miércoles, 3 de abril de 2013

Talking point: Food

The topic in this week's talking poing is food. Here are some food-related questions you can use as a springboard to discuss the topic with the members of your conversation group.

Before your talking session, go over the questions on your own so that you can work out some vocabulary problems beforehand and ideas flow more easily when you get together with your friends.

If you were a food, what food would you be? Why?
Were there any foods you particularly loved or hated as a child? Do you still love/hate them?
What kind of food or drink would you associate with the following situations? Why?
•being in love   •waiting at an airport   •rainy days
•summer    •your grandmother’s house

Are you worried about your diet?
Do you keep a balanced diet?

What is the most recent meal you have had today?
Do you know where the food came from?
What do you understand by the terms ‘slow food’ or ‘organic food’?
Can you explain the terms ‘sustainable organic farming’ and ‘industrial agriculture’?
Why are fast food and ready-made food (or processed food or convenience food) so popular these days? 
What do you understand by the term ‘healthy drinks’?
Are school lunches controversial in your country?
What examples can you give of fraud in food?
Can fair trade products and local food suppliers be compatible?
Why are cooking TV programmes so popular?
Can you name some celebrity chefs? Why are they popular?
Have you been to any world-famous or really good restaurant?

To gain further insight into the topic you can watch the two New York Times videos below and/or read the accompanying articles Survey Finds That Fish Are Often Not What Label Says and Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke.