Food

Food is one of the chief joys (poteąenie) of life. Eating - and for many, cooking too - is a downright (vyslovene) pleasure (príjemné). There are some people who eat just once a day - they have one continuous meal - others are figure-conscious and try to fast (ukonči»), or at least (obmedzi») cut down on sugar and fat intake. Some young ladies go on slimming (zoątíhµujúce) diet only to impress people by saying "I´m on two oranges today".

Maybe it is in their nature (povaha), but the fact is the people in our country love food. The day begins with breakfast. During the morning they have a snack. Then comes lunch, which is usually a three-course meal - soup, the main dish of meat and vegetables, and a sweet. An afternoon snack is not uncommon, and in the evening there is supper, which again is a more substantial meal.

There is no expression in English for "dobrú chu»", which perhaps is the key to the English attitude (vz»ah) to food. When in England, begin the day with a nice cup of tea in bed early in the morning. Then have a leisurely (jednoduché) breakfast. The renowned English breakfast starts with cereals (usually cornflakes) to which you just add milk or cream and sugar. Delicious. This will be followed by fried bacon and eggs, or sausages and fried tomatoes. Then round off (zakonči») with many cups of tea or coffee and toast and marmalade. The toast is dry, not fried, and by marmalade the English mean preserves (pripravené) made from citrus fruits, usually Sevilla oranges, for they have just the right bitter flavor (horkej chuti). Well, you must agree that this makes a good meal.

In the middle of the morning you have what is known as elevences, usually not more than a cup of coffee and biscuits. At midday it´s time for lunch (if it is the main meal of the day it is called dinner). Lunch is a light meal consisting of a warm dish (jedlo) and a dessert, or just ham and cheese sandwiches.

At four o´clock, or thereabouts, it´s teatime. This is an institution, a social ocassion, although the food served hardly warrants it. The meal consists of thin slices of white or brown bread with cheese, or some fish or meat paste, lettuce (ąalát) or cucumber, tomatoes, and this is followed by jam tarts (ovocný koláč) or cakes. And of course there are several cups of strong tea with milk. On the whole it may sound like pretty poor fare to you, who are used to piles of dumplings (knedle) and potatoes.

For even if there are families who have dinner in the evening - a hot there course meal you will still find that by your standards it´s a meager (nevýdatné) meal of meat and boiled vegetables and only a few tiny potatoes or chips, but no dumplings! Now we must add that where it is customary to have high tea (výdatný olovrant) at five or six, then the only thing you may expect that day is bread and butter or cheese and biscuits and a coffee or some milk as a nightcap.

Omelet:

Ingredients: 2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 2 tablespoon cold water, dash (ątipka) of salt dash of tabasco sauce, 1 tablespoon fat (oil).

Beat eggs, water and seasonings (korenie) with a fork (vidlička) until foamy (pena). Place (poloľ) omelet pan (panvica) over medium heat (oheň). Add fat (oil). Pour (nalej) egg mixture in quickly. With one hand move pan back and forth. When omelet is almost cooked, fold it (otoč) over and roll out onto plate. You may add any of these fillings (plnky) to the omelet just before folding: mushrooms, tomato sauce, low-fat cheese, any green vegetables or ham. Yield: /?/ one serving.

Curried lamb with rice

Ingredients: 1 kg lamb leg, 3 tomatoes, 4 small onions, 30 grams butter, 1 tbsp curry powder, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, 1 chicken bouillon cube.

Cut the meat into small cubes. Peel and slice the onions and tomatoes. Fry onion, meat and tomatoes in heated butter until golden brown. Stir in sugar, salt and add the curry powder. Add l hot water in which a chicken bouillon cube has

been dissolved. Cover pan and lower heat. Simmer for about 1 hours. Serve with boiled rice. Sprinkle with chopped row peppers. Put curried lamb in the middle of the dish and garnish with sprigs of parsley. Use rice to make a border for the dish of curry.

Word study

lettuce, cabbage (kapusta), cauliflower (karfiol), cucumber, onion, carrot, parsley, beans, peas, tomato, green pepper, radish mushrooms, chips, cherry, strawberry, apricot, peach plum, apple, pear grapes, pineapple, orange lemon, banana, walnut, vegetable, oil, peel off the skin, cut into slices, milk, cream, whipped cream, cheese, cottage cheese, butter, meat, pork, beef, lamb, beefsteak, roast beef, poultry, turkey, chicken, duck goose, bacon, ham, sausages, hamburger, hot-dog, sandwich, sauce, fish, egg (yolk-white), scrambled eggs, softboiled eggs (hard), soup, sugar, dash of salt redpaprika, mustard, add salt to taste, hot, spicy, spice, stewed, roast, well-done, fried, smoked, baked, frozen, instant food, fresh (stale) bread, loaf, dumpling, noodles, spread, pastry, apple pie, pancakes, cake biscuits, filling, jam, marmalade, ice cream, chewing gum, drops, dropa, bar of chocolate, honey, cereals, porridge with cream, cornflakes, spoon, fork, knife, tablespoon.

teaspoon, plate, Table is laid for two, tray, cups and saucers, pot, frying pan, stove, oven, wash the dishes, after recipe, breakfast, brunch (elevens), lunch, dinner, supper, foodstuff, stuffy (light) meal, a little bit, have a snack, I am starving, (dying of hunger) tasteless I don´t feel like eating, hungry thirsty, how do you find the soup?, pass me the salt, please, taste, have a good appetite, be greedy, choosy, big eater, to be on a diet, soft (hard) drinks, have a drink, booze, he´s drunk, sober, abstainer, hangover, whisky on the rocks (s µadom), rye, champagne, light wines, pour into a glass, beer mug.