BRITISH CUISINE

       Some people criticize English food. They say it’s unima­ginable, boring, tasteless, it’s chips with everything and to­tally overcooked vegetables.

       The basic ingredients, when fresh, are so full of flavour that British haven’t had to invent sauces to disguise their na­tural taste. What can compare with fresh pees or new potatoes just boiled and served with butter? Why drown spring lamb in wine or cream and spices, when with just one or two herbs it is absolutely delicious?

        If you ask foreigners to name some typically English di­shes, they will probably say «Fish and chips» then stop. It is disappointing, but true that, there is no tradition in England of eating in restaurants, because the food doesn’t lend itself to such preparation. English cooking is found at home. So it is difficult to find a good English restaurant with reasonable prices.

        In most cities in Britain you’ll find Indian, Chinese, French, and Italian restaurants. In London you’ll also find Indonesian, Mexican, Greek... Cynics will say that this is because English have no «cuisine» themselves, but this is not quite the true.

QUESTIONS:

1. What do foreigners say when they criticize English food?

2. Do English people use a lot of sauces?

3. From a foreigner’s point of view, what are typically En­glish dishes?

4. Do all English eat in restaurants?

5. What kind of restaurants can you find in Britain?

6. Is it the true that English have no cuisine?

VOCABULARY:

to criticize — критиковать

tasteless — безвкусный

overcooked — переваренный

ingredient — ингредиент, составная часть

to invent — изобретать

sauces — соус

to disguise — скрыть

spice — специя, пряность

herb — трава

delicious — очень вкусный

disappointing — обидно

to lend — одалживать

cuisine — кухня