IELTS Speaking #11 – Topic 1.

8: Food and Restaurants

1. What kinds of food do you particularly like?

“Well, I have to say that I‟m a big fan of meat, all kinds of it. In particular, I love it when mixing it with
garlic, sweet and sour sauce and a bit chili. It‟s flavorsome. My dishes always actually include those
ingredients. OMG, just think of it wakes my instinct up already.”

Từ vựng
sweet and sour chua ngọt

flavorsome thơm phức

ingredients nguyên liệu, gia vị
instinct bản năng
Có nhiều cách để trả lời dạng câu hỏi này. Mình đã phân tích khá kỹ ở các topic đầu tiên, sau đây mình tổng
hợp lại 4 cách trả lời như sau:
- Divide into three parts
- Well, there are three kinds of food that I‟m really keen on.
- The one I like best is Italian food because…
- I also really like to eat Korean food as it‟s very…
- I‟m also kind of partial to Mexican food for the reason that it is…

General to specific (give an example)

Well, I‟d have to say that I‟m a big fan of seafood. In particular, I really like to eat Japanese seafood because
it‟s always so fresh. For instance, sashimi is good because the raw fish is so flavoursome.

Depends
I think it depends really. If I‟m working I prefer to get something like fast food such as McDonalds
because… But , if I‟m out with friends I would rather have something more exotic such as Thai food or
Indian food.

Concession
Well, recently I‟d have to say that I been enjoying eating steak and each time I feel like a steak I go to
Outback Steak House, because the steaks there are huge. However, I think that it may not be all that healthy
to eat so much red meat, as I‟ve heard it can lead to high levels of cholesterol.

2. Is there any food you don’t like?

“Not much coz I‟m not a fussy eater at all. Actually, I eat like a horse a bit of everything except those are
fattening and greasy, you know.”

Từ vựng:
fussy eater người ăn uổng kiểu cách, cầu kỳ
eat like a horse ăn nhiều = eat a lot
fattening béo

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greasy dầu mỡ
Các bạn có thể trả lời bằng cách kể ra những loại đồ bạn ko thích và đưa ra 1 câu lý do đi kèm. Đó là cách
đơn giản nhất

3. Do you like cooking?

“Well, I love to cook, but not very often and not for very many people coz then, it‟s too much work and lots
of pressure on me. I feel like it‟s something to be done, not something to have fun. Anyway, actually, I just
feel lazy to get my ass up to the kitchen but when I‟m in it, I feel fascinated. Besides, it‟s good to try out new
recipes or just improve some of the ones that I already know and make before.”

Từ vựng
get my ass up to swhere/do sthing bắt đầu làm gì
fascinated hào hứng

recipe công thức nấu ăn

4. Who usually does the cooking in your home?

“Mostly my mother, I take turn sometime. I learned most of my cooking from my mom. She‟s a great cook.
My father seems to wanna try sometimes but I don‟t think my mom trusted him to make a nice meal so he
never gets a chance.”

Từ vựng
take turn thay nhau

get a chance có cơ hội

5. Do you prefer to eat at home or in restaurants?

“It depends, you know. If it‟s a big occasion or something, I prefer to eat in a restaurant because there‟s no
washing up. Besides, the atmosphere and the setting are usually more relaxing and pleasant. But if it just
family ourselves, I would rather eat in coz of cozy atmosphere and you can guarantee lovely home-cooked
food. You know for sure what is in the ingredients, whereas at a restaurant you can never be sure of what is
in the food and whether it is healthy or not.”
Lại gặp lại cấu trúc “often”, các bạn hãy xem cách trả lời tại câu 3, chủ đề Hobbies and Interests

Từ vựng
occasion dịp, cơ hội

washing up rửa bát

eat in ăn ở nhà

eat out ăn ngoài

home-cooked food món ăn tự nấu

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6. Do you often eat with your family?
“Not very often for almost 10 years since I lived alone. I usually eat solo since then. I only have a chance to
go back home 1 or twice every 2 months and it‟s always precious time.”
Câu này hoàn toàn các bạn có thể trả lời theo hướng “depends” quen thuộc hoặc trả lời trực tiếp theo thực tế
như trong câu trả lời của mình.

do st. solo làm cái gì đó một mình

precious quý giá

7. Do you think it’s important for people to eat with your family?
“Of course it is. I always think that family is the only place that never turns back on you and for that reason,
people should always respect that sacred place. And spending time with your family on a lovely dinner meals
every day is the best ways to help you keep that in mind. It‟s almost the only time you when you have most
of your family together so it‟s worthy.”

Từ vựng
turn back on sb. quay lưng với ai, phản bội ai
sacred thiêng liêng

8. Do you often go to restaurant to eat?

“Not often, you know coz the money issues but every now and again. But I‟ll tell you this, If I had money, I
would be eating out every night, coz it would save my time on shopping, cooking and dish washing, you
know, stuff like that. But anyway, I‟m just kidding coz it‟s never gonna happen.”
Chú ý khi bạn trả lời cho những câu hỏi “often”, hãy tận dụng mẫu câu trả lời với mệnh đề quan hệ để tăng
điểm ngữ pháp cho bạn. Nhớ ôn lại các loại câu điều kiên nhé.

9. What kind of restaurant do you like?

“For me, the most important part about restaurant is the food so I like where there‟s good one. I tend to prefer
smaller, non-chain type restaurant over the nationwide and swanky places that advertise all over the TV. I
think the restaurants are more about entertainment than the food itself these day, you know what I mean, lots
of the posh restaurants are not as good as they‟re cracked up to be. That‟s sad, isn‟t it?”

Từ vựng
nationwide khắp cả nước
swanky sang trọng
posh lịch sự, trang trọng
not as good as they‟re cracked up to be không tốt như họ nói
Một số từ vựng khác về chủ để này các bạn có thể dùng cho câu trả lời riêng của mình. Các bạn hãy tự tra từ
điển các từ này để biết nghĩa và cách đọc, cách phát âm của nó nhé. Hãy cố gắng đặt một câu với một từ, một
câu có nghĩa nhé, không đặt đối phó.

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Nouns
eatery (= restaurant) speciality dish cuisine recipe
homemade food ready meals service meal
chemical additive delicacy flavor

Verbs
eat out dine out feast on sample
grill roast steam stew

Adjectives
regional unsophisticated crunchy posh
swanky overcooked stodgy tasty
low-cost bitter tender

Phrases
to be full up to eat to the point that you can no longer eat any more
to be starving hungry an exaggerated way of saying you are very hungry
to bolt something down to eat something very quickly
to be dying of hunger an exaggerated way of saying you are hungry
to eat a balanced diet to eat the correct types and amounts of food
to eat like a horse to eat a lot
to follow a recipe to cook a meal using instructions
to foot the bill to pay the bill
a fussy eater somebody who has their own very high standards about what to eat
to grab a bite to eat to eat something quickly (when you‟re in a rush)
to have a sweet tooth to enjoy sugary food
home-cooked food food cooked at home from individual ingredients
the main meal the most important meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening
to make your mouth water to make you feel very hungry for something
to play with your food to push food around the plate to avoid eating it
processed food commercially prepared food bought for convenience

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a quick snack to eat a small amount of food between meals
a ready meal see “processed food”
a slap up meal a large meal
to est something that will stop you feeling hungry when it‟s meal-
to spoil your appetite time
a take away a cooked meal prepared in a restaurant and eaten at home
to tuck into to eat something with pleasure
to wine and dine to entertain someone by treating them to food and drink
to work up an appetite to do physical work that leads to you becoming hungry

Food
Part1 – style questions:
Examiner: Do you like to cook?
Mandy: Not really no … most of the time I eat ready meals and take-aways … that‟s one of the reasons I
love visiting my mum … you can always guarantee lovely home-cooked food …
a ready meal: see „processed food‟
a take away: a cooked meal prepared in a restaurant and eaten at home
me-cooked food: food cooked at home from individual ingredients

Examiner: What time do you usually eat dinner?

Michelle: We have our main meal at around 7.00 … I‟m usually starving hungry by then … in fact I
often grab a bite to eat as soon as I get home from college … a sandwich perhaps … but not too much to
spoil my appetite …

the main meal: the most important meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening
to grab a bite to eat: to eat something quickly (when you‟re in a rush)
to spoil your appetite: to est something that will stop you feeling hungry when it‟s meal-time.
to be starving hungry: an exaggerated way of saying you are very hungry
Examiner: Are there any types of food you don‟t like?
Lionel: No not really … I‟m not a fussy eater at all … actually I eat like a horse … I do a lot of sport
and work up quite an appetite …
to eat like a horse: to eat a lot
a fussy eater: somebody who has their own very high standards about what to eat
to work up an appetite: to do physical work that leads to you becoming hungry

Part 2-style task

Describe a restaurant that you like to use. You should say
where this restaurant is
what kind of food it serves
how often you go there
and say why you like eating there so much

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Howard: OK … this is a nice topic to talk about … there‟s a restaurant just around the corner from where I
live … it‟s an Italian restaurant so as you‟d expect you can eat various pasta dishes and pizzas and I usually
go there with my family for a slap-up meal if we have anything to celebrate … it‟s quite a posh restaurant …
the kind of place you would take someone if you wanted to wine and dine them … we usually order a 3-
course meal … a light starter then a main dish … and I have quite a sweet tooth so I always look forward to
the dessert … I usually order Tiramisu … it makes my mouth water just to think about it … I‟m always
totally full up by the end … why do I enjoy it there … well … it‟s not cheap … my parents always foot the
bill and we couldn‟t afford to go there regularly so it‟s always a nice treat …
to wine and dine: to entertain someone by treating them to food and drink
a slap up meal: a large meal
to be full up: to eat to the point that you can no longer eat any more
to make your mouth water: to make you feel very hungry for something
to have a sweet tooth: to enjoy sugary food
to foot the bill: to pay the bill

Part 3-style questions

Examiner: How can we encourage people to eat more healthily?
Anna: I think the best approach is to have everything in moderation … processed food won‟t kill you if you
only eat it occasionally … but people should also be encouraged to eat a balanced diet… try to cook fresh
ingredients at home a few times a week …
to eat a balanced diet: to eat the correct types and amounts of food
processed food: commercially prepared food bought for convenience

Examiner: Do you think people enjoy their food as much as they should?
Florrie: I don‟t know really … I suppose it‟s true that people will often eat a quick snack because they‟re
bored not because they‟re dying of hunger … and often they just bolt it down and don‟t savour it … so
yes … perhaps we could take more time over our food …
a quick snack: to eat a small amount of food between meals
to be dying of hunger: an exaggerated way of saying you are hungry

Examiner: Do you think cooking is a pleasure or a chore for people who have busy lives?
Julie: Well … whether you follow a recipe of make something up as you go along … I think cooking is a
very creative process … and cooking for other people is a particular pleasure … there‟s nothing more
satisfying than seeing people you love tucking into something you‟ve cooked yourself …
to tuck into: to eat something with pleasure
to follow a recipe: to cook a meal using instructions
Addition:
to bolt something down: to eat something very quickly
to play with your food: to push food around the plate to avoid eating it

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