READING: Food: Fuel or Pleasure (Intermediate group)

The United States: Alice Freeman is a lawyer from San Diego

A) I think people are trying to improve their diets, but they are doing it the wrong way by following diets like the Atkins diet. Personally, I don't think it's very healthy to cut out entire groups of food like carbohydrates.

B) Not very often. I don't have the time or talent to cook full meals. I usually heat up a frozen meal or order a takeaway. 

C) Sometimes I get fast food for lunch. I have to admit that I love French fries. I feel terrible about it afterwards, but I don't do it very often. 

D) I usually have a bowl of cereal or toast for breakfast. For lunch I eat at a restaurant near my office. I perefer Japanese or Indian food. I usually eat rice with fish and vegetables, soup or sushi. I don't eat meat, but I ear a lot of fish. In the evening, I just have something light at home. 

E) I am trying to cut down on the amount of fat I eat. I'm also trying to eat more wholemeal bread. 

F) Not really. I enjoy certain kinds of food, but most meals are just fuel to keep me going through the day. 

France: Jacqueline Fabre is an IT consultant from Lyons

A) Yes, I cook every evening for my family. I often make soup or traditional French dishes like "boeuf bourguignon", which is a kind of beed and red wine stew, and then we have cheese and salad. It may seem a lot but we don't eat big portions. What's important for me is quality, not quantity. 

B) yes, I'm trying to eat less chocolate. 

C) I think people's diets are getting worse and worse. It's quite strange because we have a lot of information now about how bad fast food is for you. I'm afraid it's a problem in a lot of European countries. 

D) Not at home. I think most of the food I cook is healthy, but occasionally when I eat out I have something unhealthy, but it doesn't worry me. 

E) Yes, definitely. For me good meals with the family make me happy!

F) I'm quite traditional and I have three main meals a day. For breakfast, i like hot chocolate, and bread and butter with honey or jam. For lunch, I often eat in a restaurant with my colleagues. I usually have vegetables and meat ot fish but I love pasta and rice too. In the afternoon, I have fruit with biscuits or a piece of chocolate. In the evening, I have a proper meal with my family. 

Text taken from: New English File. Intermediate Student's book. Oxford.