The Internet TESL Journal

Web-based Cultural Lesson: Restaurants & Food

Emma de Dios Álvarez
dediose [at] lia.uva.es
http://members.nbci.com/Liduina00/index/Bienvenidos.html
University of Valladolid (Valladolid, Spain)

Introduction

Students' inadequate knowledge of the world is reflected not only in their lack of foreign language skills, but also in their general ignorance of basic information about other peoples and nations. One of the important problems language instructors face is the teaching of a foreign culture. The Internet is an excellent way to approach the issue due to following reasons:

• The texts are written for native speakers and not adapted to the students' level.
• The students are the center of attention, and not the instructor.
• The gathering of information is dynamic.

Overview

After first introducing the students to the basics of computers and the Internet, the following three-part lesson provides practice in the classroom.

• In class, teach the most important vocabulary related to food in English speaking countries. Also, do not forget to deal with different habits or beliefs.
• The second part of this lesson is practical, allowing the students to surf the Web with the instructor's guidance. Students are provided with several exercises aimed at pointing out differences between the two cultures.
• The third part requires the students to get involved in cooking food.

The Lesson

After studying English for a long time, you finally have the opportunity to go to New York City with your class. One of the first things you would like to do is taste the local cuisine. Thus, you are going to read one of these two web pages of restaurants in New York City in order to know what kind of food you are going to find.

Part 1:

Before reading the web page, think of the kind of information you are likely to find. Answer yes or no to the following statements. Talk to a classmate and find out what he/she thinks. Then, ask your instructor.

• ____ You usually leave 10 to 15% of the total bill as a tip for the waiter/waitress.
• ____ Lunch and dinner take place from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. respectively.
• ____ Very frequently people say grace before they begin to eat.
• ____ You need not make reservations to dine at a restaurant on weekends.
• ____ Men usually sit down at the table before women do.
• ____ People ask for permission before leaving the table.
• ____ The host serves himself first and then he serves his guests.
• ____ It is considered polite to leave the table before everyone else is done.
• ____ Desserts are never eaten.
• ____ The most important meal is lunch.

Part 2:

• Choose one of the web addresses provided below.
  • http://www.menumart.com/thegreenhouse/
  • http://www.menumart.com/waterhouse/
• Fill this out with the information you have found on the page.
  • Name of the restaurant _______________________
  • Postal address _______________________
  • Telephone number _______________________
  • E-mail address _______________________
  • Schedule _______________________
• Fill this out with what you plan to eat.
  • Lunch
  • Appetizer _______________________
  • Soup _______________________
  • Pasta _______________________
  • Fish _______________________
  • Meat _______________________
  • Dessert _______________________
  • Dinner
  • Appetizer _______________________
  • Soup _______________________
  • Pasta _______________________
  • Fish _______________________
  • Meat _______________________
  • Dessert _______________________
• Write a list of the differences you can find when comparing American and Spanish restaurants (opening hours, prices or kind of food for example). You will compare your list with the rest of the class later on.

Part 3:

For next week, choose one of the recipes you can find on the following page. For this purpose, go to the "most recent recipes" section. Click on one. Read it carefully and look up any words you may not know. Cook it at home. Then, bring it to class so that we can know whether you are a good cook or not!

• http://www.recipexchange.com/recipexchange_cfmfiles/recipes.cfm

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The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VII, No. 3, March 2001
http://iteslj.org/

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http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Alvarez-Restaurant.html