ESL Podcast 228 – A Christmas Feast

#ESL Podcast 228 – A Christmas Feast##GLOSSARY**the more, the merrier –** the more people there are, the more fun something willbe*Lydia asked if she could bring her cousins to the party, and I said, “Of course!The more, the merrier!”**thrilled –** delighted; very happy*Magdalene was thrilled to learn that she had been accepted at BoondocksUniversity.**fruitcake –** a traditional Christmas cake that contains small pieces of dried fruit*Ashley doesn’t like raisins, so he always picks them out of the fruitcake.**to sit down to (a meal) –** to take a seat at the table and begin to eat a meal*We had just sat down to dinner when the telephone rang, but we didn’t answerit because we didn’t want the food to get cold.**feast –** a very large meal, usually for many people*The wedding feast was delicious, with enough meat, breads, desserts, anddrinks for 300 people.**to go overboard –** to be too enthusiastic about something; to do somethingbeyond what one should; to do too much*Alberto just started a new exercise program, but he’s going overboard andexercising at least two hours a day.**roast –** a large piece of uncut beef or pork cooked in an oven*Grandma Chin has a delicious recipe for a pork roast with an apple-buttersauce.**ham –** pork; the meat from the top part of a pig’s leg*He always has a ham-and-cheese sandwich for lunch.**stuffing –** a mixture of chopped bread, herbs, vegetables, and fruits put inside ofa turkey, duck, or chicken, and cooked in an oven*Their family makes a stuffing with apples and carrots. It sounds strange, but it’svery tasty.**yam –** a vegetable that is orange-colored that is a root of a plant, similar to asweet potato*Do you think we should make some baked yams for dinner?**mashed potatoes –** potatoes that have been cooked and then pressed until theyare smooth, usually mixed with butter and milk, and served with gravy (a darkbrown sauce)*If you eat too much of the mashed potatoes, you won’t have room for turkey.**cranberry sauce –** a dessert that looks like jelly made from cranberries (a typeof sour, red berry) and sugar, usually served with turkey for holiday meals*Could you please pass the cranberry sauce to this end of the table?**eggnog –** a holiday drink made from alcohol, eggs, milk, and spices*Would you like a glass of eggnog or do you prefer soda?**to save room for (something) –** to stop eating before one is full, so that one willbe able to eat something else later*I’m glad you like the salad, but please don’t eat too much of it. Save room forthe pasta!**pumpkin pie –** a dessert baked in an oven, made with soft, sweet pumpkin in themiddle and crust (harder edge) on the bottom and sides*Nancy served us huge slices of pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top.**gingerbread house –** a dessert made of cookies flavored with ginger, puttogether in the shape of a house and decorated with candies*The girls tried to make a gingerbread house, but it kept falling down, so theydecided to just eat the gingerbread by itself.**to carve the bird –** to cut an oven-cooked turkey, chicken, or duck into smallpieces for each person to eat*Their grandfather always lets the children help him carve the bird for theThanksgiving dinner.**to do the honors –** to perform a ceremony or ritual; to do an important thing*We need a close friend to give a speech at our wedding reception. Would youdo the honors?##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why did the family invite Adriano and his family over for Christmas?a) The family thought that dinner would be more fun with more people.b) The family made too much food and needs help eating it all.c) The family needed someone to bring a dessert.2. Lucy asks Adriano to:a) Pour the drinks.b) Cut the turkey.c) Bring a fruitcake.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to go overboardThe phrase *“to go overboard,”* in this podcast, means to be too enthusiasticabout something or to do too much of something: “W