Meals. Eating out

In most countries East or West eating out has now become very popular. A lot of eating places ranging from high-class restaurants to factory canteens cater for all tastes at various prices.

Thus small, often self-service restaurants, cafes or snack-bars serve quite cheap food while traditional restaurants are famous for high quality and expensive cooking.

Normally a meal in a restaurant takes time. Usually you tell the waiter what you want for the first two courses; he will take your order for dessert and coffee later. When paying the bill it is customary to tip waiters, however in most restaurants a service charge is nowadays added to avoid individual tipping. But if the waiter has been very helpful some people like to give a small tip.

If you want to have a quick lunch you may decide on a snack-bar, a café or even your office vending machine where you can get sandwiches and other snacks.

Every country has its own popular places which traditionally specialize in certain dishes. For example, kebab grills, fried chicken are quite common in Syria and Lebanon, Iraq and Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world. There are also hamburger restaurants in most places in the East nowadays which specialize in cheap meals, especially hamburgers. Very popular indeed are take-away places serving fried (grilled) chicken. In Baghdad, for instance, you go to take-away restaurant or a small shop, give your order which is cooked while you wait and packed in plastic bags for you to take away. You are sure to enjoy the chicken, hot and juicy, seasoned and garnished with pickled onions, cucumbers, garlic and whatnot.

At a hotel restaurant you are offered European cuisine along with specially prepared dishes, various hors d’oeuvres, wines and soft drinks.

First-class five star hotels treat their guests to “Swedish Board” which gives you a quick and delicious meal. Other services such as Coffee Shops are also commonly available.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Reading comprehension

I. Read the text once again and find in the text the English equivalents to the following Russian words and word combinations. Explain the following words in English. Use English-English dictionary if necessary. Make up your own sentences with these words.

питаться вне дома, столовая, ресторанное обслуживание, буфет /закусочная, высокое качество, оплатить счет, дать чаевые, торговый автомат, маринованные огурцы, и тому подобное, европейская кухня, закуска, принимать гостей/угощать.