BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Food and Drink' English mega-class! One hour of new vocabulary!

Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.  

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English!  I'm Neil and I'm Catherine. Catherine,  

I'm going to start this program with a quick test  just for you! Oh, I love tests! Complete this  

phrase - wake up and smell the ... Coffee! Coffee,  Neil, it's coffee! I have to say that I love  

coffee, it's great. Yeah, okay, so do you drink  much? Well, just a couple of cups, you know. Uh,  

every day? No, no, every hour! I love  coffee, don't you like coffee, Neil?  

I do. Maybe not as much as you! What's the  best thing about it? Oh, it's the smell,  

it's got to be the smell. You know when  you open the packet, it's great, isn't it?  

Uh, yes, but it never quite tastes as good as  it smells, does it? Well, no. It's always a bit  

disappointing. I live in hope. Another cup, I  think it'll be better. I might change brands,  

actually, try a different one. Yeah, okay. You've  had quite a lot of coffee today, haven't you? Oh,  

just the usual six cups. Well, our topic is  the smell of coffee and coffee is also the  

subject of today's question: the world's biggest  producer of coffee is.... Brazil, Brazil. Yes,  

yes, but that's not the question. The question is:  Brazil is the biggest coffee producer - which is  

the second largest coffee producing country? Is  it a) Colombia, b) Vietnam or c) Ethiopia? Right,  

so it's not Brazil but I bet it's another South  American country so I'm gonna go for Colombia.  

Colombia is that right? Okay, we'll have the  answer later in the program by which time maybe  

the caffeine will have left your body, Catherine.  Tim Hayward is a coffee shop owner. He appeared  

in the BBC radio 4 program, the Kitchen Cabinet.  How important does he say the smell of coffee is?  

Absolutely vital, it's the key thing and you  when you walk into the coffee shop in the  

morning and that smell hits you, you're getting  physiological responses. So, how important is it?  

I'm feeling a bit calmer now. Tim Hayward says  the smell of coffee is vital. That means it's  

very important, it's perhaps the most important  thing. And he backs this up by saying that it's  

the key thing. Something that's key is essential,  it's really important. And, he says that when you  

experience the smell, when the smell hits you,  you get a physiological response. This phrase  

means your body has a reaction to the smell of  coffee - perhaps your mouth begins to water in  

anticipation. Catherine, when you get a coffee  do you normally have it there or take it away?  

Well, I usually take it away, although if  I'm feeling really in need of a coffee hit,  

I might have one there and then get another one to  take with me. Can you describe the container that  

you're given when you have a coffee to go? Yes,  it's in a tall paper cup with a lid and the lid  

has a hole in it so that I can drink that lovely  coffee. Don't you think that's a problem? I mean,  

we know how important the smell is, so what's the  effect of the lid on that experience? The effect  

of the lid? Yeah, well, here's Tim Hayward again,  talking about coffee being served with lids. What  

baffles me is how many of the large coffee chains  actually sell a product in a cup that removes the  

smell. So, you walk into the coffee shop, you  get the smell but when you actually take the  

drink out, you're drinking it from something  that's designed to deliver the hot liquid  

directly past your tongue but stop any smell  coming up to your nose. That's just weird. So,  

what is it he's describing there? I see, yes,  he's talking about the big coffee chains.  

A chain is a company that has lots of its stores  in towns and cities, sometimes around the world.  

I think we can all think of a few well-known  coffee chains, and he says that by putting a  

lid on takeaway cups, you're actually blocking  the smell. That smell that is really important  

to the coffee experience. Yes, and he says he  finds that weird, which is a way of saying he  

finds it unusual - thinks it's strange, odd. So  much so, that he says it baffles him. If you are  

baffled by something you find it confusing.  You can't really understand it. Here's Tim  

Hayward again. What baffles me is how many of  the large coffee chains actually sell a product  

in a cup that removes the smell. So, you walk  into the coffee shop, you get the smell but when  

you actually take the drink out you're drinking  it from something that's designed to deliver the  

hot liquid directly past your tongue but stop  any smell coming up to your nose. That's just  

weird. That was coffee shop owner Tim Hayward.  Right, before we have another cup of this week's  

vocabulary, let's get the answer to the question.  After Brazil, which country produces most coffee?  

Is it a) Colombia, b) Vietnam or c) Ethiopia?  Catherine, you said... I said it was a) Colombia.  

Ah, sorry, no extra coffee for you today. The  answer is Vietnam. And now on to the vocabulary  

we looked at. Take it away, Catherine. So, the  first word was vital, which is an adjective that  

means very important. And another word with a very  similar meaning was key, meaning essential. Next,  

we had the phrase, physiological responses.  Physiological refers to what our bodies do  

and a response is a reaction. So, a physiological  response is a reaction your body has to something,  

like the smell of coffee. Something that baffles  you confuses you. You don't understand it. You  

might find something that baffles you to be  weird. This adjective means unusual or strange.  

And finally, a chain is a group of shops  from the same company with the same name.  

Well, that is the end of our program. For more  from us check out Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,  

Youtube and our app and, of course, the website  bbclearningenglish.com. See you soon, goodbye.  

Bye! Fancy a coffee? I think you've had too much!  6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com  

Welcome to 6 Minute English where we introduce  a refreshing topic and six related items of  

vocabulary. I'm Rob and I'm Neil and today  we're talking about water. There's nothing  

more refreshing than an ice cold bottle of  water straight out of the vending machine.

Hmm, okay, refreshing in this context means  making you feel cool again after being hot  

so has that cooled you down, Neil? Yes, I feel  very refreshed now, thanks. Can I ask you though  

why didn't you just get a glass of water from the  kitchen tap? That water is cool and refreshing  

too, and it's free! Well, I like this brand of  bottled water better. It's enriched with salts and  

minerals that are very beneficial to your health.  Enriched means improving the quality of something  

by adding to it. Enriched, honestly, Neil! It  tastes better, Rob and I'm not the only one who  

thinks so. For the first time in the UK, bottled  water is more popular than cola. In fact, can you  

tell me how many litres of bottled water was sold  in the UK in 2016? Was it a) 2.9 billion, litres  

b) 29 million litres or c 2.9 million litres? Um,  right. well, I'm going to say 29 million litres.  

OK, we'll find out later if you got that right or  wrong. But seriously, Rob, don't you think it's a  

good thing that people are choosing to buy bottled  water at the supermarket rather than fizzy drinks?  

Yes, of course, but as I said to you earlier,  why don't people just drink tap water?  

Let's listen to Natalie Fee, founder of City to  Sea, which campaigns again plastic pollution. And,  

of course, bottled water causes a huge  amount of that. Here's Natalie now talking  

about how drinks manufacturers have persuaded  people that bottled water is better for them.

They manufactured the demand for bottled water  and they spent millions of pounds on adverts,  

sort of scaring us off of tap water. The bottled  water companies set out to make us believe  

that tap water wasn't healthy and yet tap water  is way more regulated than bottled water is  

and in taste tests tap water  comes up trump most times.

If you manufacture something you make  it in large amounts in a factory.  

But here Natalie says the drinks companies  manufactured the demand for bottled water, which  

means they made adverts to persuade people that  tap water wasn't healthy and bottled water was. 

To scare people off - what does that mean,  Rob? Well, if you scare somebody off you  

make them go away by frightening them. S,o some  advertisers may have suggested, for example,  

that tap water was unsafe to drink, whereas  bottled water was safer and tasted better too.  

You're catching on! However, Natalie Fee claims  that tap water is more regulated than bottled  

water is. Regulated means controlled. Natalie  also says that in taste tests, tap water comes  

up trumps. What does she mean by that? Well, a  taste test is where you ask people to try several  

very similar products without knowing which one  is which and then you grade them according to  

which you like the best. And if something comes up  trumps, it means it produces a good result, often  

unexpectedly. So tap water comes up trump's, eh?  Yep. Perhaps we should try a taste test now, Neil?  

It would be interesting to see if your enriched  bottled water comes up trumps or not. I tell you  

what, let's leave that until later and hear the  answer to today's quiz question instead. Okay,  

I asked you: how many litres of bottled water  were sold in the UK in 2016? Was it a) 2.9 billion  

litres, b) 29 million litres or c) 2.9 million  litres? Yeah, and I said 29 million litres. And  

the answer is... 2.9 billion litres. Wow! You can  buy many different brands of bottled water with a  

range of price tags. At the top end, there's  water from a 4,00 year-old Norwegian iceberg.  

How much does that cost? Around £80 a bottle.  Oh, as cheap as that - I'll pop out and get some  

later. Okay, let's review the words we learned  today. The first one was refreshing, which means  

making you feel cool again after being hot. I  enjoyed a refreshing cup of tea. Hmm, well we  

British like to say that, don't we? Though I don't  understand how a hot drink can be refreshing. OK,  

number two - enriched, which means improving the  quality of something by adding to it. For example,  

did you know that many types of breakfast cereal  are enriched with vitamins and minerals, Neil?  

No, I didn't, Rob. You learn something new  every day. Number three is manufacture - to  

make something in large amounts in a factory.  This company manufactures wellington boots I'm  

a wellington boot manufacturer - that has a nice  ring to it. Anyway, when you scare someone off  

you make them go away by frightening them. The dog  barked fiercely and scared off the two burglars.  

Down, Rob, down number. Five - regulated or  controlled. For example, the sale of tobacco is  

tightly regulated by the government. And finally  - if something comes up trumps it produces a  

good result, often unexpectedly. My lottery ticket  came up trumps again, I can't believe it! You're a  

lucky man, Neil. Okay, it's time to do that taste  test now. If you have an opinion on bottled water  

or anything else, please tell us about it on our  Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Youtube pages.

Okay, this one definitely tastes  better. And how about this one?  

Yeah, definitely - that's the tap water,  Neil. No, no, no - I refuse to believe it!  

6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil  and I'm Rob. Now, Rob, you like your food, don't  

you? Oh yes. Yum, yum - food one of my favorite  things. And what do you think of street food? Oh,  

I love street food - there are some great places  in London where you can find delicious foods  

from all over the world cooked in front  of you in market stalls on the street.  

It's quite new though, isn't it? Not really a  British tradition. I guess not but it seems to  

be much more popular these days. Well, our topic  today is street food but before we tuck into that,  

here is today's question: recently, archaeologists  in Jordan discovered what they believe is the  

oldest remains of bread. How old is this bread? Is  it a) 18,000 years old, b) 14,000 years old or c)  

5,500 years old? What do you think? I don't know  but what I do know is i wouldn't really want to  

try sandwich made from that bread - might be a  bit moldy. Yes, uh, anyway ii'm gonna have a guess  

then ii'll go for c) 5500 years old. Right, we  will find out the answer later in the programme.  

Mark Laurie is from the nationwide caterers  association. He's an expert in the business of  

street food in the UK. He appeared on BBC Radio  4's, The Food Programme and was asked how the  

business of street food has changed in recent  years. In his answer, he talks about the areas  

where there is most growth in street food. What  are those areas? It's been phenomenal the growth,  

uh, in street foods, it's really taken off,  it's really become quite mainstream - part  

of the cultural fabric of the country,  really, or so it's beginning to be. Uh,  

certainly in the bigger cities and increasingly  in the sort of provinces, if you like.  

So where does he say the popularity of street  food is growing? He says that it's in the bigger  

cities and also in the provinces. The provinces  is a word which means the parts of a country  

outside of the cities, so essentially he's saying  it's getting more popular everywhere. Exactly! In  

fact, he says the growth is phenomenal. This means  he thinks the growth is spectacular - really big.  

Yes, he says that it's really taken off. Taken  off is one of those phrasal verbs that can be  

used in many different ways. In this sense,  when something takes off it means it becomes  

successful and popular. You know, street food  isn't really something you associate with Britain.  

Perhaps it's the climate or British food, so  street food is something that we're now getting  

used to and enjoying more. In fact, Mark says that  it's now becoming mainstream. This means it's no  

longer something that is seen as being unusual or  different - it's becoming an accepted part of the  

everyday eating experience. Well, let's listen  again to Mark Laurie talking about the growth of  

street food in the UK. It's been phenomenal, the  growth in street foods - it's really taken off,  

it's really become quite mainstream - part of the  cultural fabric of the country, really, or so it's  

beginning to be. Certainly in the in the bigger  cities and increasingly in the sort of provinces,  

if you like. Mark Laurie goes on to talk about  why street food has become popular. What kind of  

food does he say it's not like? Yeah, it's just  really captured the imagination of the public.  

It's honest food, it's authentic food and  it's people that you can trust making it.  

It's not some microwave food or whatever  that you might get in your local pub.  

So, street food is many things but what isn't  it? Well, he says that it's not like food you  

might get in some pubs. That food, he says,  may be some microwave food - which is food  

prepared in a microwave oven. You know I  quite like a microwave meal now and then,  

and I reheat my leftovers in the microwave. But  I guess if you were paying for a nice meal you  

wouldn't expect reheated leftovers. I think  the point he's making is that in many places,  

the food you're served is not freshly made -  it may be pre-prepared and finished off in a  

microwave. Street food, he says, is authentic.  Yes, authentic - it's real, fresh and cooked  

right in front of you and if it's food from a  particular country it's probably being prepared  

by people from that culture. He also says that  this has captured the imagination of the public.  

It's something that the public have experienced  and thought, yep, you know, I like this. This  

is a great idea. Well, all this sort of food is  making me hungry, so let's get the answer to the  

quiz and review today's vocabulary before we head  off and grab a bite to eat. We asked about the age  

of bread discovered by archaeologists in Jordan.  Was it a) 18,000 years old, b) 14,000 years old  

or c) 5,500 years old? And I said c) 5 500 years  old. And I'm afraid it's a lot moldier than that.  

The answer was 14,000 years. Ah, very tasty,  I'm sure. Yes, right then the vocabulary - we  

started off with the adjective phenomenal to  describe something that is amazing, remarkable  

and extraordinary. Then we had - to take off - a  phrasal verb which means to become popular. Street  

food has really taken off in the UK - it's become  really popular. And not just in the cities but  

also in the provinces which is a noun to describe  areas of a country that aren't the major cities.  

Something which captures the imagination is  something which makes you interested and not  

just for a short time. And one thing which has  captured the imagination of the British public  

is authentic street food. Something authentic is  real - it's genuine. It's not a fake or a copy.  

And finally, we had microwave food - food  prepared in a microwave oven and that kind  

of food is not seen by some as authentic.  Well, it's time to eat, so that's all we  

have time for today. Join us again next time and  remember you can find us on Instagram, Facebook,  

Twitter, Youtube and, of course, on our website:  bbclearningenglish.com. See you soon, bye. Bye.

I'm Rob and welcome to 6 Minute English. We've  got a sweet topic today and six tempting items  

of vocabulary. Hello, I'm Neil and we're going  to be talking about sugar which many of us find  

tempting. But how much is too much, Rob? I don't  know, Neil, but hopefully we'll be finding that  

out. I must admit, though, I have a sweet tooth  and that means I like sugary things. Me too  

but something I'm always seeing in the news these  days is that we're eating too much sugar. And one  

important factor is that sugars are sometimes  hidden in processed foods. Processed food is any  

food that has been changed in some way by freezing  it or putting it in tins, or by combining foods or  

adding chemicals. In fact, some of the sugars  we eat are hidden in food that we think of as  

healthy, such as yoghurts, low-fat snacks and  fruit drinks. Do you check the information on the  

back of food packets, Rob, to see what's in them?  Yes, I do, but it can be very confusing - there's  

so much information and I'm not always sure  how much of a certain thing is bad. Well,  

that brings me on to today's quiz question. Can  you tell me: if a food contains five percent total  

sugars per 100 grams, is it a) high in sugar,  b) low in sugar or c) somewhere in the middle?  

I'll say low, Neil. Okay, well, we'll find out  later. Some food products have colour coding  

on the packaging to help you understand the  information, don't they? Red for high levels  

of sugar, salt or fat, orange for medium and green  for low. That sounds helpful. Then you can see at  

a glance what's good or bad for you. At a glance  means with a quick look. Okay, let's listen now  

to BBC reporter Rajiv Gupta interviewing a man in  Chester in the UK. He's asking him to guess how  

much sugar there is in a pot of fat-free yoghurt.  I've actually got a pot of yoghurt in front of me.  

This says fat-free on it and it's been marketed  as being quite healthy. If I was to say to you,  

how much sugar is in here what would you  say, as I say, a quantity of the tub?  

I'd probably think maybe a couple of teaspoonfuls,  you know, it's quite surprising how much there's  

sugars in all these products, isn't there?  Well, there's about a third of this yoghurt  

pot is actually sugar. To be honest, that's quite  amazing, that. I would never have thought a third  

of that would have been sugar in the... just  by looking at it and it does say it's fat-free.  

So the yogurt is fat-free which means it doesn't  contain any fat and the man guessed there might be  

two teaspoons of sugar in the yoghurt. That's  right, and if something is sugar-free then it  

doesn't contain any sugar. But in this case, a  third of the yoghurt's content was sugar. That  

to me sounds like an awful lot -even for  someone with a sweet tooth like me. Okay,  

well, let's listen to Dr Gunter Kuhnle. He's a  nutritional biochemist at Reading University.  

One problem we see in nutrition is, sort of this,  focusing on individual foods. It was at one time,  

it was that fat has to be avoided at all costs.  Now it seems to go towards sugar and sugar is  

demonized and people link it to drugs and so on. I  think this is the wrong way forward. Individuals,  

yes, you should have a balanced diet but it  is important also to enjoy your food and not  

really do this extreme focusing on one  side or one aspect in individual nutrients.  

So, if you avoid something at all costs  you do everything you can to avoid it.  

And demonize means to make someone or  something seem very bad. Dr Kuhnle thinks that  

totally cutting out one type of food  like this, whether it's fat or sugar  

is wrong. He thinks we should eat a balanced diet  and enjoy our food. That sounds very sensible.  

Now, how about telling us the answer to today's  quiz question, Neil. Ah, thanks for reminding me,  

Rob. I asked if food contains five percent total  sugars per 100 grams, is it a) high in sugar, b)  

low in sugar or c) somewhere in the middle.  You said low, and you were right. Well done if  

foods contain more than 22.5 total sugars per 100  grams, they are classified as high. And I guess  

that between 5 and 22.5 they are somewhere in the  middle. Correct, okay, shall we go over the words  

we heard today? Yeah. First up, if you have a  sweet tooth it means you like sugary things.  

For example, my little nephew has a sweet tooth  - he eats far too many biscuits and sweets. His  

dentist won't be pleased. Number two. Processed  food is any food that has been changed in some way  

by freezing it or putting it in tins or by  combining foods or adding chemicals. For example,  

the meat in sausages is highly processed. Oh dear,  I didn't know that - I'm a big fan of sausages.  

Number three - at a glance means with a quick  look. For example, I could tell at a glance  

that I wouldn't like the food at that restaurant.  Fat-free means without any fat in it. For example,  

I bought this yoghurt because it says fat-free on  the label. But did you realize that a third of it  

was sugar? Moving on - if you avoid something at  all costs you do everything you can to avoid it.  

For example, I wanted to win the game at all  costs. I didn't know you were so competitive,  

Neil. And finally, demonize means to make someone  or something seem very bad. Politicians shouldn't  

demonize their opponents. They often do, though,  don't they? Okay, well that's all we've got time  

for on today's show, but please check out our  Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube pages.  

Join us again soon! Meanwhile, visit our  website: bbclearningenglish.com where you'll find  

guides to grammar exercises, videos and articles  to read and improve your English. Goodbye. Bye.

Hello, this is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil and I'm  Catherine. Catherine are you flexitarian? Oh no,  

I'm not really religious, Neil. It's not a  religion, it's a diet. It means mainly eating  

plant-based foods and only occasionally  eating meat. Oh, I see. Sorry, um, well,  

I don't eat too much meat, so i'm kind of on the  way to flexitarianism. Some people don't eat meat  

for ethical reasons - that means that for them,  it's wrong to eat meat. It's wrong that animals  

should be killed for our food but one of the  reasons for being flexitarian and only eating meat  

once in a while is for the benefit of the planet.  According to a recent report, being flexitarian is  

healthier for the individual but can also help  to fight climate change. Before we look in more  

detail at this topic, a question - do you like  peppers, Catherine? Yes, I do. Is that correct?  

Well , that's not the quiz question but this is -  all peppers are in the same food group. What group  

is it? Are peppers fruit, vegetables or herbs?  Any ideas? This one sounds like a trick question  

but I think it's obviously vegetables. Yep?  Well, you'll have to wait a bit to find  

out. I'll have the answer later in  the program. Now, Dr Marco Springmann  

is from the University of Oxford and was  one of the lead authors of a major report  

that looked at the global food system and how it  affects the climate. On the BBC Today program,  

he talked about what changes would be  needed. Does he mention just one thing?

We really found that a combination of measures  would be needed to stay within environmental  

limits and those include changes towards  healthier more plant-based diets, ambitious  

technological improvements and changes in farming  management and a reduction of food loss and waste.

So, did he mention just one thing, Catherine?  No, not at all. He said that there would need  

to be a combination of measures which  means a variety of different actions  

including moving to a plant-based diet, developing  technology, changing the way we farm and wasting  

less food. He described the need for ambitious  technological improvements. Ambitious here means  

the developments will have to be impressive -  above the ordinary, not simple. Dr Springmann  

was asked if we had to completely remove meat from  the food that we eat to be healthy. What was his  

recommendation? Well, we look... we've surveyed  the literature on what a healthy diet is and  

according to that, um, if you treat it as luxury  it's probably okay but you shouldn't have more  

than one serving of red meat, which includes beef  and pork, per week. So the more plant-based you go  

the healthier and the lower in environmental  impacts. And lamb is just the same? Yes.

So, do we need to cut out meat entirely? He  says that while a plant-based diet is certainly  

healthier, you could still have some red meat but  only once a week. Yes. He said think of it as a  

luxury - a luxury food is one that we really enjoy  but don't eat very often. perhaps because it's  

very expensive or rare. Or delicious but very bad  for us. We eat it as a treat but not every day.  

Springman says we should think of red meat in the  same way - it shouldn't be a regular part of our  

diet. How did he come to this opinion? Did they  just make it up themselves because it sounds like  

a good idea? Not at all, Neil. He said that they  surveyed the literature - this means that as part  

of their report, they studied different scientific  research that had previously been published. Their  

advice is based on the evidence of those research  papers. Okay, now the answer to our quiz question.  

I asked: to what food group do peppers belong. Was  it a) fruit, b) vegetables c) herbs? Catherine,  

you said... I said b) vegetables. Oh dear. Good  try but not right. Thanks for playing. The answer  

is a) fruit. Fruit? Really? Yes, a fruit is  the part of a plant that contains the seeds,  

so peppers, like tomatoes, pumpkins, avocados  and olives are actually fruit. Well done if you  

got that one right. Now our vocabulary. Our first  word is flexitarian - this is the term for a diet  

that is mainly plant-based but can include meat  occasionally. Our next word is ethical - this is  

in the context of choosing not to eat meat. Some  people are vegetarian because they don't like meat  

some because they want a healthier diet and some  for ethical reasons. This means that their choice  

is because they feel it is the right thing  to do. The next phrase was a combination of  

measures - this means taking different actions to  achieve something - not just doing one thing. We  

then had ambitious. If a person's ambitious,  it means they want to get on in life and be  

successful. But ambitious can also be used to  describe a plan or achievement which is impressive  

and above the ordinary. The next phrase  was to survey the literature. This means  

to study and analyze the different scientific  research on a particular subject. And finally,  

we had luxury - when talking about food, a luxury  is something that we only eat occasionally as a  

special treat because it's expensive or unhealthy  but delicious. Well, I'm off for a plate of  

delicious vegetables - please join us next time  and why not check us out on your favourite social  

media platform on our app and, of course, the  website: bbclearningenglish.com Goodbye. Bye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning  English. I'm Neil and I'm Georgina. I'm going to  

order some takeaway food, Neil. Do you want  anything? Maybe a pizza? Fish and chips?  

Indian curry? Mmm, take away food to eat at home  - that's a great idea. Yes, I'll have a poke bowl,  

please. What's that? It doesn't sound like  typical takeaway food. It is nowadays, Georgina.  

Over the last few years, the explosion of  food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat  

has seen a revolution in takeaway food. Today,  it's not just pizza and curries being delivered  

to people's front door - there's a wide range of  food dishes and styles from all around the world.  

And with cafes and pubs closed during lockdown,  more and more food chains and restaurants are  

switching to delivery only services - takeaways,  to bring meals to people who are isolating. Over  

the last few weeks, many takeaway companies have  seen orders increase dramatically as people find  

themselves stuck at home due to the coronavirus  pandemic. But what are they choosing to eat?  

That's my quiz question for today, Georgina. Last  year, what was Deliveroo's most ordered dish:  

was it a) Hawaiian poke bowls, b)  cheeseburgers or c) chicken burritos?  

I would have thought it was fish and chips but  I'll go with b) cheeseburgers. Okay, we'll find  

out later if you were right. One consequence  of the increasing popularity of takeaways is  

something called dark kitchens - unlike apps such  as Deliveroo and Just Eat which connect customers  

to local takeaways, these digital dark kitchens  work as just for delivery restaurants. Inside,  

chefs cook in kitchens without waiters tables  or diners, preparing high-quality dishes ready  

for delivery straight to your home. One of  the first dark kitchen operations, Taster,  

was started by chef Anton Soulier who in 2013  was working for Deliveroo when it was just a  

tiny company operating only in London. Now he's  in charge of 12 kitchens catering for customers in  

London, Paris and Madrid. Sheila Dillon of BBC  radio 4's, The Food Programme went to the Bethnal  

Green area of east London to find out more. When  you go on the Taster website, the restaurant names  

are virtual. All of them sold as 'designed for  delivery' by Taster. What that means is all the  

menus drawn up by serious chefs are designed  to travel well, chosen so they'll be warm,  

retain their texture and won't look like a dog's  dinner when they come off the back of a bike.  

So, strangely the delivery, the bike has become  a shaper of the foods we eat. All the restaurants  

on Taster are virtual, existing online and created  by computers to appear like the real thing. Chefs  

cook the dishes using recipes and ingredients  designed to travel well - be transported a long  

way without being damaged or their quality being  spoiled. That's to avoid the takeaway food ending  

up like a dog's dinner - an informal way to say  something that looks messy or has been very badly  

done. Usually, the takeaways are transported in a  box on the back of a delivery cyclist who rushes  

them from the kitchen to the customer's home. It's  a very modern way of eating which Sheila thinks  

has become a shaper of the foods we eat - meaning  that it has a strong influence on how a situation  

develops. However, some are worried that the  increase in takeaways and delivery-only food  

means people are losing basic cooking skills. It's  something that Taster boss, Anton, has noted too.  

There is a strong underlying trend that, maybe,  you know - in 20, 30 years people won't have  

kitchens and it's already happening in the U.S.,  for example. I love cooking - it's one of my  

passions but I'm really doing it occasionally - on  Sundays and everything, and I think it's going to  

almost become a weekend hobby. People choosing  to eat takeaways instead of cooking at home has  

become an underlying trend - a general development  in how people behave, which is real but not  

immediately obvious. And in the future, cooking at  home may even switch from being a daily necessity  

to a hobby - an activity someone does in their  spare time for pleasure or relaxation. I do enjoy  

tucking into a takeaway sometimes but personally  I couldn't survive without my kitchen, Neil.  

Ah, but could you survive without Deliveroo?  Remember in today's quiz question, I asked you  

what Deliveroo's most ordered dish was. I said  b) cheeseburgers, but the correct answer was a  

Hawaiian poke bowl - a Hawaiian version of sushi.  Now that's something I couldn't cook at home.  

Today, we've been discussing the revolution in  takeaways and home delivered food which in recent  

years has become an underlying trend - a general  development in how people behave or in this case,  

eat. Another trend has been the creation of  virtual restaurants - online restaurants which  

look like the real thing but exist only on the  internet. Chefs create dishes using ingredients  

which travel well - can be transported a long  way without being damaged or spoiled. That's so  

the customer doesn't end up with a dog's dinner  - an informal expression meaning something messy  

or badly done. Recent developments like high  quality restaurant meals being delivered by bike  

are shapers of modern eating - things that have  a strong influence on how a situation develops.  

All of which means that cooking may soon become  just a hobby - an activity someone does in their  

spare time for pleasure or relaxation.  For example, cycling or learning English.  

That's all we have time for today.  Happy cooking! And goodbye for now! Bye.

Hello, this is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil. And I'm  Sam. Sam, have you considered the future of food  

much? Uh, well, I think in the future I might have  a sandwich in about 30 minutes in the future. Uh,  

not quite what I meant. With the population of  the world increasing, along with the negative  

effects of climate change and other global  issues, we might have to radically change our  

diets in the future. Ah, yes, I have heard about  this. There are all sorts of developments from  

growing artificial meat to developing insect-based  foods. Tasty. Well, we'll look a little more at  

this topic shortly but we start as ever with  a question and it's a food based question.  

In which continent did tomatoes originate? Is it  a) South America, b) Africa or c) Asia? What do  

you think, Sam? Uh, no idea - I'm going to say  Africa but that's just a guess. Okay, well, I  

will reveal the answer later in the program. On a  recent edition of BBC Radio 4's The Food Program,  

there was an interview with Dr Morgaine Gaye. She  is a futurologist - a futurologist is someone who  

studies and predicts the way we will be living in  the future. Her particular area of expertise is  

the subject of food. What two things does she  say she thinks about? As a food futurologist,  

I think about not just what we're going to be  eating in the future but why - why that thing,  

why that trend, why will people suddenly latch  on to that food that way of eating that food  

at that particular time. And when I work for  large companies that's what they want to know.  

There is an element of a hunch and then proving  or disproving that hunch. So, what two things  

does she think about? She says that as a food  futurologist, she thinks about what we will  

be eating in the future and also why we will be  eating that food. Yes, in particular, she looks  

at why there are particular trends - a trend is  what is popular now or what is becoming popular.  

For example, at the moment there is a trend for  eating less red meat. She also looks at why people  

latch on to particular trends - to latch onto  here means to be very interested in something. So,  

if you latch on to a particular food trend you  start to follow that trend. You might start eating  

that particular diet. Information about future  trends is very important for companies in the  

food business. How does she actually predict these  trends? She says she starts with a hunch - a hunch  

is a feeling you get that something is true. You  don't have any real evidence but your experience  

and knowledge makes you think you might be right.  Let's listen again. As a food futurologist,  

I think about not just what we're going to be  eating in the future but why - why that thing,  

why that trend, why will people suddenly latch  onto that food that way of eating that food  

at that particular time. And when I work for  large companies, that's what they want to know.  

There is an element of a hunch and  then proving or disproving that hunch.

Dr Gaye goes on to talk about how on the  subject of food, there are restrictions.  

Why is that? Food business, of course, has  different restrictions around it because it's  

about safety. We're ingesting that. The supply  chain and the labeling laws are very stringent,  

especially in this country. So it takes a lot  longer to get an idea from just a concept that's  

discussed around a table to an actual production  facility labelled, branded, tested, marketed  

and put on the shelf. So why restrictions? Well,  it's about safety. Because we are ingesting food,  

which is a way of saying we are putting it into  our bodies, it has to be safe. It can be a long  

process of developing a new food and getting it  into the shops because of the need to be safe and  

meet the laws of different countries. In the UK,  she mentions that the food safety laws are very  

stringent. This means that the laws are very  tough, very strict. Let's hear Dr Gaye again.  

Food business, of course, has different  restrictions around it because it's about  

safety. We're ingesting that. The supply chain  and the labeling laws are very stringent,  

especially in this country, so it takes a  lot longer to get an idea from just a concept  

that's discussed around a table to an actual  production facility labelled, branded, tested,  

marketed and put on the shelves. Right, well  before we review our vocabulary, let's get  

the answer to the question. In which continent  did tomatoes originate? Is it a) South America,  

b) Africa c) Asia? Sam, what did you say? I made  a guess at Africa. Well, I'm afraid that's not  

right. Congratulations, though, to everyone who  said South America. Right, let's recap our words  

and expressions. Okay, well we started with the  word futurologist - this is a noun to describe  

someone who studies and predicts the way we will  be living in the future. Then we had trend - this  

word can describe what is popular now and the way  in which what is popular is changing. For example,  

now we are seeing a trend for eating less red  meat in some parts of the world. If you latch  

on to something you become interested in it and  associate yourself with it. We heard that people  

very quickly latch on to food trends. Then there  was hunch. A hunch is a feeling about something  

you think might be true even though you don't have  real evidence for it. Ingesting something means  

taking it into your body - so eating or drinking  it. And finally, a stringent rule is a very strict  

rule - a tough rule or law which, in connection to  food, is designed to make sure it is safe and of a  

suitable quality. Okay, thank you, Sam. That's  all from 6 Minute English. Goodbye. Bye-bye.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.  And hello, I'm Rob. In 6 Minute English, we often  

talk about food, don't we, Rob? Oh, yes. And I  love food - it's a very important topic. We know  

that too much of the wrong kind of food can be  bad for our health. But there is another way that  

food can be harmful for some people. Yes, you're  right - some people have food allergies. They can  

become very ill if they eat certain foods such  as peanuts, shellfish, milk and so on. So, Neil,  

do you have any food allergies? Uh, fortunately,  I don't but my daughter is allergic to tree nuts  

and so she gets very ill if she eats those. Oh  dear. Well, it seems as if there are more food  

allergies these days, or more people have them, or  maybe it's just in the news more. Well, that's a  

very interesting point because that is the topic  of this program. Before we find out more though,  

here is our question. One of the most common food  allergies is to peanuts. Now, what kind of food  

is a peanut? Is it a a) vegetable, b) a nut or c)  a legume? Oh, come on! A peanut is a nut! There's  

a clue in the name there, Neil, but that would be  too easy, wouldn't it? So, I'm going to say that  

I've got no idea what a legume is, so that's my  answer - c. I'll have the answer at the end of the  

program. To help answer the question as to whether  food allergies are more common now here's Dr Adam  

Fox who is speaking on The Food Program on BBC  Radio 4. Does he think there has been an increase?  

I think we can be very confident, if you look back  over say 30 or 40 years, that there are much more  

allergic problems around now than there were.  So, for example, very robust studies that look at  

prevalence of things like eczema, food allergy,  do show really significant increases over  

20, 30 years, for example. Has there been an  increase? Well, yes. He says there have been  

significant increases - this means there has been  a clear and obvious rise. Why does he think that?  

He said that there have been robust studies -  a study is a piece of research and if you say  

a study is robust, it means that it was very  detailed and conducted thoroughly to a high  

standard. He said that these studies looked at the  prevalence of a few things. Prevalence is a noun  

that refers to how common something is, how often  it happens. One of the things they looked at,  

as well as food allergies, was eczema - this is a  skin condition that usually happens in childhood.  

The skin can get red, itchy and painful over  different parts of the body. Here's Dr Fox again.  

I think we can be very confident if you look back  over say 30 or 40 years that there are much more  

allergic problems around now than there were.  So, for example, very robust studies that look at  

prevalence of things like eczema, food allergy  do show really significant increases over 20,  

30 years, for example. So what is the reason for  the increase in food allergies? Is it genetics?  

Dr Fox again. We certainly can't put it down  to genetics and we now understand that there  

is a key role for eczema. So there's a pretty  direct relationship between whether you've got  

eczema during infancy and your likelihood  of getting a food allergy. Is it genetics?  

No, he says. You can't put it down to genetics,  which means you can't explain it by genetics.  

In fact, according to the research if you have  eczema as a child you are more likely to develop  

food allergies. Here's Dr Fox one more time. We  certainly can't put it down to genetics and we now  

understand that there is a key role for eczema.  So there's a pretty direct relationship between  

whether you've got eczema during infancy and  your likelihood of getting a food allergy.  

Okay, now time to review our vocabulary, but  first let's have the answer to the quiz question.  

I asked: what kind of food is a peanut? Is it a  a) vegetable, b) a nut, c) a legume. What did you  

say, Rob? Uh, I said c) a legume because that  was the only one I didn't know and it can't be  

as simple as being a nut. An inspired guess!  If you said c) legume, then congratulations!  

Despite the name, a peanut is not actually a nut.  Rather conveniently though, we don't have time for  

me to explain exactly why it's not a nut but i'm  sure you're smart enough to look it up yourself.  

So you're not going to explain it? No, sorry  we don't have the time. Um, sounds to me like  

you're allergic to hard work! Nice link to  today's vocabulary! We do have time for that.  

Today, we've been looking at the topic of  food allergies. This is when a particular  

food causes a medical problem. The problem could  be minor or it could be very serious, even fatal,  

and these are called allergic reactions.  The topic has been investigated with robust  

studies - this is research that has been done  in a very detailed accurate and thorough way.  

The next word was the noun prevalence - this is  used to talk about how common or how frequent  

something is. In this research, they examine  the prevalence of food allergies in certain age  

groups. Closely connected to food allergies is  eczema - this is a medical condition that makes  

your skin dry painful and itchy over different  parts of the body. It was reported that there  

had been a significant increase in the number of  people suffering from eczema and food allergies.  

A significant increase is a big and important  increase. And finally, we had the phrase - to  

put something down to something. This means to say  one thing is the reason for another. In this case,  

you couldn't put the increase in food allergies  down to genetics. You know what I put the success  

of 6 Minute English down to? No, what's that,  Rob? Your great knowledge of different subjects  

and skill as a presenter and communicator. Well,  that's very kind of you but I still don't have  

time to explain what a legume is. In fact,  now it's time to wrap up this edition of 6  

Minute English. We look forward to your company  again soon. In the meantime, check us out in all  

the usual places online and on social media. We  are BBC learning English. Bye for now. Goodbye.

6 Minute English from BBClearningenglish.com.  

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.  And I'm Rob. Now, Rob, you look like you enjoy a  

good meal. Well ,I do like eating out and I like  to think I know a good meal when I have one.  

Well that should give you an advantage with  today's quiz. In 2016, which is the last year  

we have statistics for, how many restaurants  and mobile food services were there in the UK?  

Was it a) about 75,000 b) about 83,000 or c) about  93,000? Well, I know there are a lot, so I'm going  

gonna say 93,000, but that is just a guess. I'll  reveal the answer a little later in the programme.  

Today, we're talking about being a foodie. Rob,  what is a foodie? Well, I would describe a foodie  

as someone who has a strong interest in food.  They like preparing it, as well as eating it.  

They like using good ingredients and they're  probably not fans of fast food. Angela Hartnett  

is one of Britain's top chefs. In the BBC podcast,  The Bottom Line, she talks about this topic.  

In this first clip, how does she  describe people who say they are foodies?  

I think people who say they're foodies, buy the  books, watch tv and we'll cook a little bit. She's  

saying that people who say they are foodies may  not actually know that much about food. They buy  

books and watch cookery programs on tv and will  cook a little bit. A little bit is a common phrase  

that means a small amount. And if you do something  a little bit, it means you don't do it a lot.  

You could just say a little but adding 'bit'  to the phrase makes it very natural. Well, we  

heard a little bit of Angela Hartnett there, let's  hear more now. What's her description of a foodie?  

My idea of a foodie is the very European idea that  people go and shop every day. They understand one  

end of a pig from another. They, um, that's a bit  romantic but I look at my mother and I look at my  

grandmother. In our background, you know, they  made food ,they knew about what was expensive,  

they knew about quality and stuff like that. Rob,  do you know one end of a pig from another? Well,  

I hope so, but the point Angela Hartnett is making  is that a true foodie has a good understanding,  

for example, of the different parts of an animal  that are used in cooking and what they're used  

for. She says that idea might be a bit romantic.  We normally think of the word romantic when we're  

talking about love and relationships but  that's not what it means here, is it? No,  

romantic can also describe a pleasant idea - an  imaginary perfect way of life that forgets about  

the difficult things of everyday existence. Let's  hear some more from chef, Angela Hartnett. Now,  

what is she worried about? I think we think  we're foodies but I think food is expensive in  

this country, I don't think it's affordable for  lots of people and I think we are in danger of  

not knowing you know how to cook anymore, how to  make a meal for a family of four for five pounds.  

So, Rob what is Angela Hartnett worried about?  She commented that food was very expensive here  

in Britain. Many people don't have enough  money to buy it. As she said it's not  

affordable - she thinks we might be in danger  of not being able to feed our families cheaply.  

Can you say a bit more about the phrase 'in  danger of'? Sure. The phrase to be in danger of  

is followed by a gerund and it means that there is  the possibility of something bad happening - it's  

not happened yet but it could happen. Thanks,  Rob. Right, well, we're in danger of running  

out of time, so let's get to the answer to the  question I asked at the start of the program.  

I asked how many restaurants or mobile food  services there were in the UK in 2016. And I said,  

it was a guess, 93,000 but was I right? I'm afraid  you're 10,000 out. The answer is approximately  

83,000. Right, well, I've still got a few more  to get to before I can tick them all off my list.  

Me too! Well, before we go, let's recap the  words and phrases we talked about today.  

The first was foodie. Yes, foodie is a modern  word to describe someone who is very interested  

in all aspects of food, from buying, preparing  and cooking to eating. And someone who may or  

may not know which end of a pig is which. Well,  I think you're being a little bit silly there,  

aren't you? Well, a little bit was our next  phrase, wasn't it? Yes, a little bit - a very  

simple but a very natural conversational phrase  that means a small amount. The next word was the  

adjective romantic - not used in the context  of love here, though, was it? No, it wasn't.  

A romantic idea here is one that is not realistic  but is an imagined perfect situation. For example,  

we have a very romantic view of our childhoods  - when every Christmas was a white Christmas and  

every summer holiday was baking hot and spent on  the beach. Of course, it wasn't like that at all.  

In reality, both Christmas and summer were cold  and rainy. Then, we had the adjective affordable  

for something we have enough money to buy.  Finally, the phrase to be in danger of. Yes,  

meaning the possibility of something bad  happening. Well, that's it for this program.  

For more, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram and our Youtube pages and, of course,  

our website: BBClearningenglish.com, where you can  find all kinds of videos and audio programs and  

activities to help you improve your English.  Thanks for joining us and goodbye. Bye-bye. 

Well, I have to say I'm a little bit  hungry and if i don't get some food soon,  

I'm in danger of getting very  grumpy. You're always grumpy,  

Neil, but there is a very affordable cafe around  the corner. Let's head over there now, shall we?

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC  learning English. I'm Neil. And I'm Georgina.  

Last November, NASA launched a very unusual home  delivery service - a rocket carrying four tons of  

supplies to the ISS - the International Space  Station. Among the scientific equipment were  

12 bottles of red wine from the famous Bordeaux  region of France. The astronauts might have wanted  

a glass of wine with dinner but the real purpose  of the bottles was to explore the possibility  

of producing food and drink in space. Not  for astronauts but for people back on Earth.  

In today's programme, we'll be finding out how  growing plants in space can develop crops which  

are more productive and more resistant to climate  change here on Earth. And we'll hear how plants  

can grow in environments with little or no natural  light. But first, today's quiz question: What was  

the first food grown in space? Was it a) potatoes,  b) lettuce or c) tomatoes? Well, in the film,  

The Martian, a stranded astronaut grows potatoes  on Mars. I know it's only a film but I'll say a)  

potatoes. Okay, we'll find out the answer later.  Now, you might be wondering how it's possible to  

grow plants without natural light. British company  Vertical Future has been working on this problem  

by developing indoor farming methods in  partnership with NASA. Here's their head  

of research Jen Bromley explaining the process  to BBC World Service program The Food Chain.

Basically, we use LED lighting and we use LED  lights that are tuned to specific wavelengths. So,  

if you imagine what the rainbow looks like, the  reason a plant looks green is because it's not  

using all the green light. It actually reflects a  lot of that back. So the reason why it looks pink  

in here is because we're actually only using  red light and blue light to grow the plants.  

And that essentially tailors the light  diet so that the plants look kind of  

black when you look at them because they're  not reflecting any light. They're being  

super efficient - they're using up every  photon that hits them. The lack of natural  

light in space means that plants are grown  using LED lights. LED is an abbreviation of  

light emitting diode - an electronic device that  lights up when electricity is passed through it.  

On Earth, plants look green because they  reflect back any light traveling at a certain  

wavelength - the distance between two waves of  light, which makes things appear to us in the  

various colors of the rainbow. But when scientists  control the wavelengths being fed. plants are able  

to absorb every photon - particle of light energy  - making them appear black. Each particle of light  

that hits the leaves is absorbed and through  photosynthesis is converted into plant food.  

NASA found that different color combinations or  light recipes can change a plant's shape, size and  

even flavour. But the lack of natural light isn't  the biggest obstacle to growing food in space.  

Here's Gioia Massa, chief plant scientist at  the kennedy space center in florida to explain

Microgravity is really challenging but plants  are amazing! They can adapt to so many different  

environments – we call this plasticity because  they can turn on or off their genes to really  

adapt to all sorts of conditions and  that’s why you see plants growing in  

different areas on Earth - the  same type of plant may look very  

different because it’s adapting to the  environment in that specific location.

On Earth, plants use gravity to  position themselves – shoots grow up,  

roots grow down. But this doesn’t apply  in space because of microgravity - the  

weaker pull of gravity making  things float and seem weightless.

Plants can only survive in these conditions due to  their plasticity – the ability of living organisms  

to adapt and cope with changes in the environment  by changing their biological structure.

Plants adapt themselves to being in space by  manipulating their genes - chemicals and DNA  

in the cells of plants and animals which  control their development and behaviour.

In the low-gravity atmosphere of space, plants  become stressed but they adapt genetically.

And as a result they’re stronger  and more resilient to other,  

less stressful events when  they return home to Earth.

Like those bottles of red wine  orbiting Earth as we speak.  

The effects of microgravity on the wine’s  organic composition will be studied  

and could hopefully offer solutions for  growing food in Earth’s changing climate.

So, Neil, if it wasn’t red grapes,  what was the first food grown in space?

Ah yes, in today’s quiz question I asked  what the first plant grown in space was.

I said, a) potatoes.

But, in fact, it was… b) lettuce -  grown over fifteen months on the ISS,  

then eaten in fifteen minutes  in the first ever space salad.

Today we’ve been discussing the  possibilities of growing plants in space  

using LED lights – devices that  use electricity to produce light.

The energy needed for plants to grow is contained  in photons – or light particles, travelling at  

different wavelengths – distances between light  waves which make things look different colours.

Plants have evolved over millennia  using the strong gravity on Earth.  

But this changes in space because of  microgravity – the weaker gravitational  

pull making things in space  float and seem weightless.

Luckily plants use their genes – the chemicals  in DNA responsible for growth - to adapt to new  

environments by changing their biological  structure – a process known as plasticity.

All of which makes it possible for astronauts to  enjoy a glass of wine and green salad in space.

And genetically stronger plants  specimens to study back on Earth.

That’s all for today but join us again  soon at 6 Minute English. Bye for now!

Bye!