Eat Lunch With Us: Advanced English Conversation

Vanessa: Hi.

I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.

Are you hungry?

Want to come over?

Let's have lunch.

Want to come over to my house for lunch?

We're not having anything fancy.

I'm just going to make some quesadillas Vanessa style.

Usually we have leftovers for lunch, but today I thought we'd make quesadillas because I

have a lot of cheese here, so I hope that you enjoy it.

I'm going to cook some food first, and then you're going to join me at lunch with my husband

and my toddler Theo.

I hope that you'll enjoy it.

Let's talk about some of the ingredients that I'm going to use.

Of course, we need a tortilla.

I'm going to make three of these.

This is just one tortilla.

I'm going to use some butter in the pan.

You can use whatever you want, olive oil, I don't know.

This is just what I usually use with a quesadilla.

I have some mozzarella cheese, and I have some kimchi for a very traditional quesadilla.

Just kidding.

This is not traditional at all.

Usually whenever I make a quesadilla, I just throw in whatever I have in the fridge.

So I already sauteed some kale that you can see in here and I'm just going to kind of

push it into the quesadilla.

So first thing's first, got to turn on the burner, and we'll kind of let that warm up

a little bit and put my little piece of butter into the pan.

Stir it up a little bit.

I'm sorry if you come from a country where quesadillas are your traditional food, this

is nothing like that.

This is purely Vanessa style.

All right, because I already sauteed the kale, the pan's a little bit hot, so I'm just going

to put the tortilla into the pan and mush it around a little bit.

Now comes the fun part, grating the cheese.

So this is a grater and we use the verb, which is almost the same thing as the item.

I'm going to grate the cheese with a grater, so I'm just going to do this, and that looks

pretty good.

And I'll probably just push it around the pan a little bit because it will evenly melt.

If you weren't watching, I would probably use my hands, but because you're watching

and this is going to be on the internet, we'll do it a little bit more of a sanitary way.

During lunch today I plan on playing a game called ... Or, not really a game, just using

this item called Table Topics.

It's this little box that has a bunch of questions in it, and Dan and I often use these questions

just to talk about stuff during a meal because sometimes you don't want to think about your

day or you don't want to just talk about the same things you usually talk about, so we're

going to be using these Table Topic questions.

If you think it's a good idea, if you like it yourself, you're welcome to use the link.

There's a link in the description where you can buy it yourself.

I just think it's a cool item because it's got lots of questions in English.

All right, the next thing is to push this kale into the quesadilla.

Okay, and next I'm going to put some kimchi on this.

I don't know if you've ever had kimchi, but whenever I eat it, I feel so refreshed.

Like there's something about it that just makes me feel cleansed inside.

And we have a lot of kimchi in our fridge.

Maybe a little too much.

Sometimes I go a little kimchi crazy.

Whenever I see kimchi at an Asian supermarket, or here in Asheville we have a Korean food

truck, it's like a Korean fusion food truck, but there's a Korean family who run it and

they sell kimchi.

This is their kimchi.

So whenever we go there, we always buy more jars of kimchi because we go through it pretty

fast.

All right, I'm going to let that sit there for a second, because usually I like the bottom

of the quesadilla to get, or the bottom of the tortilla to get a little bit crispy or

hard a little bit, so that the inside is nice and melted and the outside's a little bit

crispy.

If I had any leftover chicken, I would put that in here.

Maybe fish, put it in there.

Whatever we have.

Broccoli, put it in there.

It's a very simple way to make a nice lunch, because I work from home as your English teacher,

I can eat lunch at home, so it's convenient to cook things like this.

But I know a lot of people eat lunch at the office or you're not at home when you're eating,

so of course you could make something like this for dinner if you wanted.

It's a fun way to use your leftovers like kale or just kimchi that you have sitting

around.

All right, let's check the bottom of this.

It looks like it could probably be turned up a little bit.

I'm going to do that.

I don't want to burn the bottom.

I have done that before, one too many times, but if you kind of carefully turn up the burner,

it's not a big deal.

Okay.

It looks like our patience has paid off.

You can see I put the ingredients only on half of it because now comes the important

part, we need to fold it in half.

I'm going to use my fingers a little bit.

Fold it in half so it becomes a nice little shape like that, and I'll just put it right

on the plate.

All right, that's one.

You want to see what we made?

Nothing super fancy, just simple lunch.

Now I'm going to make two more, and then I'll tell Dan and Theo they can come back inside,

because Theo is always really loud whenever he plays, so they always go outside whenever

I film a video.

So, I'll tell them to come back inside and we can have some lunch together.

Vanessa: Well, welcome to lunch.

I'm glad you could join us.

We're eating the quesadilla that I just made.

Dan: Yes we are.

Vanessa: How is it?

Dan: It's very good.

It as kimchi in it.

Vanessa: Yup.

Dan: A kimchi quesadilla.

Vanessa: Yeah, fusion.

Dan: That's special.

Vanessa: Theo, what do you think about the quesadilla?

Is it good?

Theo: Yeah.

Vanessa: Good.

What do you like about it?

Theo: Cheese.

Vanessa: Cheese?

Dan: He said cheese.

He loves cheese.

Vanessa: Good.

Well today, Theo, I have something special.

We're going to be talking about some questions.

Do you want to talk about some questions with us?

Theo: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Vanessa: Okay.

This is Table Topics.

It's like a question conversation starter box.

Dan: Theo wants to ask a question.

Vanessa: Theo, you want to choose a question?

All right.

What's it say?

Dan: Can you read it?

Vanessa: Can you read it?

Dan: What's it say?

Theo: More!

Vanessa: You want me to read it?

Okay.

It says, what's your favorite ... Theo, we'll read some more after we've finished this one.

Why don't you eat your quesadilla?

Dan: Yeah, let's do one at a time.

Vanessa: What's your favorite song to play in the car?

Theo: Rock you!

Dan: Look up- Vanessa: What did you say?

Theo: Rock you!

Vanessa: Rock You?

Dan: Oh, Theo has a song.

Number one for Theo is We Will Rock You by Queen.

For me, I like the song I Belong In Your arms by-

Vanessa: Chairlift.

Dan: By Chairlift.

And two- Theo: Barbara Ann

Dan: He likes Barbara Ann too, by the Beach Boys.

You like Barbara Ann?

Can you sing it?

Theo: Bicycle!

Vanessa: Oh, and the bicycle?

Dan: Oh, the bicycle song.

Vanessa: There's like a little kid's song about a bicycle.

Dan: And my second song I like to listen to in the car is by Kero Kero Bonito and it's

called Break.

Look up the video, it's cute.

I like cute music sometimes.

Vanessa: Yeah.

I feel like I don't really have a favorite song to listen to in the car, but we listen

to We Will Rock You a lot, because Theo always requests it.

He sits in the back seat and says ... What do you say in the back seat?

Do you remember?

Dan: Can you sing it, Theo?

Theo: Rock you!

Vanessa: We will, we will rock you.

Yeah, he loves that song a lot.

Vanessa: All right, should we go to the next question?

Dan: Sure.

Let's see if we can make it through all of them.

Vanessa: All of them?

Dan: Well, before Theo wants to get up.

Vanessa: You want to read it?

Theo: Yeah.

Vanessa: All right.

Dan: All right, what's it say?

Theo: No!

Vanessa: Oh, you don't know how to read yet.

It's okay.

Theo: New one.

Vanessa: Let's take a new one after we finish this one.

Dan: Look at this one.

Vanessa: It is ... Excuse me.

Dan: Bless you.

Vanessa: Which piece of land would you preserve forever?

Theo: Ever!

Vanessa: Excuse me.

Vanessa: Yeah, we'll put that back when we finish it.

We can maybe make a little pile here.

Dan: Which piece of land would I preserve forever?

Theo: Barbara Ann.

Dan: I'm going to go with- Vanessa: Barbara Ann.

Dan: I'm going to go with Cinque Terre.

Vanessa: Ah, okay.

Dan: Just keep it the same as it is right now.

So it's in Italy, on the coast in the Mediterranean, and there's five cities.

Is it five?

Vanessa: Yeah.

Cinque, five.

Dan: Oh, yeah.

Vanessa: Cinque Terre.

Dan: Maybe it's recency bias, because we went and saw it, but it was so pretty.

I just want to keep it how it is, and I love the Mediterranean.

Vanessa: I think I would ... My initial reaction is to say the rain forest, but we just watched

this documentary about the water, like coastal waters, and it said that kelp forests are

just as valuable as forests with trees, and how a lot of the coastal waters are being

over fished.

So, I kind of feel like I would want to preserve some coastal waters.

It's not really land.

It says land, but I think that's what I would choose.

Dan: The land goes down into the water.

Vanessa: Yeah, it's all good.

Dan: Yeah, something coastal.

I agree.

I'm changing my answer, because the ocean can be in trouble if you fish too much, and

many people do.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Theo, what piece of land would you preserve forever?

Theo: *Dinosaur noise* Vanessa: Oh, that.

Really?

Okay.

Dan: He makes a good point.

Vanessa: A good point.

Vanessa: All right, let's go to the next one.

Theo, I want to know who taught you how to ride a bike.

Theo: Opa.

Vanessa: Opa.

That's Dan's dad- Dan: My dad taught him how to ride a bike.

Vanessa: He doesn't know how to ride a bike yet.

Dan: But he might.

Vanessa: He sits on the back seat of the bike with Dan's dad, who we call Opa.

So- Dan: Theo, do you like riding on the bike?

Theo: Yeah.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Dan: He says yeah.

Theo: High five!

Dan: What?

Vanessa: Yay.

It's lots of fun.

Theo: High five.

Vanessa: High five?

Dan: You like to high five on the bike?

Yeah.

Vanessa: All right.

Oh yeah, one time when he was riding, Dan high fived him while he was on the bike.

What about you?

Who taught you how to ride a bike?

Dan: I mean, I don't remember.

It's probably my dad.

Vanessa: Yeah, probably.

Dan: Probably my dad, yeah.

I was young.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Dan: I remember having training wheels.

Vanessa: Oh yeah.

Dan: With the little wheels on the side, and my bike was green.

It was leopard print, but it was green.

Vanessa: You remember your bike?

Dan: Yeah, I loved my bike.

Vanessa: But you don't remember who taught you how to ride it?

Dan: No, I don't remember who taught me.

I was a little boy.

I cared more about the bike itself.

My parents, who's teaching me?

I don't know.

Vanessa: Theo, who's going to teach you how to ride a bike?

Theo: Nana.

Vanessa: Dan's mom.

Dan: His Nana.

Vanessa: Oh, I know that definitely my dad taught me to ride a bike, because I saw a

picture.

I don't really have a memory of it, but apparently I ran into my parent's bedroom and said, "Today's

the day I'm going to ride my bike."

And they were like, "Okay."

And we went to like tennis court I think, or a basketball court, and there's a picture

of my dad helping me to ride a bike.

So yeah.

Dan: Cool.

We're all sneezing today.

Vanessa: I don't know why.

Maybe it's pollen.

Dan: You get the real life.

Vanessa: Theo, I have a very important question for you.

Dan: You listening, son?

Vanessa: Are you ready?

What would you miss most about your home if you moved?

Theo: Oh, more!

Vanessa: More questions?

We'll ask more questions when we finish with this one.

Dan: Theo, what's your favorite room in the house?

Theo: We rock you.

Vanessa: He's on the “we will” train.

All right.

Dan: He said, "We rock you."

Vanessa: Are you kissing that card?

Dan: I don't hear him because he doesn't have a microphone.

Vanessa: Theo, I don't want you to eat this card though, because it's not tasty.

Dan: He's reading.

He says he's reading.

Vanessa: Oh, you're reading it?

Dan: Are you reading it?

Vanessa: Okay.

Eat it and read it sound very similar.

Dan: What does it say?

Vanessa: Yeah.

What about you?

What would you miss most about your home if you moved?

Dan: Ironically, we probably are moving soon, so-

Vanessa: We definitely are moving soon.

Dan: We're definitely moving soon.

Vanessa: So what would you miss most about this home when we move?

Dan: I think everything in the new home is better.

On the inside, everything is better.

I'll miss this home's location, because we live right next to three grocery stores and

we live in a very walkable neighborhood.

Although the new neighborhood we're moving to is also walkable.

It's just different, because we're used to living in cities and this is kind of like

living in a city right now, but we're going to be living more suburban.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Dan: But we're going to be living more suburban, which is a little bit sad.

Vanessa: All right.

We'll get another one in just a second.

I need to answer that question first.

Dan: But the house is much better.

Vanessa: Do you want to choose the next one for us?

Theo: Yeah.

Vanessa: Okay.

Can you choose this card right here?

There you go.

Dan: Well what about you?

Vanessa: I think Theo is ready for the next question.

I think- Dan: Don't eat it.

Vanessa: Theo, I don't want you to eat it.

Yeah, let's put it back.

It's not food.

Theo: There.

Dan: Yeah, put it there.

Vanessa: Oh, you want us to put this here?

Theo: Yeah.

Open it.

Vanessa: Let's save that card so we can read it the next time.

Dan: He said open it.

Vanessa: Oh, you want to open it and put that card there.

Theo: Over there.

Vanessa: Or there?

Okay, that's a good spot.

Dan: I hope people can't hear me chewing.

Vanessa: That's the worst sound.

You want to put it there?

Okay.

Vanessa: Oh, I think what I'm going to miss most about this place, I would say the routines

that we've had in the last four years.

Like going to the same park, walking into the grocery store.

We walk to the grocery store a lot, maybe too much.

Dan: The location is very, very good.

Vanessa: Yeah, we know this neighborhood.

We know our neighbors.

Dan: It's also kind of fun to live in an apartment, even though you don't get much privacy.

The flip side is you get to see a lot of people.

Vanessa: All right, we got a little situation on my hands over here.

Dan: And we have neighbors who can help watch our cats and stuff.

Vanessa: Theo, we're going to choose one.

Let's just choose one.

Vanessa: Do you want to read this one?

That one's a good one for you, Theo.

Oh, but I don't want you to eat it.

Dan: I think he's confused about the purpose of the cards.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Theo, are you done with your lunch?

Theo: Yeah.

More.

Vanessa: You're going to eat more?

Okay, that's a good idea.

Vanessa: All right, next question.

Dan: Distract him with food.

Vanessa: Next question.

What did you get into trouble for when you were young?

Theo?

Dan: Theo, what do you get in trouble for?

Vanessa: Eating paper.

Do you get in trouble?

Dan: Do you get in trouble?

Theo: *Noises* Dan: He doesn't know what trouble is yet.

Vanessa: What did you get in trouble for it?

Dan: When I was young?

Vanessa: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Dan: I don't know.

Probably just fighting with my siblings.

I used to tease my sister a lot.

Vanessa: Yeah?

Dan: Yeah, that's probably the main thing.

Fighting with my brother or teasing my sister, because my brother was older and he was bigger,

but sometimes I would come up to him, and okay, I teased both of them.

I'd tease my brother too, and try to make him a little angry.

And sometimes I would take my sister's dolls, and I would take the dolls and I would say,

"I'm going to take it to the bathroom and give it a swirly."

Vanessa: Which is putting it in the toilet.

So mean.

Dan: Putting the head of the doll in the toilet.

I didn't really do it, I just threatened.

Vanessa: Oh, that's so bad.

I think that is the same for me.

Dan: I was a little bit naughty, I guess.

Yeah.

Vanessa: Yeah.

You think that daddy was naughty when he was little?

Dan: Good news for my son.

Vanessa: I know.

I remember distinctly there was one Mother's Day or for my mom's birthday, some kind of

holiday like that, and we asked her, what do you want us to give you?

I think I was like six years old, so my sister was like three or four.

And she said, "All I want is one day when you girls don't fight."

Dan: Wow.

I guess everybody fights with their siblings.

Vanessa: That's so bad though.

That means that she must've been so annoyed every day with us fighting.

Yeah.

Dan: I can't really imagine you and your sister fighting.

Although her sister can be tough sometimes.

Vanessa was a perfect angel, let me tell you.

Vanessa: I don't know about that.

Theo has something important to tell us.

Dan: You know the truth.

Vanessa: He wants to tell us about Barbara Ann.

Dan: Oh, you want to sing the song?

Vanessa: Ready?

Okay.

Now he's not going to sing it.

Dan: He just likes to hear it.

Theo: Bicycle Vanessa: Ready, set, go?

Theo: No, he said bicycle.

Vanessa: Oh, bicycle.

Okay.

Well, Theo took out a bunch of these cards, so I'll just choose one.

All right, let's do this one.

Which historical time period would you most like to visit?

Dan: I think you answered this one recently.

Vanessa: Oh yeah?

Maybe we already did this card.

Dan: Yeah.

It's a good question though.

I think I would say pre-history.

Vanessa: Okay.

Dan: I want to say like cavemen, and like when they discovered fire.

And how stupid were they or how smart were they?

I don't know.

Were they like, "Ugg, make fire," or were they like, "I believe I have created fire

today."

Vanessa: I was going to say something similar.

I was going to say, I want to go back to see one of my ancestors who was a hunter gather.

Maybe they sounded like Theo sounds right now, and just to see what was their daily

life like.

What was hunting like and gathering like?

And they had to live outside all the time, and they had to fight wild animals and live

through thunderstorms and all of that type of stuff.

Dan: We really want to go back far.

Vanessa: Who did I descend from and what were our lives like?

That wasn't that long ago.

15,000 years ago.

Like what was- Dan: That's just yesterday.

Vanessa: I think agriculture was 10,000 years ago.

Something like that.

Dan: Something like that.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Theo, what about you?

What time period do you want to go back?

Theo: Bowl.

Vanessa: Bowl?

Dan: Bowl.

Vanessa: Okay.

You want to go back and see when bowls were created?

Theo: Mm-hmm (affirmative) Vanessa: Okay.

Dan: He wants to see the creation of the first quesadilla.

Vanessa: Oh really?

Dan: He wants to see the invention of cheese.

Vanessa: I would not doubt that.

Dan: Theo loves cheese.

Do you love cheese?

Theo: Yeah.

Dan: He said, "Yeah."

Vanessa: All right.

I'm surprised that he has been patient sitting through all of this so far.

Vanessa: All right.

Let's do a shallow, simple question.

Maybe simple.

If you knew you wouldn't get hurt, would you rather sky dive or view sharks from an underwater

cage?

Theo: All done!

Vanessa: Oh, I spoke too soon.

Theo, are you all done?

Theo: Meat.

Vanessa: You want to eat some meat?

All right, meat.

If you're all done, let's go into the other room and you can wash your hands, and then

take a nap.

Dan: I don't believe I would get- Theo: Nana.

Vanessa: Do you want to go see Nana?

Theo: Yeah.

Vanessa: Oh, Nana's coming after you take a nap.

That's right.

All right, well let's take a little pause, and I'm going to help him take a nap.

Or maybe we'll just let him play in the other room for a second.

Do you want to go play in the other room for a sec’?

Dan: Yeah, let's let them go to the other room and wrap it up.

Wrap it up.

Wrap it up.

Anybody remember that?

Theo: Bye.

Dan: Wait.

You want to see ... Come here.

Vanessa: Do you want to sit on daddy's lap?

Dan: Theo, come here.

They can't see you.

Come right here.

You have to be lifted up.

Let me pick you up.

Vanessa: Oh yeah, so if you wouldn't get hurt, would you like to skydive or see sharks underwater?

Dan: I feel like seeing sharks under water isn't even that dangerous.

Vanessa: Oh yeah?

Dan: Yeah.

Vanessa: Theo, if you want them to see your truck book, you've got to come over here and

sit on daddy's lap.

Dan: I have to show them.

All right, ready?

Vanessa: Yeah, they can't see you over there.

Dan: You want to show them your truck book?

Vanessa: This is Theo's favorite book.

Dan: You going to show them the truck?

You see the camera up there?

Show them the truck book.

Vanessa: You like that truck?

Dan: You like trucks?

Vanessa: Yeah.

Dan: He does love trucks.

Vanessa: You can read that book if you'd like.

Dan: You want to sit here for a minute and look at the trucks?

Theo: *Noises* Vanessa: Okay, that's a good idea.

Dan: Wow.

So I guess I would ... Well skydiving would scare me even if I knew I was going to survive,

so- Vanessa: You know what?

When I first saw this question a couple seconds ago, my instinct was sharks.

Dan: Really?

Vanessa: Yeah, because I feel like I would be ... It's not often that you can go deep

under the water and see cool things.

Theo: Woooow!

Vanessa: You like that book?

Dan: He wants me to point at all the trucks.

Vanessa: This is what happens when you have dinner or try to have a conversation with

a toddler.

Dan: Yeah, we're probably going to have to cut this conversation short.

Vanessa: Yeah.

Well I think that's a good question to end on.

Dan: Yeah.

Let's ask Theo.

Theo, would you rather skydive or see sharks?

Theo: Yeah!

Dan: Skydive.

Theo: No.

No.

Vanessa: You want to get back here?

Dan: He wants to come back.

Vanessa: Well, thank you so much for joining us for this lunch.

I hope it was an eye opening experience.

If you have had kids, you know exactly what this is like.

If you have never had kids, it is a joyful experience.

Vanessa: Do you want to wave goodbye?

Dan: Look at the camera and say bye bye.

Vanessa: Bye.

See you later.

Dan: Want to Say bye bye into this?

Say bye bye.

Theo: Bye bye.

Dan: Bye bye.

Vanessa: Bye.

Vanessa: Did you have a good lunch?

How was your quesadilla?

I hope you enjoyed our little bit silly conversation and learned something new about English and

just about life and the world around you.

Vanessa: Let me know in the comments.

What do you usually eat for lunch?

Let me know.

It'll be interesting to see what people eat for lunch around the world.

Vanessa: Thanks so much for learning English with me and I'll see you again next Friday

for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel.

Bye.

Vanessa: The next step is to download my free eBook, Five Steps to Becoming a Confident

English Speaker.

You'll learn what you need to do to speak confidently and fluently.

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more free lessons.

Thanks so much.

Bye.