Shadowing Practice: Talking About Your Favorite Food in English | Slow & Simple English Podcast Ep. 03 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Slow and Simple English.
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Slow and Simple English.
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Hello everyone and welcome back to Slow and Simple English podcast where every conversation helps you learn.
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I'm Alex.
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Hello, Alex.
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Hello everyone.
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I'm Lisa.
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How are you today, Alex?
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I am wonderful today, Lisa.
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I just had the best lunch.
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Oh, what did you eat?
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I made a big bowl of pasta with tomato sauce,
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garlic, and fresh basil on top.
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Fresh basil?
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That sounds very fancy.
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It is not fancy at all.
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Very simple.
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But it tasted amazing.
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I had a sad lunch today.
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Sad lunch?
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What happened?
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I forgot to go to the supermarket, so I had bread.
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And one egg.
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That is all.
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One egg?
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One lonely egg.
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Lisa, you need to plan your meals better.
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I know.
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I always say I will cook something nice,
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and then I end up with bread and one egg.
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Well, today's topic might help you,
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or at least inspire you.
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Oh, what are we talking about today?
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Today we are talking about food.
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Specifically, how to talk about your favorite food in English.
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Food.
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This is my favorite topic.
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Even if my lunch was sad.
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Let's start.
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But first, before we start,
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we have a small request.
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Yes.
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If you like our podcast,
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please click the like button and please subscribe to Slow
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and Simple English podcast and share this episode with your friends and family who are learning English.
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Thank you so much.
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It really helps us a lot.
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We love our listeners.
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Okay, let's talk about food.
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So Lisa, let me ask you,
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if someone asks you in English,
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what is your favorite food?
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What do you say?
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Um, I say I like food.
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That is a very general answer.
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I know.
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I don't know how to describe food in English.
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I can say delicious.
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That is one word.
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That is all I have.
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Well, after today, you will have many more words.
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Talking about food is one of the most useful things in English.
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You use it at restaurants,
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with new friends, at work, everywhere.
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Yes, food is a universal topic.
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Everybody eats.
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Exactly.
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And when you can talk about food,
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well, conversations become easy and fun.
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So today, let's learn how, step by step.
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Step by step.
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I am ready.
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Okay, first things first.
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How do you say what your favorite food is?
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My favorite food is...
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Yes, that is the basic sentence.
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My favorite food is.. and then you name it.
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My favorite food is pho.
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Good.
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Now, sometimes people ask in a different way.
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They say, what do you like to eat?
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Or, what kind of food do you like?
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Oh, different questions.
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Same answer?
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Yes.
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The answer is similar.
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I love eating pho.
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Or, I really like Vietnamese food.
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Or, I enjoy spicy food.
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I like those.
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I love eating.
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I really like.
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I enjoy.
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These three phrases are very natural.
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I love, I really like, I enjoy.
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They are all positive.
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But they have small differences.
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What is the difference?
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I love is the strongest feeling.
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Very strong.
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I really like is strong but a little less.
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I enjoy is more calm.
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More relaxed.
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Like, this makes me happy.
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So I love pizza.
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I really like pasta.
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I enjoy a good soup.
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Perfect.
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And you can also say what you don't like.
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I don't really like or I'm not a big fan of.
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I'm not a big fan of.
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What does that mean exactly?
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A big fan means someone who loves something very much.
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So I'm not a big fan of means I don't love it.
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Maybe it's okay, but not my favorite.
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I'm not a big fan of bitter vegetables.
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Very natural.
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Good job.
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So we have I love,
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I really like, I enjoy,
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I'm not a big fan of.
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Four phrases to start.
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Okay.
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Segment two.
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How to describe the taste of food.
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Taste words.
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Yes.
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I only know delicious.
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Delicious is great.
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But let's learn more.
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The five basic tastes in English.
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Do you know them?
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Um, sweet, salty, spicy.
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Good.
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Two more.
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Sour and bitter.
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Sour.
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Like lemon?
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Exactly.
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Sour means sharp.
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Like lemon or vinegar, your face goes like this when something is very sour.
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Yes, my face does that.
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And bitter.
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Bitter means a strong, slightly unpleasant taste,
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like dark chocolate or black coffee with no sugar.
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Oh, I like bitter things.
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Dark chocolate is bitter, but I love it.
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Good example.
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Now, beyond the five tastes,
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we have more describing words.
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Rich.
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Rich means the flavor is very deep and strong,
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like a thick stew or a creamy sauce.
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Rich.
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Okay.
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A rich chocolate cake.
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Yes.
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And light.
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Light means not heavy, not too strong,
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easy to eat, like a salad or queer soup.
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A light soup.
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Perfect for summer.
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And one more very useful word, comforting.
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Comforting means the food makes you feel warm and happy inside, like home.
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Oh, this word is beautiful, comforting.
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What food is comforting for you, Lisa?
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For me, a bowl of pho on a cold day.
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That is comforting.
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Perfect.
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Now, you can also combine these words.
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One food can have more than one taste.
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Like sweet and sour?
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Exactly.
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Sweet and sour sauce is a real dish.
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And you can say, this dish is both sweet and a little sour.
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Or, it starts salty and ends slightly sweet.
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Starts salty and ends slightly sweet.
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That sounds like a very interesting food.
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It does.
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And that kind of description makes people want to try it to try it.
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When you describe food well, you make people hungry.
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I want to make people hungry with my descriptions.
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Then practice these words.
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One more thing.
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The word savory.
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Savory means not sweet.
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It is the taste of meat, cheese, soup, grilled food.
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Savory.
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So breakfast can be sweet,
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like fruit and yogurt, or savory like eggs and toast.
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Exactly right.
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Sweet breakfast or savory breakfast.
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Many people have a strong preference.
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Preference means which one you like more.
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I prefer savory breakfast, eggs and bread, or rice and soup.
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Good.
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So now we have sweet,
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salty, spicy, sour, bitter, rich, light, comforting, savory.
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These words help you describe any food.
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I have so many more words now.
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Not just delicious.
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Delicious is still good, but now you have a whole flavor vocabulary.
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Now, taste is not everything.
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We also talk about texture.
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Texture?
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What is that?
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Texture is how food feels in your mouth,
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not the taste, the feeling.
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Oh, like soft or hard.
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Exactly.
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Soft and hard are two texture words.
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Let me give you more.
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Crispy.
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Do you know Crispy?
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Crispy?
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Like fried chicken skin?
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Yes!
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Crispy means it makes a sound when you bite it.
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Crunch.
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It is light and hard on the outside.
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I love crispy food.
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Crispy spring rolls.
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Another one.
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Chewy.
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Chewy means you need to chew it many times.
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It is soft, but takes time to eat.
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Like mochi?
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The Japanese rice cake?
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Perfect example.
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Mochi is very chewy.
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And one more.
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Creamy.
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Creamy means smooth, soft, rich.
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Like ice cream or mashed potatoes.
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Creamy mashed potatoes.
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Now I am hungry.
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Me too.
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So texture words.
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Soft, hard, crispy, chewy, creamy.
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when you describe food, combine taste and texture.
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For example?
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Um, crispy spring rolls with a light sour dipping sauce.
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That is an excellent description.
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I can picture it perfectly.
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Because it is real.
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I want some right now.
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Okay, another useful thing, talking about where food comes from.
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Like which country?
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Yes, or which region?
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Which city?
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People love to talk about the origin of food.
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Origin means where something comes from.
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Like pho comes from Vietnam.
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Sushi comes from Japan.
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Exactly.
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And in English, you use simple phrases.
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This dish is from.
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A dish, by the way,
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is one type of food.
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One item on the menu.
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A dish.
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Not just plate.
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The food itself.
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Right.
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Pho is a dish from Vietnam.
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Or, this is a traditional Vietnamese dish.
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Traditional means it has been made the same way for a long time, many generations.
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Traditional.
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Like a recipe from your grandmother.
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Yes, exactly like that.
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And you can also say,
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this is a popular dish in,
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for example, banh mi is a popular dish in Vietnam.
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Popular means many people like it and eat it.
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Correct.
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And one more phrase.
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This reminds me of home.
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When you eat food from your country and it gives you that warm, familiar feeling.
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Reminds me of home.
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That is an emotional phrase.
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Food is emotional.
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Food carries memories.
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Yes.
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When I eat my mother's cooking,
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I feel like a child again.
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That is beautiful, Lisa, and very natural English.
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This reminds me of home is a phrase every food lover should know.
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You can also share a memory with food.
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For example, every time I eat this,
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I think of my grandmother.
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Or, this is the food my family always makes at New Year.
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Oh, yes.
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In my family, we always make bonchan et tete every year.
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My grandmother, my mother, me.
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We make it together.
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Ban chong.
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Tell us about it.
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It is a traditional Vietnamese dish.
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Rice and pork and beans,
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all wrapped in banana leaves.
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It takes a long time to make.
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We cook it overnight.
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So when you eat ban chong,
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you think of your family,
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your grandmother, your tet memories.
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Yes.
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Every single time.
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That is the power of food.
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And in English, you can share this.
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Every time I eat this,
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I think of, this phrase connects food and memory beautifully.
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Okay, now let's make it practical.
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You are at a restaurant or talking to a friend.
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How do you recommend a food you love?
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Recommend means suggest, right?
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Tell someone to try it?
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Yes.
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Recommend means you say, this is good, you should try it.
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So how do you do this in English?
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Um, you should try this?
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Yes, you should try is a great phrase.
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Very natural.
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Or, I highly recommend.
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Highly means very strongly.
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You are saying, I really believe this is good.
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I highly recommend the faux here.
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It is amazing.
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Perfect.
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And at a restaurant, when the waiter asks,
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are you ready to order?
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You can say, can I have the,
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and then the dish name.
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Can I have the grilled fish, please?
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Very good.
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Very polite.
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And if you want to ask about the food first,
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you say, what do you recommend?
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Or what is this dish like?
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What is this dish like?
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I like that.
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I'm asking about the taste and texture.
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Exactly.
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And the waiter or your friend will describe it for you,
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using all the words we learned today.
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So I can ask and understand the answer now.
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That is the goal.
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You can ask, describe, recommend, and respond.
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A full food conversation.
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Okay, everyone, let's practice putting everything together.
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Lisa, I will ask you about a food.
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You describe it using our new words.
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Ready?
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Ready.
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Tell me about your favorite food.
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Okay.
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My favorite food is pho.
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It is a traditional Vietnamese dish.
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The broth is rich and comforting.
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The noodles are soft, and you can add fresh herbs on top,
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so it has a light, fresh flavor too.
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I really love it on cold days.
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It reminds me of home.
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That was excellent.
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Did everyone hear that?
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Rich broth.
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Comforting.
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Soft noodles.
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Light and fresh.
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Reminds me of home.
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She used five describing words and two phrases.
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In four sentences.
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Did I do well?
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You did wonderfully.
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Now everyone, your turn.
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Think of your favorite food.
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Describe it in three or four sentences.
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Use the words from today.
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Pause the podcast and try.
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We believe in you.
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Okay, let's review what we talked about today.
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Yes, review time.
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Today we talked about how to talk about your favorite food in English.
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Lisa, what phrases do we use to say we like something?
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I love, I really like,
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I enjoy, and for something we don't love,
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I'm not a big fan of.
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Good.
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Taste words?
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Sweet, salty, spicy, sour, bitter,
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and also rich, light, and...
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Comforting.
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Texture words?
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Soft, hard, crispy, chewy, creamy.
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Excellent.
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How do we talk about where food comes from?
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This dish is from...
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It is a traditional dish.
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It is a popular dish in...
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And my favorite, this reminds me of home.
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And how do we recommend food?
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You should try it.
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I highly recommend.
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Can I have the...
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Perfect.
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You remembered everything.
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Food vocabulary is easy to remember because I love food.
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That is the best way to learn.
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Connect the language to something you love.
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Connect language to something you love.
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That is good advice for everything.
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Well, that's all the time we have for today.
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Thank you so much for listening to Slow and Simple English Podcast.
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This was such a delicious episode in many ways.
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Yes, I am going to cook something nice tonight.
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No more bread and one egg.
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Please subscribe to Slow and Simple English Podcast.
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give this episode a like.
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It helps us so much.
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And share it with a friend who is learning English.
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Or a friend who loves food.
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That is everyone.
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Share it with everyone.
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And we have a question for you today.
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Leave a comment below.
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Tell us about your favorite food.
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Use this sentence starter.
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My My favorite food is because...
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Tell us the name, the taste, the texture.
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Describe it.
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We want to feel hungry reading your answer.
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See you next time.
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Bye everyone.
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Keep practicing your English.
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Context & Background
In the Slow and Simple English podcast episode titled "Talking About Your Favorite Food in English," hosts Alex and Lisa engage in a light-hearted conversation centered around their lunch experiences. This setting provides an excellent opportunity for English learners to practice speaking about everyday topics like food. By listening to their discussion, you can learn how to express your thoughts and preferences regarding your favorite meals, which is a vital skill for daily communication and social interactions.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
To enhance your English speaking practice on the topic of food, here are five useful phrases extracted from the podcast transcript:
- "What did you eat?" - A friendly way to inquire about someone's meal.
- "That sounds amazing!" - A phrase to express excitement or approval of someone's food choice.
- "I need to plan my meals better." - A statement reflecting the importance of meal planning.
- "I had a sad lunch." - A humorous way to describe a less-than-satisfying meal.
- "This is my favorite topic." - A phrase to express enthusiasm for discussing food.
Incorporating these phrases into your shadowspeaks practice can significantly enhance your conversational skills in social settings.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Shadowing is a powerful method to improve your English speaking abilities. Follow this step-by-step guide based on the podcast episode:
- Listen: Start by listening to the podcast episode. Focus on the natural flow of conversation between Alex and Lisa. Pay attention to their pronunciation, intonation, and emotional expression.
- Repeat: Play the podcast again, this time repeating phrases or sentences after the speakers. Use the shadowspeak technique by mimicking their rhythm and tone for better fluency.
- Practice: Move on to practice discussing your own favorite foods using the vocabulary and phrases you learned. Try describing not only what you eat but also why you enjoy it. This improves both your vocabulary and your confidence during conversations.
- Record: Record yourself while speaking about your favorite food. Listen to your recording to identify areas for improvement, such as clarity, rhythm, and vocabulary usage.
- Engage: Finally, engage with friends or language partners. Use your newfound vocabulary and phrases to have conversations about food, which aligns well with common topics found in the IELTS speaking practice section.
By integrating these steps and the key phrases into your practice, you will enhance your ability to communicate effectively in English, particularly around the delightful subject of food.
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.
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