ESL Podcast 477 - Planning a Gourmet Meal
food critic - a person whose job is to taste food, especially at restaurants, and then write about it, often for a newspaper or magazine, letting other people know whether they should try it too
I read an article by a food critic who said the restaurant was fantastic, but when I went there, I didn't think the food was very good at all.
gourmet - very good food made with the best ingredients and cooking techniques
Tomas makes gourmet desserts, using only the best and most expensive chocolate.
mind-blowing - amazing and surprising; beyond expectations; difficult to believe or understand
The professor gave a mind-blowing lecture. I had no idea computer networks could be so interesting!
cuisine - a type of food, especially if it's from a particular geographic region
Do you prefer Thai or Indian cuisine?
you're only as good as your last (something) - a phrase used to show that it doesn't matter how many times one does something well, because other people will remember only the most recent one
Remember that you're only as good as your last performance, so go on stage and sing as well as you can for each audience.
delicacy - a food that is delicious and not very common, often because it is very expensive and difficult to make
In some countries, frog legs are a delicacy.
hors d'oeuvre - an appetizer; a small amount of food that is served and eaten before the main meal
We ate some delicious crab hors d'oeuvres while we were waiting for our food to be served.
chef - a person whose job is to cook in a restaurant
The food at that restaurant has gotten a lot better since they hired a new chef.
entrée - the main course; the main part of a meal
I ordered spaghetti for the entrée and ice cream for dessert.
to put all of (one's) eggs in one basket - to put all of one's efforts, energy, money, or time into a single project or task, so that if it fails, one fails, but if it is successful, one succeeds
I know you've been working really hard on the Acme project, but don't put all your eggs in one basket. It would be safer to work on several other projects at the same time, just in case the Acme project fails.
course - one part of a meal, such as an appetizer, a soup or salad, an entrée, or a dessert
The main course was lasagna, followed by a delicious tiramisu dessert.
out of this world - very good; unbelievably good
Have you ever listened to their music? That band is out of this world!
run-of-the -mill - ordinary, normal, and not very interesting; just like every other thing; not unique; boring
He paid a lot of money to go to the conference, so he was disappointed that it was just another run-of-the-mill event where he didn't really learn anything new.
mediocre - average; not special or good
Chuck was always a mediocre student, earning Bs and Cs.
mouthwatering - making one very hungry because something is delicious; making one want to eat something
When they walked into the kitchen, they commented on the mouthwatering smell of dinner cooking.
delectable - delicious; very pleasant
That was a delectable soup. Could you please give me the recipe so that I can make it at home?
taste buds - the very small spots on one's tongue that let one sense flavors like sweet, salty, bitter, and sour
Doctors say that we lose our taste buds as we get older, and that's why many old people don't enjoy their food as much as they did when they were younger.