Food to Make Dinner for Friends (Intermediate)

Practice on Your Own

Imagine that you have invited new friends to a meal at your home in your new host country. Plan what foods and drinks you will prepare for them.

• Make a shopping list for the ingredients you need in the language you are learning. Be sure to include how much you need to buy for each ingredient.
• Figure out what types of markets, stores, or sellers you need to go to for each ingredient. If you are unsure, prepare questions for your conversation partner about where is the best place to buy each ingredient.
• Plan ahead for what you need to say to sellers and shopkeepers. How will you greet them? How do you indicate what you need? What questions might they ask back to you? Will there be fixed prices or do you need to bargain? Do you know any phrases for bargaining?
• Prepare to tell your guests what you are serving and what ingredients are in each dish or drink.

Practice in Conversation Session

• Be prepared to tell your conversation partner and classmates what you intend to serve your guests. Your conversation partner may follow up with questions about ingredients or other attributes about the food.
• Consult with your conversation partner about the best place to buy your ingredients and ask any questions you have about how the ingredients are sold. Ask about bargaining or fixed prices.
• Be prepared to role play situations in which your conversation partner plays the role of the seller or shopkeeper and you interact with the person. Greet the person in a culturally appropriate way, ask for what you need, role play the conversation, bargain if necessary.
• Follow‐up dinner conversation: Imagine you are with your friends and they ask you how the various dishes you are serving are made. Given the language you know now, how much can you tell them about how to make the various dishes? Can you ask them in turn about some of their favorite dishes and how they are made?