Shadowing Practice: Egypt $10 food vlog! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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What food can you get for $10 or 475 Egyptian pounds in Dahab, Egypt?
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Let's go find out.
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I woke up really hungry this morning and so I'm up with the sun.
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As you can see, it's just starting to peak
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and I'm keen to try some tamaya or Egyptian falafel with some fava beans and probably a bunch of other stuff.
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So let's go see where we can eat.
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I started the morning at one of these full and tamaya shops, the kind of neighborhood spot with the glass counter full of just everything.
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You can see the eggplant, beans, yogurt, tahini, fries, and obviously falafel.
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Hello, can I have the big falafel monster sandwich please?
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What do you usually eat for breakfast?
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Especially if this sherry, a lot of times food on falafel is easy, but sometimes maybe a salad.
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Oh, here it is.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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They said this sandwich is really famous, more famous than the pyramids in Egypt.
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So let's see what's inside it.
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I think we have something like Egyptian falafel and salad and chihini and cheese and boiled eggs.
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Oh my...
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Mmm, the bread is so soft and warm.
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And the Egyptian falafel is so crispy.
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It's more like green than the kind of falafel you would find made with chickpeas.
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Oh my god.
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Wow.
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Super legit.
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I like everything in here.
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The only thing is that the hard boiled egg is like pretty well done.
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It's like a bit gray.
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Maybe it could have been cooked for just one or two minutes less, but pretty much no complaints.
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The guy I was just talking to said that tamaya, Egyptian falafel, is kind of never eaten outside of breakfast.
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It's mostly just a breakfast thing.
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And they serve it with a little jalapeno.
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Mmm.
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The tahini is like kind of fudge-like, a little bit sweet, and a little bit sesame-like.
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Or a lot sesame-like since that's what it's made out of.
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Thank you!
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Then I was just walking around and I spotted this little bakery that had all sorts of baked goods like cookies, flatbreads, croissants, and because of the amazing smell, I wanted to try something.
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Okay, good.
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The little bakery looks so good, so I got a bunch of these cookies.
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I don't know exactly what's inside it, but I'm pretty sure it's dates.
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Wow, it's chewy and a little bit sweet and salty.
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It's got some sesame seeds on the outside.
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Oh my god.
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I was so thirsty at this point and even though halal wine wasn't really on my agenda this morning, it caught my eye on the menu of a nearby juicery.
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Hello.
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The halal red wine, it has alcohol or no?
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No alcohol?
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Okay, Uh, can I try that please?
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So they had this halal red wine on the menu.
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And I wasn't really sure what that meant, but apparently it is just tart hibiscus tea served cold.
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Look at how red that color is.
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Pretty sweet, but not overly sweet.
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It's lunchtime and it's really hot.
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I'm definitely craving some seafood.
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I haven't had some good seafood in a long time.
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and Dhab is supposedly one of the better places in Egypt to get good seafood because it's right along the Red Sea.
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I found this fish restaurant and I was just taking a look at the menu
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when the owner took me to his fridge to show me all these different types of fish.
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I kind of had no idea what I was looking at so I just picked one at random.
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This place is so lovely.
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It's in the shade, sitting outside.
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Perfect day.
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Oh my gosh, just look at all that food.
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This one is Bori, which I do not know what it is in English, but it'll be my first time.
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Wow, look at how crispy the exterior is.
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Mmm, it is so fresh and flaky and good.
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It's nutty and creamy and a little salty.
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The fish just melts in your mouth.
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Look at how barbecued that is.
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The Red Sea is apparently one of the warmest seas in the world.
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It's really salty and is home to over a thousand species of fish.
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so so clear you can see these shades of turquoise and deep blue that almost don't look real.
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I think tonight will be Egyptian barbecue night.
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Hello.
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Cheers.
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Hello.
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Cheers.
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What?
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You can't touch it.
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No, no, no. Oh.
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Oh.
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Oh.
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Oh.
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Oh.
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Oh.
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Oh.
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You're a good photographer, I think.
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Hello!
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Hello!
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Though I haven't really eaten that much Egyptian food in my life, as Egypt is the first time that I've tried Egyptian food, I've kind of noticed that the size are pretty similar no matter where I've gone.
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Oh, it keeps coming.
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Thank you so much.
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Thank you.
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Bread?
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Sure.
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We've got grilled chicken, Egyptian rice,
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soup, bread, tahini, and and another soup I think and pickled vegetables.
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Wow.
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Rice, fish, food, sauce, salad, chicken, dinner, bread, 100.
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Ah, good price.
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I guess I'll eat this with a spoon.
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I'll start with the chicken.
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Oh my gosh, it's perfectly done.
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And they put some herbs on here too.
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Wow.
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Wow no jokes the best chicken I've had in a long time.
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I don't know what part of the chicken it is but it's extremely tender.
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I would try to like perfectly crispy.
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We have some pickled vegetables.
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It looks quite simple.
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I think just carrots and maybe radish.
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Maybe seeds?
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Beans I think?
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Ah rice.
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Yeah I think this is some sort of rice soup.
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It's pretty oily.
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I've never tried a soup like that before.
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Let's try the other soup.
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It's like a vegetable soup.
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You can see there are potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans.
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Oh, it's quite salty.
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I like salty.
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Mmm.
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Really nice.
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I think I prefer this one to the other one.
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Mmm.
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Even if they're just canned vegetables, they're pretty good.
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Price would be worth it for just the chicken.
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But with all this other stuff, I'm really impressed.
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lemony tahini with some herbs in here wow this one is
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an egyptian rice i really like this rice i think they put some ghee in it
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i guess that's what i heard differentiates egyptian rice
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so nice this is so much they always put this sort of ground thing in the Egyptian rice.
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I don't know what it is.
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Maybe just for texture?
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Oh, I'm so full right now.
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Isn't the hop just lovely in the evening?
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Anyways, that's all I had today for $9.77.
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And I would say I'm pretty satisfied.
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So what do you think?
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Would you come to Egypt to eat like this?

Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with the Egypt $10 food vlog is an excellent opportunity to enhance your english speaking practice. By watching this video, learners can immerse themselves in authentic conversation, exposing them to natural speech patterns, local dialects, and cultural nuances specific to Egypt. Such exposure helps improve not only comprehension but also the ability to respond in real-time discussions. This video also provides a rich context, as it showcases a variety of local foods and daily experiences in Egypt, making it relatable and engaging for learners. Plus, practicing speaking along with the video will aid in enhancing fluency and confidence when speaking English.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the video, several grammatical structures and expressions are used that can enhance your speaking skills. Here are a few key points:

  • Question Forms: The speaker frequently uses questions to engage with locals, such as, "What do you usually eat for breakfast?" This structure is useful for learners to practice asking about preferences.
  • Descriptive Language: Phrases like "the bread is so soft and warm" help add detail to conversation, which is essential for painting a vivid picture when speaking.
  • Comparative Phrases: The speaker uses comparisons, for instance, "more famous than the pyramids", which is a common approach in English to emphasize points while making a connection to cultural elements.
  • Present Continuous Tense: Expressions such as "I was walking around" illustrate ongoing actions and are practical for learners to understand context in conversations.

Common Pronunciation Traps

English learners often face challenges with pronunciation, especially when dealing with regional dialects or phrases. Here are some tricky elements from the video:

  • Tamaya: The pronunciation of this traditional dish may be unfamiliar. Breaking it down phonetically can help learners grasp how to say it correctly.
  • Falafel: This word can often be pronounced incorrectly. Emphasizing the second syllable (fa-LA-fel) is crucial for clarity.
  • Juicery: The word may be pronounced differently based on accents. Practicing it in various contexts will aid in improving english pronunciation.
  • Halal: Understanding the correct pronunciation of terms derived from Arabic can enhance cultural discussions, facilitating smoother conversations.

Incorporating these elements into your practice can greatly contribute to your IELTS speaking practice and overall fluency. By shadowing the speaker, you can improve your english speaking practice and become more comfortable with spontaneous interactions.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.