Professor: Today Robert is going over to Liz and Doug’s apartment for dinner party, but he is about to find out that his tastes in food are very different from theirs.
[Doorbell, door opening]
Robert: Hey Doug! Hey Liz! Thank you so much for inviting me over for dinner.
Liz: Oh, it’s our pleasure! We haven’t had company in a long time so we’re really excited you could make it. Hey, what’s that dish you brought?
Robert: Well, Doug told me we were going to have a potluck dinner, so I cooked up some of my famous steak and brought it over. I hope you like it.
Liz: Oh my gosh Doug! He brought a dead animal into our house! What are we going to do?
Robert: Uh …. Doug? What’s the problem? Doesn’t Liz like steak?
Doug: Jeez…. I totally forgot to tell you. Liz is a vegetarian because she thinks eating meat is like murdering animals. Don’t worry honey, tomorrow I’ll take the steak outside and bury it.
原来Liz是个vegetarian – 素食主义者，觉得吃肉就是谋杀动物。难怪她看到Robert带牛排来那么生气。
Professor: Exactly, Winnie. And did you hear Liz talk about “having company”? When you have company, that means you invite guests over to your house. For example, “I can’t go to the movies on Friday night because I’m having company.”
哦，have company就是“有客人在”的意思。对了，professor, potluck dinner是什么意思？
Professor: At some dinner parties the host prepares all the food for the guests. But at a potluck dinner, all the guests each bring a dish to share with the other guests.
我明白了，potluck dinner就是客人都自己带菜，大家一起吃的聚餐。
Doug: Don’t worry Robert! Even though we can’t eat the steak, we’ve got lots of other good stuff to eat. Come and sit down at the table.
Robert: Great! I’m starving. What are we having?
Liz: I really hope you like it! I’ve prepared a three-course meal for you. For our appetizer we’re having carrots, for the entree we’re having chicken, and for the desert we’re having chocolate cake.
Robert: Well that sounds great …. but did you say we’re having chicken for the main course? I thought you didn’t eat meat!
Liz: Oh don’t be ridiculous! It’s not real chicken. It’s fake chicken, made from tofu.
Robert: Doug, did she say we’re having fake chicken made from tofu?
Doug: That’s right. Trust me, it sounds pretty weird, but I’m sure you’re going to love it.
Professor Bowman, 什么叫 three-course meal?
Professor: When you go to dinner in America, each dish is served one after another. Each dish is called a “course,” so if there is a three-course meal, that means three dishes are being served and they are “appetizer”, “entree”, and “desert”.
哦，原来这就是由“头台”“主菜”和“甜点”这三道菜组成的大餐。对了， Liz还说，主菜是豆腐做的素鸡，这个菜可不好做!
Professor: Well now they have finished eating, so let’s see what Robert thought.
Liz: So Robert, how did you enjoy your meal? It looks like you barely touched any of your chicken.
Robert: It was … umm …. interesting. It’s just that I’m not feeling so well. I think tofu chicken might be an acquired taste.
Doug: Believe me buddy, that’s what I said when I first had it. But I’m telling you, once you get used to it you’ll never go back to eating real chicken.
Liz: You know Doug, if tofu chicken really is an acquired taste, we should just put the leftovers in a doggie bag to give to
Robert to take home. Then he can keep eating it all week!
Professor, 什么叫acquired taste?
Prof: It means a preference that is only acquired after considerable experience.
我明白了，acquired taste就是慢慢培养出来的爱好。
哈，Robert客气地说，吃素鸡是acquired taste，其实就是表示自己不爱吃这道菜。
Prof: That’s right! But Liz offers to let him take the leftovers home so he would fall in love with it someday!
这次的美语三级跳就播送到这里。