I. British meals

A. A typical English breakfast is a large meal consisting of bacon and eggs, sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, toast with tea or coffee. When porridge and fruit juice are given as well, it is called a " full English breakfast". But now many people just have cereal with milk and sugar, or toast with marmalade, jam or honey. Don't confuse marmalade and jam! Marmalade is made from citrus fruit, especially oranges and jam is made from other fruit. The traditional breakfast drink is tea with milk but some people have coffee.

B. Dinner is the main meal of the day. If it is eaten at midday, the evening meal is called " tea" or " supper". If dinner is in the evening, the midday meal is called " lunch". In Britain, people use these words differently depending on which part of the country they come from and on their social class. Today, most Britons have a meal between 12 and 2 p.m. In the past, this meal was called " dinner" in working families. But now most people call it " lunch". " Dinner" has become a bigger meal in the evening. The traditional dinner meal is meat and " two veg" (vegetables), one of which is usually potatoes. The British are known to eat a lot of potatoes.

C. As a rule lunch is a quick meal. In Britain there are a lot of sandwich bars where you can choose white and brown bread or a roll and then all sorts of salad and meat or fish to go in the sandwich. Many people prefer to go to pubs where both hot and cold food is served. Nowadays " take-away" meals from fast food restaurants are very popular. Fish and chips is the typical British take-away food. It is usually bought ready cooked at special shops — fish and chip shops or " chippies". It is a quick and rather cheap meal. Fish and chips is usually wrapped in paper and eaten at home or in the street. Many people buy " ready-made" meals from supermarkets because it is quick and easy. If you don't feel like going to the shop, you can call a local restaurant and they will bring the food to your house.

D. Some people have sandwiches, cakes and a cup of tea at about four o'clock in the afternoon. This light meal is called " afternoon tea". It became a tradition a hundred and fifty years ago, when rich ladies invited their friends to their houses for an afternoon cup of tea.

E. In contrast, the British working population had a big meal after work, between five and seven o'clock. This meal was called " high tea". Some families in Scotland and the north of England still have " high tea" and some restaurants in these areas serve it too. The main dish — meat or fish — is usually followed by bread and butter and cakes with lots of cups of tea.

F. Cream teas taken in the early afternoon are popular with those who are on holiday. They consist of small cakes (scones), jam, cream and tea.

G. Many people have a traditional Sunday lunch. They eat roast meat (e.g. beef, lamb, chicken, or pork) with potatoes, vegetables, and gravy. Gravy is a sauce made from the meat juices.

H. More and more people in Britain are fond of food from other national cuisines. French, Italian and Indian meals are especially popular.

1. Answer the following questions.

1. How many meals a day do the British usually have?

2. What time do they have their meals?

3. What is their favourite food?

4. Why do the British like take-away food?

2. Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences.

1. In Britain, people always have a " full English breakfast".

2. Take-away meals are popular because they are rather cheap and you don't need to cook them.

3. Potatoes are not very popular with British people.

4. Marmalade and jam are made from the same fruit.

5. In Britain, you can get some food without going to the shop.

6. Gravy is a drink.

7. Fish and chips is usually cooked at home.

8. Afternoon tea is a large meal with meat or fish.

9. Only rich people could afford to have high tea in the past.

10. In the English language " tea" means a drink and a meal.