In the musical Oliver!, Lionel Bart wrote a great song all about food. It was sung by a gang of orphan boys in a Victorian workhouse whose daily diet was a bowl of thin porridge. Can you smell food?

What is ...?

1 comfort food

a. food that is served in a hospital to help you get well

b. favourite food that people eat when they are sad or worried to cheer them up

2 convenience food

a. food that can be kept for a long time

b. food that is almost ready to eat and can be prepared quickly

3 fast food

a. food that doesn't take long to digest

b. hot food that is already cooked when you buy it

4 finger food

a. small food items that you eat without cutlery or chopsticks

b. food items shaped like fingers

5 food poisoning

a. sickness that is caused by bacteria in food that has not been fully cooked

b. an illness caused by eating too much fat

6 junk food

a. food that you don't find tasty

b. food that is tasty but has no nutritional value

Cold jelly and custard

What are the meanings of these phrases?

1 to be a foodie

a. to really like and appreciate food

b. to be a poor eater

2 to be off your food

a. to eat a lot of food at every meal

b. to feel a bit sick and have no appetite for food

3 to give someone food for thought

a. to make someone think seriously about something

b. to think and talk a lot about food

4 to be free from food additives

a. to be natural food containing no supplements or chemicals

b. to have no taste at all

5 to be a health-food freak

a. to be enthusiastic about eating only healthy food

b. to be on a weight-loss diet

Foodie choice

Choose the correct words to make these sentences make sense.

1 I ate a lot of (finger food / comfort food) when I was depressed last month.

2 I had (junk food / food poisoning) the last time I ate seafood.

3 She loves cooking and eating out at good restaurants. She's a real (junk food / foodie).

4 I always read the labels of the stuff I buy at the supermarket and try to buy things that are (free from food additives / junk food).

5 I don't want anything to eat right now, thanks. I'm (a foodie / off my food).

Don't spoon-feed me!

What are you doing if you ...?

1 force feed someone

2 spoon-feed someone

3 feed someone a line

4 feed someone to the lions

5 feed off something

You are ...

a. telling someone something that isn't true, often as an excuse.

b. making someone do something bad or dangerous that they do not want to do.

c. using something to give you more energy and make you successful.

d. making someone eat when they don't want to.

e. giving someone too much help or information when they should be doing things themselves.

Answers:

June 23

On the doormat: 1. b, 2. a, 3. a, 4. b, 5. a, 6. b

Close the door: 1. doorstop, 2. doormat, 3. trap door, 4. stage door, 5. revolving door, 6. doorbell

Door phrases: 1. c, 2. f, 3. g, 4. a, 5. d

The door is open: 1. see you to the door, 2. lay the blame at my door, 3. keep the wolf from the door, 4. got my foot in the door, 5. at death's door