Eating habits

RESTAURANT

Ordering of meal at the restaurant: a customer (teacher) is ordering lunch Of four courses: a starter, a soup, the main meal and a dessert. A waiter (student) is helping the customer to choose the speciality of the restaurant.

COMPARE EATING HABITS IN SLOVAKIA TO THOSE IN BRITAIN AND THE USA

Food is one of frequent topics of peoples conversation, especially among women who often exchange recipes and give each other advice on how to cook a delicious meal, but there are also a lot of men who are fond of cooking. It is interesting that most chefs in famous restaurants all over the world are men.

People need to have a well-balanced diet = low-fat and high-fibre,to be healthy and in good condition. Diet experts say we should eat four or five times a day and in small portions. Eating habits are different in different countries depending on people´s daily routine. People on the Contiment usually eat three meals a day: a light breakfast, lunch which is the main meal of the day and supper.

BREAKFAST

Slovakia

• a cup of tea, milk, black coffee or cocoa (children love it)
• a slice of bread, rolls, buns spreaded with butter or cheese and ham, salami, eggs or sausages, yoghurts

Britain

• a cup of tea with milk, coffee, milk, juice
• a bowl of cereals (either cornflakes or porridge or musli – they sometimes add various ingredients like yoghurt, raisins, chocolate, stewed fruit, walnuts, hazelnuts), a slice of toast with butter and ham
• at weekends they have the typical English breakfast that consists of: baked bacon, baked sausages,fried eggs, baked beans, tomatoes, a slice of toeast, juice of a cup of tea.

America

• doughnuts, sweetrolls, muffins and newly favourite Jewish bagels.
• at the weekends – families eat together and they have richer breakfast including pancakes and waffles eaten with butter and maple syrup

LUNCH

Slovakia

= the main warm meal of the day –is served around noon between 11:30 am and 2,30 pm

• people have it at home, in a school´s or work´s canteen, a restaurant or a buffet. It usually contains a soup, a main course and may finish with a dessert.
• consist of a hot soup(different kind : vegetable, tomato, bean, pea, egg, onion, stock etc.), a piece of meat (poultry,pork, beef,fish) with potatoes (baked, smashed, roasted) or rise, fresh or preserved vegetable salad and a dessert (cakes, puddings)

Britain

• lunch in Britain may be eaten at any time after midday
• working people are allowed about an hour off for lunch during lunch hour or lunch break
• British lunch is a light meal and it may be a hot dish in a restaurant or a packed lunch many students and working people prefer a packed lunch of sanwiches and fruit.
• at weekends the main meal of a day may be lunch, it means they eat meat and potatoes or rice, but it is not at midday but it is sort of late lunch at about 2 or 3pm.

America

• similar to Britain

DINNER

Slovakia

• is served between 6–8 pm and is a lighter meal, like some pasta with vegetables or a piece of pizza, sausages, sandwiches, youghurts

Britain

• dinner is the main meal of a day
• it is a large hot meal served between 6.00 – 7.00 p.m. it is usually a cooked meal with meat or fish and vegetable salad followed by a dessert

America

• dinner often consist of dishes bought ready-prepared and heated in a microware oven. In many American families people in the family eat a different times and rarely sit down at the table together.
• American complete meal consists of main meat, which used to be pork or beef, but now the white meat – chicken or fish is more preferable, then it is cooked vegetables, potatoes, pasta or rice.

The typical Slovak meal: bryndzové halušky= potatoes dumplings with cottage cheese and fried bacon The typical British meal = fish and chips The typical American food = hamburger

Many people also eat snacks = sandwiches, buiscuits, crisps, vegetables, chocolate bars etc between meals.. Most have a cup of tea or coffee at mid-morning.

The typical British break is 5 o clock tea, which is called high tea. The tea is usually fairly strong and eaten together with some cakes or biscuits.

Fast food is a typical feature of both British and American life styles. In a restaurant you can eat national dishes, but there are food stalls and places where you can either buy various types of food to eat as you walk along the streets or take it away and eat at home. The Americans call fast food restaurants „cheapies“. These places – McDonald s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken (in America also Mrs. Winner’s) usually offer beverages (Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, tea, coffee, milkshakes…), some solid food like roast chicken and chips, hamburgers, sandwiches, pizza, salads or deserts (apple, cherry pie).

The oldest type of fast food are sea food stalls or shops – usually fish and chips. Many types of fish are sold (cod, hake, plaice ). Another typical feature of British and American lifestyle is popcorn. You can buy it when walking the streets. Various types of popcorn are sold – either sweet with sugar and other flavours, or cooked with salt.

ALLERGIC REACITON ON FOOD

A food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system reacts to otherwise harmless substances in certain foods. This is different from a food intolerance, which does not involve the immune system. About 25% of people believe they are allergic to certain foods.While most food allergies are mild, in some cases they can cause anaphylactic shock, a serious, sometimes life threatening reaction. 90% of allergies are caused by eight foods: cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, fish, and shellfish.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Common symptoms include:

• Hives, swelling, itching, or eczema
• vomitting or diarrhea
• Swelling of the eyelids, face, lips, tongue, throat, or other parts of the body (called angioedema)
• A metallic taste in the mouth
• Wheezing, nasal congestion, or trouble breathing
• dizziness or fainting

When the symptoms listed above are extreme, they can be life threatening. Call a medical emergency response unit if you see the following signs of extreme allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock):

• Swelling of the throat and difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty breathing
• Rapid pulse
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, or loss of consciousness
• Blue color to the skin and nails

You and allergy?

OVER-WEIGHT PEOPLE

• Obesity = a complex disease for which no single cause or cure.Obesity is influenced by many other factors, including your family history, the type of work you do, your race, and your environment. Some factors we can not influence, but some of the we can.

What is necessary to do when we want to lose weight?

• to have healthy diet = to eat healthy food (stuffs like all types of vegetable, and fruit, fish, poultry meat, whole grain and brown bread, soya products, milk products – youghurt, cheese and other food rich in minerals, vitamins and other organic matters good for our body.
• do not eat any junk and fast food
• drinking a lot of liquid, mineral water, herbal tea or fruit juice, not eating much sweets, fat meat and not drinking too much alcohol and coffee.
• working out – do sports regularly, or at least walk instead of driving a car
• cut down on amount of food