When my husband and I travel to different countries, we always make sure we know how to say 1 key phrase in the language of that country. The 1 phrase is: Beer, Please. It has come in handy! With that aside, there are other phrases that are useful when ordering food and drinks at a restaurants.
Look at this menu and try to work through the dialog below.
Menu:
Stuffed Mushrooms (order of 5) – $6
Hamburger with Avocado Slices -$10
Tofu Hot Dog with Relish- $5
Split Pea Soup and Garden Salad – $4
Fries Covered in Chili- $2
Hushpuppies – $3
Coke – $2
Iced Tea – $2
Milk – $1
Exercise:
A waiter comes up to you and asks you questions. Answer him in whichever way you would like:
Waiter – Hello. How are you today?
You –
Waiter – Are you ready to order?
You –
Waiter – What would you like to have today?
You –
Waiter – and to drink?
You –
Waiter – And while you are waiting, would you like an appetizer?
You –
There are many different ways to order food, here are just a few ways that you could’ve answered:
I’d like to order a hamburger.
I’d like some hushpuppies, please.
Could I order a hamburger with extra pickles.
May I have everything on the menu! I’m starved!
A hamburger, please. And a side of fries. (Side is short for side order. It’s something you eat along with the main course.)
I want a hamburger, hold the onions. (Hold the onions means that they don’t want onions on the hamburger. You can say ‘hold’ for anything. Hold the mayo. Hold the mustard, etc.)
I think I’ll have some iced tea, as well.
Just water please, tap water.
hmmmm, and a coke. (On a side note, if you order iced tea in South Carolina and many Southern states, they will ask you, “Sweetened or Unsweetened?” Sweetened is super sweet iced tea sweetened with sugar. In other states like Texas and in the West and North, you will simply get unsweetened tea.)
One other thing – if you order a drink, you will get it with ice. So, if you don’t want ice you will have to say, “No ice please.”
Never heard of hushpuppies? Here is an article about them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hushpuppy