Otázka: Travelling and services

Jazyk: Angličtina

Přidal(a): Adéla

Famous places

• Charles bridge
  • This oldest and most charming of the many Prague bridges, has become a favourite place for walks and tourist attractions. It is 520 m long and is decorated with 30 sculptures and groups of statues mainly of Baroque origin which together with the bridge towers make it a unique work of architecture.
• Prague castle
  • The seat of the president, is the domination of the city. From the square outside the castle, tourists can admire the city below, with the roofs of ancient (starověký) gothic, renaissance and baroque houses and palaces and hundreds of church spires for which Prague is renowned. The monumental complex of the castle includes three courtyards (dvory) and over 700 rooms, among which the late gothic Vladislav Hall, and the newly redecorated Spanish hall and Rudolph gallery are the most renowned (proslulý). In the Vladislav Hall the election (volba) of the President takes place and both the Spanish hall and Rudolph gallery serve for ceremonial and cultural purposes.
• St. Vitus Cathedral
  • It was completed in 1929, a thousand years after the foundation of the first church on this site. The Gothic cathedral was founded by Charles IV in connection with the establishment (založení) of the Prague Archbishopric (arcibiskupství). The present cathedral is the result of the work of two famous architects, Matthias and Petr Parléř. The most admired parts of the church are the gothic St. Wenceslas chapel decorated partly with semi-precious stones, the coronation chamber where the coronation jewel is kept, and the Royal Crypt which contains the sarcophaguses of Czech king and queens.
• Prague Astronomical clock
  • The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest clock still in operation. The oldest part of the Orloj, the mechanical clock and astronomical dial, dates back to 1410, when it was created by clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň and Charles University professor of mathematics and astronomy Jan Šindel. There are twelve Apostles, and they move every hour, also we can find there for example skeleton which represents death.
• Karlštejn castle
  • It is a large Gothic castle founded in 1348 by King Charles IV. The castle served as a place for safekeeping the Bohemian Crown Jewels, holy relics, and other royal treasures. Karlštejn belongs to the most famous and most frequently visited castles in the country. Karlštejn Castle is located about 16 kilometres southwest of Prague in the Beroun region.

Czech UNESCO

• Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region
  • Is in region in south-eastern Germany (Saxony) and north-western Czechia, which contains a wealth (množství) of several metals exploited through mining from the Middle Ages (středověk). The region became the most important source of silver ore in Europe from 1460 to 1560. Mining was the trigger (spoštěčem) for technological and scientific innovations around the world. At the end of the 19th century, the region became a major global producer of uranium.
• Gardens and castle in Kroměříž
  • Originally a summer residence of Olomouc bishops, Kroměříž palace is considered a fine example of baroque architecture. But the gardens received the most praise (pochvala) for being an example of the periods landscaping. The castle houses an impressive art collection, including works by Titian.
• Historic centre of Český Krumlov
  • This popular tourist attraction hides a castle and chateaux complex and well-preserved (zachovalé) historical centre.  The aristocratic families of Vítkovci and Rožmberkové are connected to the town’s history and its renaissance look. The town is also known as a place where Egon Schiele, an expressionist painter of European renown (věhlas), created many if his works.
• Historic centre of Prague
  • The top Czech destination, Prague leads the list with monuments such as Prague castle, st. Vitus Cathedral and Charles bridge.
• Historic centre of Telč
  • The towns square offer a unique combination of Renaissance and baroque houses with characteristic arcades and sgraffiti design. There is also a chateau in the town.
• Holašovice historic village
  • This village in south Bohemia represents a rural (venkovský) style architecture, known as folk baroque, from the mid-19th century.
• Holy trinity column in Olomouc
  • The town of Olomouc is an important medieval (středověký) town and a university centre. The UNESCO attractions is one of the tallest Baroque memorial columns in the Czech Republic (35m). Decorated with copper adornments (měděné ozdoby) and statues, it is a monument to a plague (mor) epidemic between 1714-1716. The town also has its own astrological clock, thought the saints have been replaced by figurines from the socialist period.
• Jewish quarter and St. Procopius Basilica in Třebíč
  • This historical centre includes St. Procopius Romanesque-Gothic Basilica as well as the remains of the Jewish quarter, which is the only Jewish site on the UNESCO list beside Israel. It documents a big Jewish community in the Czech land prior to the WWII.
• Kutná hora: historical town centre with the church of St. Barbara and the cathedral of Our lady (Panny Marie) at Sedlec
  • A medieval (středověk) mining town, which became rich because of its silver deposits (zásoby), is famous for its historical centre and the church of St. Barbara. This eye-catching piece of Gothic architecture was begun in 1388 but wasn’t completed until 1905. The construction was often interrupted as the town suffered from wars, flood and financial collapse following the closure of the mines.
• Landscape for breeding and training of ceremonial carriage horses at Kladruby nad Labem
  • The property is situated on the Elbe (Labe) River. The structure and functional use of plots of land (forests, fields, parks), network of paths, avenues, trees in lines, the network of watercourses, buildings in the farm and the overall composition – all this fully serves the needs of breeding (chování) and training of the Baroque draught (tažných) horses of the Kladruber breed which were used during the ceremonies at the Habsburg Imperial Court. The Imperial Stud Farm was founded in 1579 and its landscape has been used for this purpose since then
• Lednice – Valtice cultural Landscape
  • As every Czech knows „lednice“ means „refrigerator“ but this chateaux complex in South Moravia is unlikely to leave you feeling frosty. This impressive combination of baroque and Neo-Gothic styles stands in the largest park in the Czech Republic and is an important example of English Romantic landscape design.
• Litomyšl castle
  • This unique arcade palace is one of the most important examples of renaissance architecture in the Czech Republic. It is an important place for cultural events, the most notable, being the opera festival Smetanas Litomyšl, named after the famous composer who was born in the town.
• Pilgrimage church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelená hora
  • The star shaped pilgrimage church (poutní kostel) built by Santini-Aichl, a Czech baroque builder of Italian origin, is characteristic of baroque-gothic style. The building includes a lot of complex symbolism based on number five.
• The great Spa towns of Europe
  • This serial property comprises eleven spa towns, located in seven European countries: Austria, Belgium, Františkovy Lázně; Karlovy Vary; Mariánské Lázně (Czechia), France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom. All of these towns developed around natural mineral water springs. Related facilities include gardens, assembly rooms, casinos, theatres, hotels and villas, as well as spa-specific support infrastructure.
• Tugendhat villa in Brno
  • Brno, the second biggest city in the Czech Republic, has many architectural jewels, among them the fortress Špilberk and the gothic St. Peter and Pauls cathedral. The functionalist Villa Tugendhat (named after its owners) was based on a design of a major modernist architect and furniture designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, made in 1928. The building is divided into three level but gives the impression of a one-storey building. The owners, being of Jewish origin, had to leave Czechoslovakia in 1938 because of persecution by Nazis
• Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe
  • This national property includes 94 component parts in 18 countries. Since the end of the last Ice Age, European Beech (buk) spread from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides (Dinaridy), Mediterranean (středomoří) and Pyrenees.

Heritage sites

• Vyšehrad
• • It was probably built in the 10th century. Inside the fort are the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul and the Vyšehrad Cemetery, containing the remains of many famous Czechs, such as Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Karel Čapek, and Alphonse Mucha. It also contains Prague’s oldest Rotunda of St. Martin, from the 11th century.
• Old town hall
• • Is one of the city’s most visited monuments. It is located in Old Town Square. The Town Hall is architecturally unusual, because it is constructed from many different smaller houses.
• National Theatre
• • Is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions. Today the National Theatre consists of three artistic ensembles: opera, ballet and drama.
• National museum
• Estates Theatre (Stavovské)

Otázka: Travelling and services

Jazyk: Angličtina

Přidal(a): oliver

People nowadays travel a lot. We usually have to commute to work, to school or travel on business. It is mostly an unpleasant duty for us and an everyday routine. However, many people travel for pleasure. For these people travelling means discovering, challenges and new experiences. There are many reasons why to travel. On our journey we can see new beautiful places, meet new people, taste local cuisines and also learn the language.

Before our visit we should organize some important things. Firstly, we have to decide how to get to the destination. You can go by plane, a car, a bus, a train or a ship. Depending on the distance you can also walk or ride on a bike. For some hitchhiking might be an option too. Then we need to choose a place to stay in. There are many options such as hotels, tents or sleeping under the sky. Depending on the length of our journey we need to pack some clothes, hygiene, medication etc. For travelling we should have a passport or visa in non-European countries or an identity card in Europe. We can also change some money, but it is good not to carry a lot of cash around with us and rather take a credit card.

You can exchange the money in an exchange office or a bank. But make sure to compare different options so you don’t pay too much. The whole journey can be organised by a travel agency, where you just choose what you want and pay. That can happen from the comfort of your home on your computer or you can visit an affiliate. In Czech Republic is one of the most known Čedok.

Travel agencies, exchange offices and banks are services. Services are activities satisfying the wants of consumers. There are different types of services. They could be divided into three main groups. Business, social and personal. The major business services are insurance, banking, warehousing, transportation and communication. Social are the ones that help other people for example in education or health. Personal services include for example restaurants, hotels, tourism or based on beauty like hairdresser.

Some of them might have disadvantages. Like I said, some banks for example could try to earn money on pensioners and tourists because they are easier to rob. For tourists might be a big disadvantage a foreign language if they can’t speak it. There are also many differences in different countries. So, for example people from poorer countries might not be used to a set price and could try to argue about it because they want it lower. On the internet a hotel could be looking good but, in reality it can be horrible looking and in bad condition. In restaurants and pubs, the food and drinks can be terrible tasting and not looking. And you can meet impolite people anywhere.

Despite all the negatives I would not be afraid. You can find the right places with good people and also advantages. If we take the bank for an example. If you find a good one that doesn’t try to rob people, you could take a loan and by a car. In the travel agency an advantage is you don’t have to take care of anything. If you have a health insurance the biggest advantage is that you don’t have to pay for most of the medical treatment. And after all good and bad experience is still an experience.

I love travelling. With my family I have been travelling since I was 5 years old. My first holiday was on Mallorca. I usually do not get to practise my English because my parents always solve everything and I do not really mind because I am kind of shy when it comes to speaking. Last year we were in Greece after a long time. I was really happy to go because during the Covid crisis a person could not do much. Especially travelling was forbidden. We are going to visit Mallorca this year again. We are going to go in June because I will already have my summer vacation and we are going to stay there for 11 days. I am really looking forward because it will be a nice rest after preparing for all of the exams.

My dream holiday would be in Italy. I have already been there once and for some reason I fell in love with the country. I love the Italian cuisine, for example pizza, tiramisu or different types of pasta. I also really like the Eurovision winning band Maneskin. And when we were there, the people where friendly and welcoming. I think the Italian language is beautiful and therefore I chose Italian language as one of the programmes that I would like to study at university.

In the end I would say that you shouldn’t be afraid of travelling because the worst that can happen is you end up dead. And that can happen even in your country.

Otázka: English speaking countries specialties

Jazyk: Angličtina pro hotelové školy

Přidal(a): Kristýna Koutníková

Speak about traditional dishes of English speaking countries

United Kingdom

British people have three main meals a day. Some people have their biggest meal in the middle of the day and some have it in the evening, but most people today have a small mid-day meal – usually sandwiches, and perhaps some crisps and some fruit.

• Breakfast – between 7:00 and 9:00,
• Lunch – between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m.
• Dinner (sometimes called Supper) – The main meal. Eaten anytime between 6:30 and  8:00 p.m. (Evening meal)

Traditionally, and for some people still, the meals are called:

• Breakfast – between 7:00 and 9:00,
• Dinner (The main meal) – between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m.
• Tea – anywhere from 5:30 at night to 6:30 p.m.
• On Sundays the main meal of the day is often eaten at midday instead of in the evening. This meal usually is a Roast Dinner consisting of a roast meat, yorkshire pudding and two or three kinds of vegetables.

Breakfast  – What is the traditional English Breakfast?

The traditional English breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, baked beans and mushrooms. Even though not many people will eat this for breakfast today, it is always served in hotels and guest houses around Britain.The traditional English breakfast is called the ‚Full English‘ and sometimes referred to as ‚The Full English Fry-up‘. Now-a-days, however, a typical English breakfast is more likely to be a bowl of cereals, a slice of toast, orange juice and a cup of coffee. In the winter many people will eat „porridge“ or boiled oats.

Lunch  – What is a typical British Lunch?

Many children at school and adults at work will have a ‚packed lunch‘. This typically consists of a sandwich, a packet of crisps, a piece of fruit and a drink. The ‚packed lunch‘ is kept in a plastic container.

Dinner – What is a traditional British Dinner?

The evening meal is usually called ‚tea‘, ‚dinner‘ or ‚supper‘. A typical British meal for dinner is „meat and two veg“. We put hot brown gravy, (traditionally made from the juices of the roast meat, but more often today from a packet!).

Most Britons like their tea strong and dark, but with a lot of milk. The traditional way of making tea is:

• Boil some fresh cold water. (We use an electric kettle to boil water)
• Put some hot water into the teapot to make it warm.
• Pour the water away
• Put one teaspoon of tea-leaves per person, and one extra tea-spoon, into the pot.
• Pour boiling water onto the tea.
• Leave for a few minutes.

If someone asks you if you ‚would like a cuppa‘, they are asking if you would like a cup of tea.

Coffee is now as popular in Britain as tea . People either drink it with milk or have it black and either have freshly- made coffee or instant coffee.

Bitter  Britain is also well known for its ale (beer) which tends to be dark in appearance and heavier than lager. It is known as „bitter“ Bitter is served in Pubs.

Wine  –  Britain’s wine industry is growing from strength to strength and they now have over 300 wine producers. A growing number of British vineyards are now producing sparkling white wine as well as full bodied red wine. There are over 100 vineyard in Kent.

American eating habits.

For many people American food means only one thing – McDonald´s, Burger King, Pizza Hut or Kentucky Fried Chicken. But American food is more than fast food. It is the ethnic food that was brougt to the US by immigrants, such as Italians, Mexicans, and Greeks. Breakfast and lunch are usually eaten on the run. People have youghurt or a pastry in the morning and then fast food at lunch. The biggest meal of the day is usually eaten in the evening. At home, the evening meal typically has some kind of meat, a vegetable, and bread. If there is no time for cooking, they bring home Chinese food or have a pizza delivered instead.  Americans love to eat out. Italian food is very popular (pizza), mexican food is also common – burrito (tortila with Mexican rice and beans). And of course hamburgers!

Canadian specialties

Canada doesn´t really have a traditional cuisine. As a nation of mostly immigrants from all over the world, Canada has adopted the cuisines of its immigrant population. Thai, Greek, Italian, French, Indian and many other ethnic restaurants, as well as Chinese restaurants and English fish-and-chips-style pubs are common in Canadian towns. Uniquely Canadian is Poutine (French fries with cheese and hot gravy) or French Canadian Pea soup. Maple syrup is a truly Canadian dietary tradition, usually eaten with pancakes.

Australian food

Australia has lot of cattle and sheep, beef and lamb is very popular. A typical meal is beef steak with green salad and chips. Sea food is also very popular.

New Zealand

New Zealanders enjoy eating Pipis and Toheora – New Zealand shellfish.  Through the whole year people like to have barbeques or barbies. Sometimes Christmas dinner is BBQ on the beach.

Otázka: Czech cuisine

Jazyk: Angličtina pro hotelové školy

Přidal(a): Kristýna Koutníková

Speak about Czech cuisine

Plan a culinary trip around the Czechia

Czech national dishes and drinks

• Foreign visitors may wish to try traditional dishes

Popular Czech soups

Popular Czech soups include: tripe soup, potato soup with mushrooms, sauerkraut soup, beef broth with liver balls/rice, garlic soup with cheese and fried bread, fish soup – typical for Christmas, goulash soup, giblet soup with noodles, vegetable soup, beef vegetable soup with meat and noodles, pea soup, South-Bohemian Kulajda (white dill and mushroom soup with hard-boiled egg), lentil soup, onion soup…

The most typical Czech dishes are:

• Roast Pork, Dumplings and Sauerkraut (cabbage). Bread or potato dumplings are typical side dishes.
• Sirloin in cream sauce served with a slice of lemon and cranberries.
• Beef with Tomato Sauce Tomato sauce is one of the most popular Czech sauces. It is served with beef and bread dumplings.
• Fried Carp with Potato Salad – fried carp is served with cold potato salad as a traditional Christmas Eve meal.
• Fruit Dumplings – Fruit dumplings are a specific delicacy of Czech cuisine. Various types of fruit dumplings are made of leavened, potato, or quark dough, and then filled with fruit.
• Roast Duck or Roast Goose with homemade dumplings and Red Cabbage
• Potato Pancake is a garlic seasoned fried potato pancake. It is served as a side dish, but is also excellent on its own.
• Dill sauce in combination with dumplings and eggs
• Schnitzel with potatoes. Potatoes are very popular as a side dish
• Carlsbad goulash with Carlsbad dumplings
• Fried Cheese with Tartar Sauce

Desserts

• Pancakes and crepes are popular as a dessert or a main meal. Usually, they are served with jam or fresh fruit and cream.
• Moravian or Bohemian Buns or Kolatche filled with Plum Jam / cheese filling
• Apple roll (Strudel)
• Fruit dumplings with curd cheese, sugar and cream or with poppy seeds sauce
• Honey cake is very popular.

Appetisers and Food Served with Beer

• Ham roll filled with horseradish cream. Ham rolls are a festive Czech appetiser.
• Pickled Hermelín (ermine). Hermelín is similar to French camembert.
• Utopenci “Drowned Men” are sliced sausages and onions, pickled in a sweet and sour marinade. They are usually stuffed into a large jar.
• Fish Rolls are slices of herring rolled up with a vegetable filling, pickled in a sweet and sour marinade
• Grilled sausages are served with mustard, horseradish, brown bread.

Traditional drinks

• Czechs consider beer to be their traditional drink. It´s an importnant part of the culture. The most widely known Czech beers include Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus, both from Pilsen, Budvar (known as Budweiser) from Southern Bohemia and Staropramen from Prague. There are over 60 breweries.
• Very good wines come from Mikulov, Znojmo and Bzenec in Southern Moravia, and from Mělník in Bohemia
• Becher liqueur (Becherovka) from Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) is a herbal liqueur. It is made with a traditional recipe and contains Karlovy Vary spring water, quality ethanol, natural sugar, and a specific mixture of herbs and spices. It was first offered on the market in 1807. Most often, it is most often drunk on its own; but in recent years, it has become a popular component of mixed drinks.
• Moravian plum brandy is as well known as Fernet, another bitter herbal spirit.

Culinary specialties of towns and cities

Czech products with a trademark of origin also include: Stramberk ears, Carlsbad Oblaten, Hořické rolls with a chocolate filling, Pardubice gingerbread, and Olomoucké syrečky (Special Curd cheese from Olomouc).

Typical Restaurants and beer houses

• The famous Restaurant Brewery U Fleku or the first New Town Restaurant Brewery are in Prague.
• In the Pilsen brewery is the largest Czech pub, Na Spilce with traditional Czech cuisine and excellent beer from Plzeňský Prazdroj.

Czech table d´hote menu

• Menu 1 – Chicken soup , Mushroom sauce, boiled beef, bread dumpling, Apple roll
• Menu 2 – Frankfurt soup, Duck, red cabbage, Carlsbad dumplings, Plum dumpling, cheese, sugar, cream
• Menu 3 – Old Bohemian cabbage soup with homemade sausage, Baked goose with apples, ginger, red cabbage and mushroom stuffing, Homemade plum dumplings with cottage cheese
• Menu 4 – Kulajda Soup, Baked duck, Dumplings, sauerkraut, Honey cake
• Menu 5 – Garlic soup , Grilled ribs, mustard, horseradish, bread, Plum cake

Otázka: Wholesome food

Jazyk: Angličtina pro hotelové školy

Přidal(a): Kristýna Koutníková

Speak about wholesome food and healthy life style

Healthy lifestyle

More and more people prefer a healthy life style. In order to remain healthy, people should eat a balanced diet. This means we should eat a variety of foods. We should avoid unhealthy foods, smoking and drinking alcohol. We have to eat slowly, take time to eat, eat more times a day in small amounts and eat at a nice set table. We have to watch the number of calories we consume, limit proteins and fats, cut down on cholesterol and reduce the amount of sodium in our diet. We should exercise regularly.  Jogging, swimming, walking, trekking or riding a bicycle must become a regular part of our daily life. We have to reduce stress in our lives and get enough sleep.  It´s fashionable nowadays to talk about diets, about positive thinking and doing yoga exercise etc. It is a current catering industry trend too.

Rules of the healthy diet

• Vitamins are very important for us. You only need small amounts of vitamins but they are essential for good health. They are found in most foods: liver and sardines are an excellent source. Vitamin C is found in fruit and vegetables. We have to eat as much fruit and vegetables as possible. Preferably fresh, rather than tinned, stewed or boiled. Fruit is digested in a short time, about 20 – 30 minutes. They should be eaten half an hours before meals. As it goes through our digestive tract quickly, it gives us all its fresh nutrients immediately.
• We have to drink a sufficient amount of water, freshly squeezed juices, herbal tea and mineral water. Milk and milk products are perfect, especially for children.
• Minerals are very important for our health. In a mixed diet we get enough of the minerals we need.
• Protein is important for healthy growth and body-building. Animal proteins can be found in meat, liver, fish, cheese and eggs. Plant proteins may be found in nuts, lentils, soya beans.
• Fats are important for heat energy and health. We prefer plant oils in margarine, peanuts and olive oil. Animal fats are in cheese, meat and butter
• Roughage helps digestion. It is found in cabbage, beans, celery, radishes, brown bread…
• Carbohydrates are important energy foods. Starches are found in bread, rice and potatoes.
• Sugars are found in anything sweet.
• White sugar, white flour and salt should be avoided.  They should be replaced by brown sugar, whole grain flour and sea salt. Additionally chemicals such as preservatives, artificial colorants and flavourings should be avoided. Foods are healthier grilled or baked rather than fried!

Czech cuisine – healthy / unhealthy

Classical Czech cooking is considered unhealthy. It is too high in fat, there are too many floury and sweet dishes and we drink too much beer. In modern Czech cooking we eat more salads, more fish, we use more olive oil ….

Eating out healthy

There is a variety of restaurants which specialize in healthy cooking. E.g. the Country life restaurant chain, several Bio restaurants, vegetarian restaurants, fish restaurants with a choice of healthy dishes prepared with healthy cooking methods.

Otázka: The Drinks Menu

Jazyk: Angličtina pro hotelové školy

Přidal(a): Kristýna Koutníková

Soft and Hot drinks

• Soft drinks are, for example, mineral water – non-sparkling or sparkling, cola, fruit juice and lemonade.
• Hot drinks – Coffee and Tea, Beer, Wine, Spirits and Long drinks are on the drinks menu. Coffees are e.g. Espresso, cappuccino, Irish, Turkish and Viennese. Teas offered on the drinks menu are black, green, fruit and herbal.

Beer & Wine

• The beer on the drinks menu is draught, bottled or canned. We have light and dark beer, or half-and-half beer and it can be ten or twelve grade. It´s usually served in a glass or beer-mug.
• The wine on the drinks menu is red, white and rosé. It can be sweet, dry or demi-sec. We also have sparkling wine. Wine can be served by the bottle, the glass or the carafe. For serving the wine, we need the following tableware: ice buckets, decanters, wine baskets, corkscrews, white cloths. There are also special Wine lists.

Mixed Drinks

• For preparing a mixed drink / cocktail we need bottles, cocktail shakers, glasses.
• Some of the well known cocktails are:
  • Mojito
  • Bloody Mary
  • Gin Fizz

Typical Czech drinks

• The most popular cold alcoholic drink is beer. The most famous brands of beer are Pilsner Urquell from Plzeň, Budvar from České Budějovice and Staropramen from Prague.
• Czech wine is produced mostly in the south of Moravia. Well-known Czech white wines are e.g. Rulandské bílé, Sauvignon, Tramin and Müller Thurgau. Famous Czech red wines include Frankovka, Vavřinecké, Modrý Portugal.
• Slivovice is a very strong alcoholic drink which is made from plums in Moravia.
• Becherovka, a bitter-sweet herb liqueur, is produced in Karlovy Vary.

Typical British and American Drinks

• A traditional drink for British people is tea. Beer is also very popular.  A famous alcoholic drink from Scotland is whisky.
• Coca-Cola – the most popular soft drink in the world comes from the USA

Otázka: The menu

Jazyk: Angličtina pro hotelové školy

Přidal(a): Kristýna Koutníková

Types of menus

Two main types of menus can be offered at the restaurant. The Menu, sometimes called the A La Carte Menu, and the Table D´Hote Menu.

Description of the menu

There are Starters – cold and hot, Main courses – meat dishes, fish dishes, vegetarian dishes and Side dishes on the menu.

Examples of dishes

The most common starters are e.g.: vegetable soups, bouillon, lentil soup, ham rolls with horse radish and various salads.

Typical main courses are e.g.: Wiener schnitzel, beef goulash, roast chicken or duck, fried cheese.

Common side dishes include: fried, boiled or mashed potatoes, dumplings, potato dumplings, rice, French fries, various kinds of salads.

Typical desserts are ice cream, various cakes, gateaus.

Table d’hôte menu

Table d´hote menu is normally offered at lunchtimes. It usually consists of soup, main course and dessert. Table d´hote menu is also served at the banquets.

Typical Czech dishes

The most typical Czech dishes are:

• Potato soup with vegetables and mushrooms
• Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut
• Roast sirloin of beef in cream sauce with dumplings with lemon and cranberries
• Boiled beef with tomato or dill cream sauce
• Fried pancakes from raw potatoes
• Sweet yeast dumplings filled with plums and covered with sugar, cottage cheese and melted butter.

A typical Czech dessert is Bohemian or Moravian kolache made of yeast dough.

At Christmas fish soup and fried carp with potato salad are traditional.

Otázka: Serving the guests

Jazyk: Angličtina pro hotelové školy

Přidal(a): Kristýna Koutníková

Explain how to serve the guests at a restaurant.

When the guests arrive

• At the restaurant I have to welcome and greet them in a polite way: Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. I ask: Do you have a reservation? If yes, I ask: And your name, sir/ madam? or Could I have your name, please? If the guests haven´t got a reservation and there is no place we excuse: I´m sorry. We are fully booked tonight.
• I can offer a help: Can I / Shall I take your coats? Come this way. Follow me. Here is your table by the window. or I´ll show you to your table. I can ask about seating preferences: Would you prefer to sit indoors or outdoors. I can suggest a place: May I suggest the terrace?

Taking the order

• After seating the guest I bring the menu: Here is the menu. I can ask: Would you like an aperitif? What would you like to drink? Would you like to order a drink? Would you like to see the wine list?
• After a while I take the order: Are you ready to order? And to follow? And for you sir / madam? What would you like to start with? What would you like as a starter? And what would you like as a main course? Would you like a side dish to go with?
• Sometimes I have to help the guests with their choice: I can recommend ………… is excellent. Try ……………, they are refreshing and light. If you feel like something different you should try  …………… is the specialty of house ………… …… is very good and popular. I have to ask: How would you like e.g. your steak – rare, medium or well done? I have to be able to explain the dishes: …………. is made of ………… It´s a kind of ………………. It´s served as  ……….. It consists of ……………. It contains ……….. …….., It´s made from ……………

Bringing the dishes

• Your steak madam. Here you are sir.
• After the guests have finished their main courses, I deal with orders for desserts and coffee. I come and ask: Would you like a dessert? Would you like to see the dessert menu? Can I take your order for dessert? Can I get you a coffee or a liqueur? I can recommend: How about the fresh fruit salad or some ice cream? Or If you prefer …………, try ……………  If you´d like something very Czech, I suggest …………..  I have to explain: e.g. It´s a light cake with chocolate. The strudel is served hot with ice cream.
• I serve the guests: So that´s an espresso and a cappuccino.
• During the service I can ask: Is everything all right, sir? I always say: Certainly madam / sir. I have to deal with guests´ requests: I´ll get some right away. I´ll bring one immediately. I´ll be right with you. I´ll be right back.
• At the end I ask: Was everything all right? How was your meal? Did you enjoy your meal? Was everything to your satisfaction?

Payment

• When the guests ask for the bill I have to deal with the payment: How would you like to pay? How will you be paying, sir? In cash or by credit card? We accept all types of credit cards. You can pay by cheque too. Here is you bill. Your signature, please. Here is your receipt. When the guests ask we have to say: The service is / isn´t included. The VAT/ tax is included in the total. At the hotel I ask: Shall I charge this to your room? May I have your key card, please?
• I thank the guests: Thank you very much.

At the end

• I ask: Could I get your coats? Here they are. Let me help you madam. And I have to say good bye to the guests: Do come back again. We hope to see you again. Good bye. We look forward to seeing you again.

Unusual problems

• Sometimes I have to deal with the guests ´complaints. I ask about the problem: What is the problem? I have to excuse: I´m very sorry. Oh, I´m terribly sorry for that. I´m sorry about the service this evening but we are very busy. Please accept my apologies. I do apologise, sir. I´ll ask the chef to heat it up for you. I´ll get/ bring you a new one. I´ll change it for you.  Can I get you something else? I´ll see what I can do.
• When the guests have to wait a while we can offer: Could we offer you a coffee on the house?
• When the bill is not correct: Excuse me, sir, I´ll go and check. Here is the correct bill, sir.
• Sometimes the guests want to speak to the manager: I´ll ask the manager to come.

Otázka: Going out to eat

Jazyk: Angličtina pro hotelové školy

Přidal(a): Kristýna Koutníková

Describe the catering establishments

People who eat out have a wide variety of possibilities from a quick meal to a luxurious meal with elaborate service.

Restaurants generally fit into the following categories:

• The gourmet restaurant, which is the most expensive and luxurious with the highest quality meals and service.
• The family restaurant serves simple food at moderate prices. Some of the restaurants are owned by chains or operated under a franchise.
• The specialty restaurant offers a limited variety or style of food. It may specialize in e.g. pizzas or ethnic food (Chinese, Indian etc.)
• The convenience restaurant serves customers who want to eat in a hurry and are interested in fast service and low price.

Another type of foodservices, are the restaurants and cafeterias in factories, offices, schools and hospitals. There are four types of service:

• table service
• counter service
• self-service (cafeteria)
• carry out

Many people buy a takeaway meal and eat it at home.

Tasting Czech beer and wine

There are many famous restaurants and pubs in Prague where the Czech beer is on a top. I can recommend ………. ….. There are also many wine cellars with wines from Southern Moravia. I can recommend …………………

Going for a coffee

Going out for a cup of coffee is very popular. There are lot of coffee houses where you can order various kinds of coffee specialities, desserts and small snacks. Tea houses are also very popular.

Going for a drink and dancing

If we want to go out in the evenings we can have a drink at a bar. We can sit and dance at a dancing club or a night club. For a glass of beer we go to a pub. Wine bars specialize in quality wines.

Fast food

Fast foods are those which can be prepared, served and eaten quickly. There are some famous fast foods known all over the world e.g. Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mac Donald´s, Subway, Burger King etc. The fast food restaurant looks just the same in all the cities.

Normally the fast food restaurants serve only a few kinds of food. The food is prepared in advance. The most typical fast foods are burgers – hamburger, cheeseburger, fish burger. The kitchen is usually directly behind the counter and you pay when you get your food.

Otázka: Meals of the day

Jazyk: Angličtina pro hotelové školy

Přidal(a): Kristýna Koutníková

Meals of the day

• Breakfast is the first meal of the day.
• Lunch is the mid-day meal. This is the one you eat during lunch break – not in the morning and not in the evening.  For some people it might actually be the main meal of the day with a light supper to follow in the evening.
• Dinner is the main meal of the day.  If you eat three times per day, then your dinner and supper are probably the same thing.  If you eat four times per day, then your dinner is probably before supper.
• Supper is the last meal.
• Brunch is a term which is a combination of breakfast + lunch
• Between the main meals we have a small snack with a cup of tea or coffee. The snack in the middle of the morning is sometimes called elevenses.

Breakfast at school days and weekends

Breakfast is the first meal of the day, usually consumed in the morning. It usually consists of something to eat and something to drink. At the weekend people take time having their breakfast. Some people skip breakfast but it´s not healthy.

Breakfast at the hotel

There are two types of breakfast served in hotels:

• 1) the continental breakfast
• 2) the English breakfast.

A typical continental breakfast consists of tea or coffee and milk or hot chocolate, toast, a variety of sweet cakes and pastries such as croissants, often with a sweet jam, cream, or chocolate filling. It is often served with juice. The continental breakfast may also include sliced cold meats, such as salami or ham, yogurt or cereals.

The normal ingredients of a traditional full English breakfast are bacon eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, toast and sausages, usually served with tea or coffee, fruit juice and grapefruit, cereals, milk, cream, preserves. A full English breakfast requires more preparation. Grapefruits should be sliced and oranges squeezed. In some cases the various juices, cereals, jugs of cream and cold milk are arranged on a cold buffet table in the dining room.For a full breakfast the place setting is: a side plate and a side knife and fork, a dessert spoon, a breakfast cup, saucer and spoon, a bowl of sugar, a jug of cold milk, a jug of cream, preserves (marmalade, honey, jam in small jars or individual packs, toast rack and butter dish, a cruet set (salt, pepper), a napkin.

Lunch at the school canteen and at home

Lunch is the main meal of the day. It is served between 12 a.m. and two p.m. It normally consists of a soup and main course. It is not common to serve hors d´oeuvres at home or at the canteen, they are usually served at special occasions. Cold ones are served before soup, hot ones come after the soup. At the end dessert can be served.

In English speaking countries lunch is typically light and the main meal is eaten in the evening. If the main meal is at lunchtime – at the weekend or other feast days – it is called dinner. Hotels, bars, snack bars, restaurants, pubs, fast foods, food stalls, etc. offer different types of food and service at lunchtime:

• All you can eat – You can eat as much as you like of a dish at a fixed price.
• Self-service – You have to go to the bar and order food yourself.
• Finger food – Snacks you can eat without using knife and fork
• A sit-down meal – You are seated at a table and the food is served.
• Bar snacks – Things like sandwiches, baguettes and small meals.
• Take away facilities – They pack any food on offer for you to take away.
• Sandwiches freshly made – You choose the filling and they make the sandwich.

Dinner

In the evening the dinner/ supper is served. It may be either cold or hot. Normally it is lighter than lunch. We can prepare a ready-made dish from a tin or a frozen package.  Later in the evening some small dish may be eaten as supper.