[Lifestyle ★★]
(P1) A restaurant in Italy has been named as the best in the world. The Osteria Francescana restaurant was named number one at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony. The ceremony is like the Oscars of the food world. Italian food is loved worldwide, but this is the first time an Italian restaurant has won the annual prize. The Osteria Francescana came second in 2015. The chef, who is also the owner, is Mr. Massimo Bottura. He was very emotional when he collected his award. He said: “I want to thank everyone because it has been so hard. Our job is all about in the kitchen.”
(P2) Winning the award is good for business. The Osteria Francescana is fully booked until November. People must make a reservation six months in advance. Customers will fly to Italy just to eat at the restaurant. The judges gave Bottura the award for his creative and original food and traditional ingredients. Bottura makes amazing shapes with cheese. He creates, “forms and textures most diners will never have experienced.” One of his best-known dishes is a dessert called, “Oops, I Dropped the Lemon Tart“. The chef drops it from half a meter and it smashes on the plate.
WORDS: 198
SOURCE: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1606/160618-restaurants-2.html
VOCABULARY: awards, worldwide, annual, collected, judges, ingredients, textures, half, smashes
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Do you like Italian food? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Italian food is so popular?
- Would you order the dessert, “Oops, I Dropped the Lemon Tart”? Why or why not?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
- What is the name of the #1 restaurant?
- How many times per year is the award given?
- The chef owns the restaurant. (T or F)
- Bottura received the award for his restaurant because of its popularity. (T or F)
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- Oscars of the food world (P1)
- Fully booked (P2)
- Six months in advance (P2)
- Lemon Tart (P2)
Image source: by “unknown” https://www.ilmangiaweb.it/osteria-francescana
