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Mexican Food

Diego talks with Rebecca about some Mexican food dishes she should give a try.
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Rebecca: So, Diego, I hear that Mexico has some really great food and that you love to cook. What's your favorite food in Mexico?

Diego: My favorite food in Mexico is chiles en nogada. Chiles means pepper and this is a very traditional Mexican dish because our flag is green, white and red, so this plate, the peppers are green, and then it has a white sauce on top of it and then it has a grain sort of fruit. It's a red fruit and it's representing our flag so it's very... It's a very historical plate in Mexico. It's very famous.

Rebecca: Oh, wow. I don't think we have anything like that in Australia. It'd be hard to get something that you'd eat that's blue and red and white.

Diego: Blue and red.

Rebecca: Yeah. Maybe fish.

Diego: Fish with strawberries.

Rebecca: I don't think that would work.

Diego: Yeah.

Rebecca: So what about tacos? Do you eat them a lot?

Diego: Yeah, we eat them a lot. Tacos is like Mexican fast food, so there's a lot of tacos stands in Mexico, and you can have them in all sorts of ways: with cheese, with onions, with meat, with different sauces, like green sauce, hot sauce, red sauce. Yeah.

Rebecca: Do the tortillas... do they stand up or are they round ones that always fall over when you go to eat them?

Diego: They're the round ones and they're also soft so they're not corn chips.

Rebecca: Like the ones we get.

Diego: Yes.

Rebecca: Not true Mexican.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

anything like that

I don't think we have anything like that in Australia.

The phrase 'anything like that' means the same thing as 'anything similar'.  Notice the following:

  1. Wow, I've never seen anything like that!
  2. We don't have anything like a listening lab in our school.

that would work

I don't think that would work.

We use the phrase 'that would work' to talk about a method or a plan that helps us get what we want.  Notice the following:

  1. I'm not sure, but I think that would work.
  2. That didn't work in the past so I don't think it would work now.

tacos stands

There's a lot of taco stands in Mexico.

'Stands' are small stalls or carts that sell things like food, newspapers and magazines, souvenirs, etc. They are often found along the street on footpaths.  Notice the following:

  1. You can buy a map at the news stand on the corner.
  2. My favorite burger stand is next to our school.

stand up

Do they stand up or are they round ones?

Here, 'stand up' is used in an interesting but uncommon way; it means fried to a crispy texture.  Notice the following:

  1. They don't stand up like corn chips.
  2. No, the tacos don't stand up. They're soft.

Not true Mexican

The tacos in Australia are not true Mexican tacos.

Here, 'true' means real, genuine or same as the original.  Notice the following:

  1. Taco Bell's not true Mexican, but I love it!
  2. Sure it's fun, but Guitar Hero's not anything like true playing.

Vocabulary Quiz

like that • would work • stands
stand up • not true
  1. The Chinese food that I like is Chinese food.
  2. Mix the ingredients until they begin to in the bowl.
  3. I think your idea well.
  4. You don't have anything in Canada.
  5. There are a lot of food near the bus station.
Answer the following questions about the interview.

 

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