Learning a new food culture ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Summary

In this episode of 6 Minute English, Neil and Beth explore how people adapt to new cultures through food. They discuss the surprising names of traditional British meals like 'toad-in-the-hole' and delve into the food challenges faced by Natalia from Ukraine and Rachel from England, who both moved to different countries. Natalia had to adapt her Ukrainian recipes with Dutch ingredients, while Rachel experienced a 'shock' with the seasoning techniques in the Caribbean. The episode also touches on the famous British 'cream tea' debate and introduces vocabulary like 'comfort zone,' 'staple,' and 'trial and error.'

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Food can be a surprising and challenging aspect of adapting to a new culture.
• 🌍 Natalia Tkachenko, a Ukrainian refugee, had to adapt her cooking to Dutch ingredients after moving to the Netherlands.
• 🏠 Natalia's experience is an example of stepping out of one's comfort zone and adapting to new environments.
• 🥞 The English dish 'toad-in-the-hole' is an example of food with a misleading name, made with sausages, not toads.
• 🍵 The cream tea debate in Britain is about the order of cream and jam on scones, with a traditional preference for cream first.
• 🥧 Rachel Winter-Roach, a British dietitian, found seasoning in the Caribbean to be a complex and personal aspect of cooking.
• 🌿 Seasoning in the Caribbean involves multiple layers and personal tweaks, requiring practice and adaptation.
• 🧂 The process of trial and error is a common way to learn and adapt to new cooking styles and flavors.
• 📚 The program explores the importance of food in understanding a culture and the challenges of adapting to new food environments.
• ⏰ The program emphasizes the value of learning and adapting through experiences with food in different cultures.

Q & A

What is the topic of the 6 Minute English episode?

The episode explores people's first impressions of a new culture through its food and how they adapt to unfamiliar culinary environments.

Why might someone be surprised by the name 'toad-in-the-hole'?

Someone might be surprised because 'toad' refers to an animal, but the dish is actually made with sausages, not toads.

Who are the two women mentioned in the programme, and what challenges did they face?

The two women are Natalia Tkachenko, a refugee from Ukraine, and Rachel Winter-Roach, a dietitian from England. Natalia faced challenges adjusting to Dutch ingredients, while Rachel had to adapt to the heavy use of seasoning in Caribbean cooking.

What does the term 'comfort zone' mean in the context of the programme?

It refers to a situation where someone feels secure and in control. Natalia felt out of her comfort zone when she moved to the Netherlands and had to adapt to new ingredients.

What does it mean to 'adapt,' and how did Natalia do this?

To adapt means to change to fit into a new situation. Natalia adapted by learning to cook with Dutch ingredients and finding replacements for Ukrainian staples.

What is a 'staple' food, and how is it relevant to Natalia's experience?

A staple food is a basic and important food regularly eaten by a large portion of the population. Natalia struggled initially because some of the staple foods from Ukraine weren't available in the Netherlands.

What surprised Rachel Winter-Roach about the food in the Caribbean?

Rachel was surprised by the heavy use of seasoning, which involved multiple layers of flavors and required a lot of trial and error to master.

What does the phrase 'to be in for a shock' mean, and how does it apply to Rachel?

The phrase means to be guaranteed to experience a surprising or unpleasant situation. Rachel was in for a shock due to the different seasoning practices in the Caribbean.

What is the debate surrounding the traditional British 'cream tea'?

The debate is about whether to put cream or jam onto the scone first. Neil guessed correctly that it is about this, and the programme humorously states that people who put jam first are 'wrong.'

What does 'trial and error' mean, and how did it apply to Rachel's cooking experience?

Trial and error refers to solving problems by trying different methods and learning from mistakes. Rachel used trial and error to get used to Caribbean seasoning methods, which her family did not always appreciate.