Michael: No, I mean. You know, basically a lot of these animals wouldn’t exist if they weren’t made for meat.

John: Yeah, well, look at, we have all these problems, we’ve got foot and mouth disease, you’ve got, the, erm, what’s that disease called?

Michael: Yeah, but that’s, like, diseases. I mean, you know, there are diseases in humans, but that doesn’t really stop humanity, does it? It’s just, you know, it’s just natural. These things happen.

John: Hey, what’s that I can smell in the kitchen. Smells nice.

Michael: Mmm… That’s right. It’s some bacon. Fancy a sarnie?

John: Oh, I’d love one. I love the smell of a good bacon sarnie.

Vocabulary

Come on – people say this when think someone’s comments are incorrect or stupid

A load of – a lot of

A veggie – a vegetarian – someone who doesn’t eat meat

Pasty – with a sick, unhealthy look on your face

Pale – with no colour on your face

A balanced diet – food that you eat that includes food from all the major food groups

A pulse – food such as lentils (small, round, brown seeds) and beans

Soya – food made from soya beans

Foot and mouth disease – an illness that animals catch such as cows, sheep, etc.

Fancy a …? – would you like a …?

A sarnie – a sandwich (informal)

Discuss in small groups of 3-4 students. Then give your resolution to the whole class.

– What is your attitude to meat? How much meat a day/a week do you need? Which meat do you prefer: pork, beef or mutton?

– Can you stay without meat? For how long?

– Do you know any veggies personally? How have they come to such way of life? How do they feel without meat? Does their way of life influence on their health? In what way?

– What could make you become a veggie? Why/Why not?

Two British men, Frank and Daniel, are talking about the famous English breakfast. Read their dialogue and answer the questions:

1. What does the British breakfast consist of?

2. What arguments are there in favour of the English breakfast?

3. What arguments are there against the English breakfast?

Frank: Oh, I feel great! I just had a British brekkie. I’m absolutely stuffed.

Daniel: But if you think having a breakfast then feeling like that afterwards is good, then I don’t understand you.

Frank: Ah, it was brilliant! It was sausages, beans, tomato, bacon, egg, black pudding, potatoes, mushrooms, toast, fried bread, tea, orange – the works. It was the business.

Daniel: You’ve just made a long list of all the types of food that none of us should be eating. It’s just completely unhealthy. Why, why abuse your body like that?

Frank: Unhealthy? It’s got everything, it’s got carbohydrates, it’s got protein, it’s got vitamins in the orange juice. It’s good. It’s a complete meal and it’s enough to keep you going.

Daniel: Whatever it’s got in it, it’s, then you just ruin it. You just pour a load of grease on it and fry it up and that must kill any nutrient or vitamin it’s got inside it.

Frank: Oh, it’s wonderful. Anyway, what do you fancy for lunch today?

Daniel: Oh, I don’t know. Bit of bacon, a bit of egg, few beans…

Frank: What? You mean, er, a British breakfast?

Daniel: Ah, that’s not a breakfast. This is lunch. That’s different.

Vocabulary

A brekkie – a breakfast (informal)

Absolutely stuffed – you have eaten too much and you are full (informal)

The works – everything (informal)

It was the business – it was really, really good (informal)

To keep you going – the food is very filling and you don’t need to eat again for a long time

To pour – to move liquid from one container to another

Grease – fat from food

To fry up – to cook food with a lot of oil

Anyway – people use this expression to change the direction of the conversation

Er/erm – this is the noise that people make while they are thinking about what to say next

Discuss in small groups of 3-4 students. Then give your resolution to the whole class.