Esta série Conversações Diárias é sobre uma família em viagem pelos 50 estados dos EUA. Junte-se a eles à medida que vão conhecendo as atividades de lazer e a história de cada lugar. Essas conversas são para alunos de inglês de nível intermediário ou superior.

Se você preferir acompanhar a lição apenas em inglês, clique aqui.

Neste diálogo, a família vai a um restaurante na Carolina do Sul


Waiter: May I take your order, or do you need a few more minutes?

Gina: I think we’re ready.

Claudine: What exactly is the she-crab soup?

Waiter: It’s a regional specialty from the South Carolina low country. It’s a thick soup made from cream, crab meat and crab roe.

Claudine: That sounds delicious. I’ll have that and the mac and cheese, please.

Waiter: That’s good Southern comfort food.

Sam: That sounds good! I’ll have the same.

Agora vamos rever o vocabulário.

May I take your order? [Posso anotar o seu pedido?] is a common question asked by waiters. It is used to ask the customers, or diners, if they are ready to order food. Other ways to ask this same question are: Are you ready to order? and Can I take your order?

In a restaurant, a waiter may ask the customers do you need a few more minutes? [Você precisa de mais alguns minutos?] This is used to know whether the waiter should take the customer’s order now or come back to the table later to take the order.

The question starter What exactly is …? [O que é exatamente…?] is used to ask for more clarification. When asked by a customer in a restaurant, it means that the customer wants to know what ingredients are in a dish.

A regional specialty [especialidade regional] means a special dish or food from a specific area.

The low country [litoral; região litorânea/costeira] is a geographical and cultural region along the coast of South Carolina.

A crab [caranguejo] is a sea creature that has a hard shell, eight legs and two large claws.

Crab roe [ovas de caranguejo] is the eggs of a crab.

Using the phrase I’ll have [eu quero] … is a way to order in a restaurant. Another way to order using the verb have is Could I have … For example, Could I have the fish, please?

Mac and cheese [macarrão com queijo], short for macaroni and cheese, is a dish made of cooked macaroni and a cheese sauce that consists of cheese, milk and butter.

Comfort food [comida caseira/simples] is food that is prepared in a simple or traditional way and reminds the person eating it of his or her family, friends or home.

In a restaurant, the phrase I’ll have the same [o mesmo para mim; quero a mesma coisa] is a way to order the same thing as the previous person without repeating the names.

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