Why you should watch Food and Health Videos at videojug.com

What makes this site so useful for learners of English is that there are not only tons of short, educational (and often entertaining) videos on how to do and make all kinds of things, but also a handy list of "things you will need" and a set of written instructions as well.  You can hear how the words are pronounced and are more likely to remember them because you see/hear them being used in context. Definitely a smart way to improve your vocabulary while learning some useful things.

Here are two of the topics we are covering this semester:

• FOOD
• how-to-make-american-apple-pie
• Listen and jot down some useful vocabulary. Or simply follow the recipe and make the world a better place :)

• healthy-eating

• HEALTH
• how-to-give-a-chinese-massage#
• Try it out on a friend. I'm sure they'll appreciate it!

Vocabulary: Food and Kitchen

Two colorful ideas for improving your food vocabulary

●       Little Explorers (Enchanted Learning)

How many of these simple FOOD words do you already know and which ones are new for you?

●       Picture dictionary (very thorough!)

Don’t worry. You don’t have to know every single word here, but the more you know the easier it will be to talk and write about this topic.

As American as apple pie: Typical American food

As American as apple pie

Have you ever heard this expression? Is it really so prototypical? What is the equivalent in your language that compares a country to a food item?

Every once in a while Hofer here in Graz will sell what they think is American food. What do they sell? And does anyone ever actually buy those hamburger buns?!

After perusing the index of a book called American Dish : 100 Recipes from Ten Delicious Decades, by Merrill Shindler,  I typed up some of the food items on the list that I remember from my boyhood in the States. If any of you have been across the pond, please add a comment telling us what you actually bought and ate over there that you wish was sold here.

Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix

Barbeque

Birdseye Frozen Foods

Brownies

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Caesar Salad

Campbell’s Soup

Cheerios

Cheese Whiz

Chocolate Chip /Toll House Cookies

Chop Suey

Chow Mein

Club Sandwich

Coca-Cola

Cocktails

Corn dog

Dagwood sandwich

Decaffeinated coffee

Dressings  (Ranch, Russian, Thousand Islands, Blue Cheese)

English Muffins

Fish sticks

Fortune cookie

Fritos

Granola

Häagen-Dazs

Heinz  Ketchup

Hershey bar

Hot dog

Iced tea

Instant Coffee

Jell-O

Kellogg’s Cornflakes

Life Savers

M&Ms

Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese

Meatloaf

Miller Lite

Minute Rice

Oreo

Peanut Butter

Pop-Tarts

Pringles

Reddi-Whip

Reuben Sandwich

Rye bread

Spam

Tropicana

Tuna Noodle Casserole

TV Dinner

Velveeta

Weight Watchers

Source: adapted from "American Dish" : 100 Recipes from Ten Delicious Decades, by Merrill Shindler  You can read a few pages at amazon and get two recipes that will make your mouth water, especially if  you have a sweet tooth.  http://www.amazon.com/dp/1883318106/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

So what does a successful Food Magazine article look like?

Wow! We sure have a lot of articles now in our Food Magazine! Over 170!

The quality varies of course, but we can learn from the ones that past students have written.

The ones below are all about food culture in the United States.

TASK: 

Read all 5 titles and then decide which one you would click on if you only had time to read TWO articles. Explain your choices.

As you read the articles, think about just what it is that makes them successful. Make a few notes of any ideas that might help you write a successful article yourself. One that stands out. One that people will really enjoy reading. One that people will finish and say "More, please!"

• Sophie’s American Pies
• David’s Scandinavian Influence in Minnesota's cuisine
• Julia’s Let me go to prison, I want good food
• Josepha’s School lunch - Is all hope lost?
• Sarah’s For the love of the South - A tribute to the Southern cuisine