Intro
Do you know where all the foods on your dinner plate came from? Do you think it would taste better if you did?
The local food movement is gaining popularity in the US right now. It is all about eating locally-grown fruits and vegetables, and buying meat and dairy products from locally-raised animals. People who believe in eating locally say that local foods are fresher, healthier, and better for the environment than foods that have to travel long distances to get to your plate. Hear Marni and Amy’s take on this new trend.
Devan: What’s that?
Marni: Everything on the plate was local ingredients. That’s what they specialize in.
Devan: Local? You mean, like, they grew them around here? Like a farm nearby?
Marni: Yeah. Actually, outside the restaurant they have a little garden area, so a lot of the vegetables and herbs are grown there. And then all the meat they get sourced from only 30 miles away or something like that. So everything is within a 30-mile radius.
Devan: So what’s the benefit of that? Is it more flavorful or nutritious?
Marni: I think so. I think having homegrown ingredients you really taste a difference, because it’s picked more recently, prepared more recently…
Devan: Was it all organic?
Marni: Most of it was. And I just absolutely loved it. I would eat there again day after day.
Devan: What did you order?
Marni: I ordered an heirloom tomato salad, and it had a lot of fresh basil, and there was cheese from a goat farm that was about 20 miles away. And then I had a steak.
Devan: That sounds pretty good. But I doubt it beats McDonald’s.
Marni: Ah! We need to go there and you will see that eating local is the way to go.
The local food movement is gaining popularity in the US right now. It is all about eating locally-grown fruits and vegetables, and buying meat and dairy products from locally-raised animals. People who believe in eating locally say that local foods are fresher, healthier, and better for the environment than foods that have to travel long distances to get to your plate. Hear Marni and Amy’s take on this new trend.
Dialogue (Download Audio Here)
Marni: Devan, I had the most amazing meal at a local restaurant. And you know what was so amazing about it?Devan: What’s that?
Marni: Everything on the plate was local ingredients. That’s what they specialize in.
Devan: Local? You mean, like, they grew them around here? Like a farm nearby?
Marni: Yeah. Actually, outside the restaurant they have a little garden area, so a lot of the vegetables and herbs are grown there. And then all the meat they get sourced from only 30 miles away or something like that. So everything is within a 30-mile radius.
Devan: So what’s the benefit of that? Is it more flavorful or nutritious?
Marni: I think so. I think having homegrown ingredients you really taste a difference, because it’s picked more recently, prepared more recently…
Devan: Was it all organic?
Marni: Most of it was. And I just absolutely loved it. I would eat there again day after day.
Devan: What did you order?
Marni: I ordered an heirloom tomato salad, and it had a lot of fresh basil, and there was cheese from a goat farm that was about 20 miles away. And then I had a steak.
Devan: That sounds pretty good. But I doubt it beats McDonald’s.
Marni: Ah! We need to go there and you will see that eating local is the way to go.
Discussion
Marni just ate a great meal at a restaurant that only serves food made with local ingredients; everything they serve, from vegetables to meat, comes from, at most, 30 miles away.
Devan wonders what the big deal is: is local food more flavorful, or nutritious? Marni thinks it is. In fact, her salad and steak tasted so good that she could imagine eating there every day. Devan’s still not sure…could local food really be better than McDonald’s?
Do you know where the food you eat is grown? Do you care? Do you think that locally-grown food is more flavorful, or better for you—or do you prefer fast food?
Devan wonders what the big deal is: is local food more flavorful, or nutritious? Marni thinks it is. In fact, her salad and steak tasted so good that she could imagine eating there every day. Devan’s still not sure…could local food really be better than McDonald’s?
Do you know where the food you eat is grown? Do you care? Do you think that locally-grown food is more flavorful, or better for you—or do you prefer fast food?
Grammar Point
Second Conditional
Marni liked the local food restaurant so much that she says she would eat there day after day. This is an example of the second conditional.
Usually, the second conditional begins with an if statement. We can imagine that Marni might have completed her sentence by saying, ...if I had an unlimited budget.
The second conditional is used to talk about imagined or unreal situations and their consequences. Marni does not, actually, have an unlimited budget.
We usually form the second conditional with two clauses, one with if + past tense verb and the other with would + verb, as in, “I would eat only organic food if it were cheaper.”
Which is correct, “She would eat healthier food if she had more time,” or, “She would eat healthier food if she has more time”?
Marni liked the local food restaurant so much that she says she would eat there day after day. This is an example of the second conditional.
Usually, the second conditional begins with an if statement. We can imagine that Marni might have completed her sentence by saying, ...if I had an unlimited budget.
The second conditional is used to talk about imagined or unreal situations and their consequences. Marni does not, actually, have an unlimited budget.
We usually form the second conditional with two clauses, one with if + past tense verb and the other with would + verb, as in, “I would eat only organic food if it were cheaper.”
Which is correct, “She would eat healthier food if she had more time,” or, “She would eat healthier food if she has more time”?
Quiz
- What’s special about the restaurant that Marni visited?
- According to Marni, what makes local food more flavorful and nutritious?
- Vegans don’t eat any dairy. That means they __.
- Devan wonders if the local restaurant can really beat McDonald’s. That means she __.
- Which of these foods did Marni NOT eat for dinner?
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