Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. preference [PREF-er-uhns, PREF-ruhns] (n.) – something a person is most interested in
Example: The couple loves all kinds of music, but their preference is jazz.
2. respondent [ri-SPON-duhnt] (n.) – a person who answers a survey
Example: The respondents answered an online questionnaire about love.
3. wine and dine [wahyn-and-dahyn] (idiom) – to eat good food at expensive or fancy places
Example: She and her husband hope to wine and dine in Paris.
4. fondue [fon-DOO, -DYOO, FON-doo] (n.) – a dish wherein foods are dipped in a bowl of hot liquid (such as melted chocolate or cheese)
Example: Their fondue consisted of sliced fruits and melted chocolate.
5. appetizer [AP-i-tahy-zer] (n.) – the first course in a full meal; a small meal to eat before the main dish
Example: Salads and soups are usually ordered as appetizers.
Article
Read the text below.
Read the text below.
Restaurant.com recently released a survey about Americans’ food preferences during love day, February 14.
When asked about their romantic food preferences, 49% of the respondents said they would like to wine and dine in Italian restaurants during this day. Only 12% said they wanted fondue while 11% wanted to eat French food.
On the other hand, the least romantic cuisine for 44% of respondents was Mexican food. Sushi was voted the second least romantic food according to 34% of the people surveyed.
Restaurant.com predicted that restaurants and diners would be very busy this Valentine’s Day. Three-fourths or 75% of respondents answered they would be dining in a restaurant to celebrate the day.
However, the 75% had different plans for their dinner dates. An estimated 42% would wait for Valentine’s week to make a reservation while 32% would wait until the last minute to reserve tables.
Meanwhile, 46% said they would get appetizers to start the course, and 73% said they would have desserts after the meal. Of the respondents, 42% indicated they would likely have a glass of wine to enjoy their meal.
Despite the recession, many respondents said they would spend extra on Valentine’s. A large percentage of the respondents revealed they expected to have meals costing around $50 to $100. Only 4% would spend for a meal priced at over $150.
Additionally, more than half of respondents said they would approve of a person who would use a discount coupon to pay for the dinner date.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
· What do you usually do on Valentine’s Day?
· Is Valentine’s Day only for couples, or can single people also enjoy it? Why do you think so?
Discussion B
· Do you think it is important to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Why or why not?
· What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a day to celebrate “love?”