I think we can all agree that #foodislife. When it comes to food, there are so many varieties we can choose from. From Italian Pizza to French Croissants, Shepherd’s Pie to Belgian Waffles, even Hyderabadi Biriyani! The list is endless. It can be really hard to pick a favourite food, but I’m sure we all have one, and we all talk about it too.
Sometimes though, we all face problems when trying to accurately convey exactly what we’re trying to say.
Read on to learn exactly what to say, to make your partner understand why you love your favourite food. Happy learning!
So, let’s start by taking a basic situation that all of us can relate to, and work from there.
*You’ve just joined a new job, and as part of the ice-breaking session, your manager asks you and your co-workers to talk about your favourite food*
Read on to find the overall flow, specific vocabulary, phrases, and expressions that can be used for an effective and fluent conversation on this topic. Right below is your guide to having an engaging conversation!
A conversation has specific phases that it goes through. Here is a quick look at what we have guarantee you a smooth conversation.
Content : What is it that you are going to talk about?
Use the wh questions along with the keywords to help you put together the content.
Where did you come across the food? – Mom made it, sampled it at a party, restaurant etc.
What is the flavour of the food like? – Sweet, Spicy, Sour, Tangy* etc.
What type of cuisine is it? – French, Mexican, Italian etc.
Why do you like the food? – Flavour, texture, nutrition etc.
What kind of meal is it? – Starter, Main Course, Dessert, Appetizer etc.
Choosing Contextual Vocabulary
Choosing contextual vocabulary to suit the scenario you’re talking about can be very important when it comes to giving depth and clarity to what you’re trying to say, as well as piquing* your partner’s attention. In this case, you’re talking about your favourite food.
Listed below are a few words and phrases that could come in handy while elaborating on the dish you like. Additionally, the meanings of a few starred (*) words are given at the end of this article that you could also use!
- Cuisine
- Recipe
- Taste
- Palate*
- Flavour
- Aroma
- Texture
- Mouthfeel*
- Culinary
- Seasoning
- Garnish*
- Accompaniments*
- Beverage
- Meal Course
- Cutlery
Similarly. given below are a few descriptive words and phrases that you could use to make your conversation more interesting!
- Detailed recipe.
- Rich and heavy meal.
- Secret family recipe.
- Well-done/rare/medium/very rare cuts etc.
- Well-balanced seasoning.
- Well-executed garnish and presentation.
- Sharp, complementing flavours.
- Childhood memories.
- Flawless dish construction.
- Light and fluffy dessert. (Could be used to describe mousse, cakes etc.)
- Smoky meat. (Could be used to describe Barbeque, grill etc.)
- Creamy food (ice cream, mac ‘n’ cheese, melted chocolate etc.)
- Crunchy texture
- Greasy and oily.
- Unpleasantly bitter or tart*
Organizing the Content : Putting it all together to create a comprehensive picture
Now that we know what to talk about and the words to use, let us put them in a logical order.
Initiate the conversation by bringing up the food you like, this could be done in many ways. One such way is given below.
‘As asked, my favourite food is Fish & Chips’
‘Express your excitement over the dish – this could be why you brought the dish into the conversation in the first place.
‘My mom makes the best fish and chips, she uses a secret family recipe that’s been passed down for generations!’
Talk about why you liked the dish – here are 5 examples of things you could say
- The dish was flawlessly constructed, all its components were cooked to perfection.
- The dessert was light and fluffy, perfect after the filling main course.
- The meat was very well done, not undercooked, not overdone, but roasted just right.
- The pudding had a very crunchy texture that gave me an interesting mouthfeel, it was delicious!
- The dish reminds me of my childhood, it fills me with nostalgia.*
Tell your conversational partner why you think they should try the dish, for example :-
- I know you have a sweet tooth* so you have to try this pudding, it’s simply sublime.*
- You’re always complaining about how vegetarian dishes are so limited in variety. Well, I just discovered this new paneer dish that will have your mouth watering, you must try it!
- The roasted pork they serve at that bistro down the street is brilliant! I love it’s crunchy skin and juicy texture, you should try it sometime.
- You have to try out that new pizza joint, they have all sorts of pizzas, even dessert pizzas!
- You should try my mom’s Fish and Chips, I can promise you it will be the best Fish and Chips you’ve ever had!
A model answer would be as follows :-
My favourite food would definitely have to be ‘fish and chips.’ My mom makes the best fish and chips, she uses a secret family recipe that’s been handed down for generations. She cooks the fish just right, so it almost melts in your mouth when you take a bite. She also seasons it to perfection, it’s neither too spicy, nor too bland. She used to make it for me when I got home from school sometimes. Ah, those were the best days! Whenever I eat fish and chips, I am reminded of my childhood, although nobody makes it as well as my mother! I would love to bring some homemade fish and chips to work sometime, I can guarantee you all will enjoy it.
Meanings of starred (*) words
- Tangy – Having a strong, sharp flavour.
- Pique – Arouse interest.
- Palate – a person’s ability to distinguish between and appreciate different flavours.
- Mouthfeel – the way an item of food or drink feels in the mouth, as distinct from its taste.
- Accompaniments – Highly flavoured seasonings of various kinds offered with certain dishes.
- Garnish – A small amount of food used to decorate other food.
- Tart – sharp or acid in taste.
- Nostalgia – Desire to revisit the past.
- Sweet tooth – a great liking for sweet-tasting foods.
- Sublime – Perfect.
- Bistro – A bistro or bistrot, is a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting with alcohol
