parts of
a feast
te people
in!ited to a
feast
"at
appens at
a feast
banquet
D. ill in with the proper article from below.
a an the
5 noodle is made from unleavened dough that has been shaped into
thin flat strips or round cylinders and cooked in 5 boiling li$uid.
Hepending upon the type, noodles may be dried or refrigerated
before cooking. 5 word noodle derives from 5 German Nudel
(noodle) and may be related to 5 !atin word nodus (knot). %n "nglish,
noodle is 5 generic term for unleavened dough made from many
different types of ingredients and includes 5 variety of shapes.
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E. Iharacterise the following types of banquet as in the model.
# banquet is a large public meal or feast, complete with main courses
and desserts. %t usually serves a purpose, such as a charitable
gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, often followed by speeches
in honour of someone. (an$uets have been used as a formal
occasion for thousands of years. 'ings during medieval times
fre$uently threw ban$uets for special events, such as birthdays or
holidays. Jn occasion, sports associations throw ban$uets as an
attempt to enhance team chemistry, or also -ust to relaF the players
and/or coaches. (usiness ban$uets are a popular way to strengthen
bonds between businessmen and their partners. # !uau is one
variety of ban$uet originally used in ;awaii.
#ype of
ban$uet
%urpose
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/. Iompare a !omanian packed lunch with the following ones.
# packed lunch is a lunch prepared at home and carried to be eaten
somewhere else, such as school, a workplace or at an outing. The
food can be carried in a lunchboF or wrapped in paper, plastic or foil.
9hile packed lunches are usually taken from home by the people
who are going to eat them, in ?umbai in %ndia tiffin boFes are most
often picked up from the home and brought to workplaces later in the
day by so+called dabbawallas. %t is today also possible to buy packed
lunches from stores in several countries. %n the &L, an informal
meeting at work, over lunch, where everyone brings a packed lunch,
is a brown"bag lunch or collo$uially a brown bag, the practice known
as brownbagging. Jne such lunch was used as a deliberate rebuff, of
the Ihinese hosts, by the &L delegation at peace negotiations during
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the 'orean 9ar in 'aesong. The Ihinese hosts offered lunch and
watermelon to the &.L. guests, which they re-ected in favour of their
own packed lunches.
<. Ihange the teFt into future.
The Hinner Marty, an important icon of 80<=s feminist art and a
milestone in twentieth+century art, is presented as the centrepiece
around which the "li3abeth #. Lackler Ientre for eminist #rt is
organi3ed, on the fourth floor of (rooklyn ?useum. The Hinner Marty,
created by Nudy Ihicago, comprises a massive ceremonial ban$uet,
arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty+nine place settings,
each commemorating an important woman from history. The settings
consist of embroidered runners, gold chalices and utensils, and
china+painted porcelain plates with raised central motifs that are
based on butterfly forms and rendered in styles appropriate to the
individual women being honoured. The names of another 000 women
are inscribed in gold on the white tile floor below the triangular table.
This permanent installation is enhanced by rotating ;istory Gallery
eFhibitions relating to the 8,=CO women honoured at the table.
O. Group the adverbs in the teFt below as in the table.
%ositi!e &omparati!e 'uperlati!e
discreetly
Hinner aboard the Lhasta Lunset Hinner Train is -ust what one would
eFpect aboard the finest dining cars in history. %vory linens, fine china,
polished silver and sparkling stemware discreetly accent the four
course dining eFperience, elegantly prepared by our gourmet chef
and promptly served by our impeccably trained service staff. Ihoose
a selection from our eFtensive wine list or simply ga3e out the window
as the train winds its way through the awe+inspiring scenery of
pristine, uncrowded ,orthern Ialifornia. The Hinner Train cars, with
their deep Mullman Green and gold eFterior finish, were originally
built for the %llinois Ientral .ailroad in 808/. #c$uired in 800E, these
heavyweight cars have been carefully rebuilt in the ?cIloud
.ailwayAs shops where meticulous attention to detail is evident in their
rich mahogany and brass interiors. Jur dining cars are named for
north state counties Lhasta, Liskiyou, and !assen. Jur Trinity car can
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be easily set up as a theatre car for up to <= people and can also be
used for music and dancing. The Train operates over the historic
?cIloud .ailway, with roots back to 8O0<.
0. !ink the sentences in each pair, using the words between brackets
and making all necessary changes.
+ % peeled the potatoes. % remembered % hadnAt bought the lamb.
(as)
+ % prepared dinner. The children laid the table. (while)
+ % shopped. % met your boyfriend. (while)
+ % will finish my work. % will help you cook dinner. (as soon as)
+ % wondered what to cook for dinner. Pou called me. (while)
+ ?other prepared the vegetables for the pudding. ?other
remembered she was short of flour. (as)
+ Lhe will start working. The 8=+min break will end. (as soon as)
+ 9e switched off all the lights. 9e went to bed. (before)
+ Pou came home. Pour mobile started ringing. (no sooner 5
than)
+ Pou finished eating. Pou left for work again. (after)
(et)s (aug*
Jne day a lady from the church had come over and had given a gift
for all the wonderful sermons that her husband has given. ?rs.
Nohnson had said, Thank you very much but what is it: The lady
said, %t is a Hamn ham. ?rs. Nohnson looked shocked and said,
HonAt speak that way to me, donAt you know that % am the preachers
wifeQ The lady said, Pes, yes % know, but that is the brand name of
the hamQ ?rs. Nohnson said, Joh % see well thank you and the lady
left. !ater that night when ?rs. Nohnson was cooking dinner the
preacher came into the kitchen and said, ?mmmQ That smells really
goodQ 9hat is it: ?rs. Nohnson said, 9ell thatAs your dinner tonight,
some Hamn ;am. The preacher was shocked and said, HonAt speak
to me that wayQ HonAt you know who % am: ?rs. Nohnson said, Pes,
yesQ % know who you areQ %t is -ust the brand nameQ The preacher
said, JhQ % seeQ 9ell, it smells greatQ That night when dinner was
ready she had set it out on the table. The corn, mashed potatoes,
rolls, and hamQ 9hen the family sat down they said their prayers and
began to eat. The preacher said to his wife, Iould you please pass
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me some of that Hamn ham: The wife said Lure. Then little Nohnny
said, #lright dadQ 9hile youAre at it can you pass me the fucking
mashed potatoes:Q
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