American food

Characteristisc of American kitchen

Athough generally american food is fat, caloric and unhealthy, it is not only fast food.  Americans generally consume three meals per day -  rich breakfast, lunch and dinner in the evening at the time of our dinner.

BREAKFAST

The most common - cereals - corny and  farinacerous or pancakes with wheat or corn flour, topped with maple syrup. Eggs with bacon or ham is also very popular dish. Traditional american breakfast should  obligatory include coffee with cream and glass of fruit juice.

LUNCH

It usually takes place in rush - in the town - during a break at work.  The most frequently, it consists of sandwiches such as hamburger or just slices of ham, turkey breast or steak on bread which can be made very fast and in bulk. Pastas, casseroles, enchiladas and soups are also commonly eaten.

DINNER

Dinner is as abundant as the morning meal abd consists of a minimum of three courses. A  main dish - usually meat (steak, chicken breast, pork chops, meat loaf ) , a starch (baked or mashed potato, rice, macaroni and cheese, beans ) and some kind of vegetable, often steamed, or a side salad.

Questions:

1. Check the degree of obesity in America caused by fondness to junk food.
2. Find out whether fast food is cheaper or more expensive than healthy food.

Must-See Places in America

GRAND CANYON

Measuring approximately 277 miles in length, up to 18 miles in width and a mile deep, this massive chasm in northern Arizona is truly a natural wonder. For six million years, the Grand Canyon has expanded with the help of the Colorado River, and for centuries, people from all over the globe have traveled to see it (around 4.5 million per year).

MAUI

For many Hawaii vacationers, Maui is just right — offering a taste of just about everything the Aloha State has to offer, from impressive wildlife to intriguing history and culture. While on a visit here, you can shimmy alongside professional hula dancers, golf along coastal fairways, snorkel alongside five different types of sea turtles or simply lounge along some of Hawaii's most notable beaches.

YELLOWSTONE

With dramatic peaks and pristine lakes, Yellowstone is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise. Multicolored pools swirl around hot springs; verdant forests weave past expansive meadows; and volatile geysers launch streams of steaming water toward the sky. Nowadays, there's no doubt that the park is indeed extraordinary. While you walk through the park's 3,000-plus square miles of mountains, canyons, geysers and waterfalls, be prepared to share the trails with permanent residents like buffalo, elk and sometimes even grizzlies.

YOSEMITE

One of California's most beautiful natural landscapes, Yosemite National Park features nearly 1,200 square miles of sheer awe: towering waterfalls, millennia-old Sequoia trees, daunting cliff faces and some of the most unique rock formations in the United States. But despite its enormous size, most of the tourist activity takes place within a 7-square-mile area of Yosemite Valley. Even inexperienced hikers can enjoy Yosemite: Guided tours and climbing lessons are available from local adventure outfitters. Just don't expect to experience it by yourself. Like so many other American tourist destinations, crowds are the biggest obstacles to an enjoyable Yosemite vacation – at least 4 million people visit each year.

SAN FRANCISCO

A jumbled collage of colorful neighborhoods and beautiful views, San Francisco draws those free-spirited types who have an eye for edgy art, a taste for imaginative cuisine and a zeal for adventure. It's really not surprising that songwriter Tony Bennett left his heart here: The city boasts jaw-dropping sights, world-class cuisine, cozy cafes and plenty of booming nightlife venues — there's no shortage of ways to stay busy here. Spend an hour or two sunning yourself alongside sea lions on the bay, admiring the views of the city from Twin Peaks, or strolling along the Marina.

NEW YORK CITY

Cool, cosmopolitan, crowded, constantly evolving … the Big Apple blends big-city splendor with small-town charm. Amid Gotham's iconic landmarks and towering skyscrapers, you'll experience a vibrant culture permeating each of the city's distinctive neighborhoods and boroughs. Follow trendsetters to the East Village and Brooklyn to check out indie boutiques, iconic bakeries and trendy coffee shops. Afterward, peruse the racks of the sleek shops lining Fifth Avenue, admire the cutting-edge art collections at the MoMa and the Met, catch a memorable show on Broadway or sit down for a meal at the latest "it" restaurant.

1. Choose one place where you would really want to go.

2. In groups: make a poster, present fun activities, facts about that place.

3. Present it.

much food = no good

Precisely.  What does Christmas mean to you?

Dinner tables full of food? Turkeys, mince pies, puddings – all set with a Christmas tree in the background.

It’s a common image this time of year; but it often ends in huge amounts of food being wasted.

There is a cultural threat indeed as far as plenty of commercials tell you:

Buy tone of food. Be happy (and fat).

They always forget to mention: and throw it away later, you idiot.





Our close friends, Brits suggest that last year, 4.2 million Christmas dinners were wasted across the United Kingdom, according to Unilever.

The figure is the equivalent to:
263,000 turkeys;
7.5 million mince pies;
740,000 slices of Christmas pudding;
17.2 million Brussels sprouts;
11.9 million carrots
11.3 million roast potatoes.




Each host spends an average of £112 on food alone, which amounts to £64 million of squandered food each Christmas.

What about you, America? Going to do anything?

What would be a positive kind of competition with the Islanders is to beat them at the lowering this amount.

Task to do: If left with too much Christmas food, go volunteering, support the homeless.

Cola wars

One of the icons of America - Cola.

But which one? Coke or Pepsi?

The neverending war between those two similar beverages goes on and on. PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company have been fighting for a century already!

Both sodas were invented in the end of the 19th century and were gaining popularity swiftly. Today, cola is one of the most popular beverages, if not the most popular.

Such similarities and the same target cause the fight between those two manufacturers. PepsiCo and Coca Cola Company competed with the variety of sodas firstly:
Diet Coke/Coke Light vs. Diet Pepsi/Pepsi Light
Fanta vs. Mirinda
Sprite vs. 7UP and so on....
However, it was not enough. In 1975 the Pepsi producer decided to show which product is better. They chose a few shopping malls and organized a blind test (Pepsi Challenge) by pouring both, Coke and Pepsi to cups and making people choose. Pepsi turned out to be a more common choice. Such events are still being held. But in the 70s and 80s PepsiCo was even more aggressively fighting for consumers. Their commercials showed the biggest stars and celebrities choosing Pepsi as well. Among them were such people like Michael Jackson, David Bowie or Madonna. The Coca Cola Company reacted strongly with their own commercials with Whitney Houston, Elton John or George Michael.

Today, Coca Cola seems to be winning the war with 42% market share (Pepsi has 31%) in 2013. However, the operating income is similar (both companies ca. $8.5 billion).

And which one do you choose?

The Best-Known Sweet Snacks in the US

The Best-Known Sweet Snacks in the US

There are many aspects when it comes to American culture and food is definitely one of them. As we know, every country has its characteristic snacks and candy, but in the USA some of them have become, in a sense, iconic for American culture. Whenever we watch American movies or TV-shows, it is hard not to see someone eating one of America's treasured sweet snacks. Here are some examples:

1. Skippy Peanut Butter

One of the best selling brands of peanut butter.

2. Reese's 

A chocolate cup confection made of milk or dark chocolate-coated peanut butter.

3. Butterfinger

 

A candy bar consisting of a crispy core of creamy peanut butter blended with sugar candy in chocolate coating.

4. Maple Syrup

Usually made from different kinds of maple trees, it is usually eaten with pancakes and waffles.

5. Oreo

 A sandwich cookie consisting of two chocolate wafers with a sweet creme filling in between.

6. Froot Loops or Fruity Cheerios

These are two brands of ring-shaped, fruit flavored breakfast cereal, which come in many different bright colors and flavors.

7. Waffles

It is a very popular choice for a typical American breakfast. They are often eaten with maple syrup.


8. M&M's

Those colorful button-shaped chocolates are easily found in many countries nowadays, but they originated in the US. The two most known varieties of M&M's are with chocolate and the ones with peanuts.
9. Candy Corn

One of the most popular candy during Halloween, which colors are supposed to resemble the kernels of real corn. 

10. Snickers

Incredibly popular chocolate candy bar consisting of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts.

11. Hershey's

 It is one of the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. It has a specific and unique taste of a typical American chocolate.

12. Ben & Jerry's

 It is a company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet with varieties of flavours and tastes.

TASKS:

1. Try to find more examples of characteristic sweets in the USA. Add them to the following list with some pictures and short descriptions.

Brownie - American sad layer

              Not everyone likes when the cake happens to have a sad layer. But this issue in that case does not exhist. Brownie is an intesively chocolate cake which derives from American cousine. Its flatness, wetness and delicateness of the top layer make brownie one of the most popular cakes in the whole world.

 

                            History of Brownie

       The popular history reads that brownie was created by total accident. While one of the housewives was preparing the cake for the guests, she completely forgot to add baking powder. Even though the cake came out to be a sad layer, she decided to cut the cake into even squares and serve it. To housewife's surprise, the guests did enjoy the dessert very much. Brownie became a base of American desserts and what is more it rolled up to Europe where the original recipe underwent many modifications.

Recipe

 200g of dark chocolate

150g of butter

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

250g of sugar

100g of flour

4 eggs

1 teaspoon of cocoa

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 pinch of salt 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation 

 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C )

2. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan

3. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter and dark chocolate. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat in 1 teaspoon of cocoa, 100g of flour, salt and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan. 

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

Topping is not obligatory. 

 

 

 

 

Delicious pumpkin pie

                          A SWEET DESSERT- PUMPKIN PIE

 

There is no Thanksgiving without this traditional american pie. Pumpkin, which symbolises the harvest time is usually eaten during the fall and early winter.