HALLOWEEN

Soon some people ,specially Americans, will be celebrating Halloween on All Saint´s Eve or All Hallow´s Eve, that is 31 st October, the night before All Saints Day  .We are going to work on some activities to know more about this festivity.Have a SCARYYYY moment while you do them!!. Good work!

Did You Know?

The original Jack o'lanterns were carved from turnips, potatoes or beets.

ACTIVITIES

A) Click on History of Halloween

Listen to the first part of the video and complete the sentences with the right words :

_ It was ______ Ireland B.C , that day was called ________, the Celtic word for summer´s end.
_ On a day when so many spirits walked _____ priests tried to _______whether their villages will survive the winter.
_ Ordinary Celts lit _______ and ________themselves to repel and confuse the spirits.
_ In the (th century in a slightly attempt to distract the Celts from their pagan practice Pope _________________ established ____________a day honouring All Saints known and unknown on November 1st.

Now listen to the rest and answer the  following questions:
a) What did the poor do when they went from home to home?
b) Who earns billions of dollars?
B) Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Find the answers to questions 1 - 14 on the following Web pages to complete the following Halloween Scavenger Hunt.

 http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=53392

http://www.jackolanterns.net/traditions.htm 

http://www.jackolanterns.net/britishhalloween.htm 

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/holidays/jackolantern.htm 

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/holidays/halloweenhistory.htm

http://www.history.com/topics/halloween

A) 1) Find three different names for Halloween.

2) How did Bobbing for Apples start?

3) What are the traditional Halloween colours?

4) What is Jack O´Lantern origin?

5) What was Samhain?

6) How was Halloween known in the past in some parts of Britain?

7) What did British people do with their doors?

8) Why do English put some turnip lanterns on gate posts?

9) How was Halloween nicknamed in England?

10) Which Pope declared May 13th All Saint´s Day?

11) What were the soul cakes?

12)  Who was Jack O´Lantern?

13) Why did Americans use pumpkins instead of turnips to make the lanterns?

14) Why do people dress up as ghosts , goblings,vampires and other scary creatures?

B) Correct the false statements:
     1) In England bad cats are believed to be bad luck.
     2) Halloween is the first most commercially succesful holiday in USA.
     3) The English brought the tradition of the Jack O´Lantern to America.
 THIS IS HALLOWEEN
 Watch the video from You Tube and find the English  words for :
1.SALTAR,ABALANZARSE 2. LLAMAR,ACLAMAR 3.CUBO DE BASURA 4. HASTA TOPE  5.

HALLOWEEN Stephen Lynch
Listen to the video while you read the lyrics
Thinking of all the cool creatures
that I will meet on this night
Ghosts and goblins and witches
roaming the streets in moonlight
Bowls of candy and goodies,
delicious and waiting in store
The sound of cute little footsteps
as they approach my front door

Letting the children inside to drink beers
Razor blades hidden in Three Musketeers
Screams from the basement of kids begging to be set free
That's what Halloween means to me

Tightening the clamps that are holding
their little heads so tight
Putting my lips to their ears
as I whisper please don't fight
I promise to you go home
if you swear not to tell a soul
Well I'll just untie these
I'm kidding, now where is my hacksaw*? Let's rock and roll!

A pinch of your brother, a teaspoon of you
With the head of your sister** would make a good stew
I'd give you a taste but your tongue's in the stew; irony
That's what Halloween means to me

Trick-or-treat, smell my feet
Give me something good to eat
Trick-or-treat, smell my feet
Give me someone... good to eat

INTERNET TROLLS THE HALLOWEEN MUSICAL

Do They Know It's Halloween? by NAHPI
Once a year on a spooky night
It's Hallowe'en, and what a fright!
Young boys and ghouls, in ghoulish disguise
They cover their skin, conceal their eyes
A grave mistake to be out
When the ghosts are about
It's Hallowe'en... our time to be afraid
In the rest of the world, they don't observe
This bash which has become our biggest concern
Latvia, Laos, Chad, Peru
We need their help, or else we're through
They don't know the fear we endure once a year
All Hallow's Eve, we are afraid!
Do they know it's Hallowe'en tonight?
It's October 31st, could it get any worse?
Children on streets, begging for treats
Drowning in a bucket of apples bobbing
Parents are hiding, our babies are sobbing
The undead have returned
They're freaking us out
Dragging us down, so we shout:
"Help us! Help us! Save our souls!"
We're dying of fear, and they don't even know it
They think we've got it all
What we need is a team
To help us forget, forget Hallowe'en
Fools! You think you can stop Hallowe'en?"
"The world can't hear your useless plea!"
"It's too late! Our orange and black plague will soon consume them all!"
"Then everyone will understand the true meaning of Hallowe'en..."
"Pure terror!"
We're all fed up, we've had enough.
Enough, enough, enough, enough!
Trick!
Caramel apples will make you sick
Treat!
And all those sweets will rot your teeth
Ouija board, ouija board (spell this!)
We don't want you here no more
The writing's on the tombstone
Beneath the willow tree
No more razorblades in our kids' candy
Dead dogs and broomsticks
Pumpkins and flames
We're ending this night, ending the shame!
Do they know it's Hallowe'en tonight?

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Life near fast food restaurants unhealthy

New research in the USA says it is unhealthy to live in areas with lots of fast food restaurants. A study by the University of Michigan said people who live within walking distance of fast food restaurants have a 13 per cent higher chance of having a stroke. Lead researcher Dr. Lewis Morgenstern and his team analyzed the social status of the 1,247 people who had strokes in an area of Texas over a three-year period. The area was home to 262 fast food restaurants. The team compared the stroke victims’ social status with how close they lived to the restaurants. He concluded there was a strong relationship between the distance someone lived to fast food restaurants and their chances of having a stroke. A stroke is similar to a heart attack, except it attacks the brain. Strokes are among the biggest killers in the USA. Many are the result of unhealthy eating. A diet that has a large amount of fast food and other junk food increases the chances of having a stroke. Dr. Morgenstern’s research found that there could be up to 33 different fast food restaurants in an area. This puts people living nearby more at risk of a stroke. Dr. Morgenstern said he didn’t know whether it was the actual fast food that increased the risk of stroke. He said fast food restaurants are more common in poorer neighbourhoods where people are less educated and generally have unhealthier and more stressful lifestyles.

NYC restaurants must put calories on menus

Restaurants in New York City that have 15 or more outlets must now put calories on their menus. The decision, made by Judge Richard J. Holwell, will affect around 2,000 different eateries, including big-name chains such as McDonalds and Starbucks. This figure makes up almost ten percent of all the restaurants in the city. The city’s Department of Health believes the new rule on posting calories will help it achieve its goal of reducing obesity, which is one of the biggest health problems in America. Judge Holwell said: "It seems reasonable to expect that some consumers will use the information disclosed…to select lower calorie meals…and these choices will lead to a lower [rate] of obesity." New York’s health commissioner Dr. Thomas R. Frieden stated the decision was a victory for New Yorkers. "It will give people information they need, where they need it," he said.

Many of the restaurants affected by the new ruling are not happy. New York State Restaurant Association official Chuck Hunt said it should be up to restaurants to decide if they want to include calories on their menus. He said: “Our problem was the government…forcing them to do it. We think restaurants should be able to determine from their customers how they want to get the information." He added: “We continue to say that each restaurant should make decisions about the best way to provide this nutritional information to their customers.” He also highlighted that: “Most of the restaurants that are being affected were already providing this information, but in a different format.” Dr. Frieden disagreed, saying: "McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken are desperate to keep this information out of the hands of their customers."

Food companies targeting kids online

Greedy marketing executives have found a new way of selling their products to children - Internet games. The world’s junk food makers are trying to sell their burgers, chocolate and soft drinks to children who play games online. A new report says more than eighty percent of the world’s food companies are using this sly new method. The report was created by America’s Kaiser Family Foundation. It is called “It's Child's Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children”. It is the first major analysis of how food companies advertise to children on the Web. It highlights the tactics of companies such as Mars, Hersheys and McDonalds in targeting kids. The report says online ads are more effective than TV ads at hooking children.
Sadly, the report brings a new word into the English vocabulary – the “advergame”. This is a technique to get kids hooked while they are having fun online. In addition, many other marketing tactics are used to get kids to spend long periods of time online. The food companies fill the games with logos and advertisements. They encourage children to e-mail their friends about products and brands. They also recommend children join special clubs related to the games. Children can increase their chances of winning games by buying the products and typing in special codes found inside the packaging. Many people are worried about the role food advertising plays in childhood obesity.

Fish and chips

With more than 250 million fish and chip shop meals (featuring fish) sold a year, the traditional dish of fish and chips is still top of the league of Britain's favourite fast foods. It is difficult to resist the tasty combination of fish and chips and fortunately there are around 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK.

Delicious, nutritious and close to the nation’s heart
What is it about fish and chips that makes them the number one takeaway in the UK?  Is it the wonderful aroma, their unrivalled flavour, the warm comforting feeling that they provide, or simply their natural golden good looks?

Fish and chips from fish and chip shops are freshly prepared from natural products.  Fillets of fish, mostly haddock or cod but sometimes plaice and whiting, are covered in batter, fried until golden and served with freshly chipped potatoes.  Fish and chips are a wholesome dish and lower in calories than many of their fast food rivals.  They have been recommended by doctors for pregnant women and were one of the only foods not to be rationed during the war.  Historians even argue that fish and chips helped us to win the Second World War.

Britain’s favourite accompaniment to fish and chips is salt and vinegar but depending on the region, others are just as popular… mushy peas, tomato ketchup, curry sauce, gravy, or even a bottle of stout.  Strange but true, the Chinese are so sweet on our fish and chips that they serve them with sugar.

   

British food best in the world

A British restaurant that serves bacon and egg ice cream has been voted the best place in the world to eat. The Fat Duck restaurant, near London, was at the top of Restaurant magazine’s list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The owner and head chef Heston Blumenthal opened his restaurant ten years ago. He has quickly developed a reputation for experimental and unique dishes. His menu includes leather, oak and tobacco chocolates, sardine on toast sorbet, snail porridge, and mousse dipped in liquid nitrogen. He taught himself how to cook and is now famous for this new style of cooking, which is called “molecular gastronomy”. It mixes chemistry, physics, food and flavour to make unusual taste combinations. Britain, the home of fish and chips, is famous for tasteless and boring food. However, it seems things are changing: in addition to the Fat Duck’s award, London was named in March by Gourmet magazine as the Gourmet Capital of the World.
Top ten world restaurants:
1. The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire
2. El Bulli Montjoi, Spain
3. The French Laundry, Yountville, California
4. Tetsuya’s, Sydney, Australia
5. Gordon Ramsay, London
6. Pierre Gagnaire, Paris
7. Per Se, New York
8. Tom Aikens, London
9. Jean Georges, New York
10. St John, London

 

 

 

 

 

Hestons Pizza Sauce 

 

How to make a tuna omelette


Miss Platnum (Give me the food )

Give Me The Food
You know, people always say women should be thin
They should be on diet
But I don't care
I just enjoy eating!

I like my coffee with a lot of cream
I like to eat late at night
I like scrambled eggs after a sweet dream
I like potatoes deep fried
I like some sugar in my lemonade
I like hot chicken wings
I like thick cheesecake, but homemade
I like the long-lasting lunch break

Give me the food, I said give me the food
Give me no fruit if you love me
Give me the food, I said give me the food
Give me no fruit if you love me

Some girls may think, "This chick's a little big,"
Slim girls don't understand--I don't care
Some guys may say, "It's her curves that I dig"
They like the tight pants that I wear

I am Romanian
I love to eat
It's in my genes
I can't control
Look at my curvaceous curves
Those models can't compete
I am a woman
No skinny doll

Give me the food, I said give me the food
Give me no fruit if you love me
Give me the food, I said give me the food
Give me no fruit if you love me
Give me the food, I said give me the food
Give me no fruit if you love me
Give me the food, I said give me the food
Give me no fruit if you love me

You know, people say women should only eat yogurt and strawberries
Ha ha ha ha!
They say a lot of things, but you know--

I don't care what people
Say about my weight
So if you want to take
Me out for a date
Make sure there is enough
Good food on my plate
And maybe I'll let you get
A taste of my cake

Give me the food, I said give me the food
Give me no fruit if you love me
Give me the food, I said give me the food
Give me no fruit if you love me

Interesting links

Go to the idioms links below and find the meaning of the following idioms related to food and drink:

It's as easy as pie; To be pie-eyed; To have a finger in many pies

He's a bad egg; Don't put all your eggs in one basket; He's got egg on his face

It's a hot potato; A carrot and a stick; Like two peas in a pod

It's not my cup of tea; I wouldn't do it for all the tea in China; It's as good as a chocolate teapot

To be full of beans, I haven't got a bean, to spill the beans

To go bananas; It's a case of sour grapes; A second bite of the cherry.

idioms pie 

idioms egg
idioms vegetables
idioms tea
idioms beans
idioms fruit

FOOD AND DRINK POEMS
A Drinking Song

Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That's all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at, and I sigh.
William Butler Yeats

The Song Of Right And Wrong
Feast on wine or fast on water,
And your honor shall stand sure
If an angel out of heaven
Brings you something else to drink,
Thank him for his kind attentions,
Go and pour it down the sink.
G.K. Chesterton

from Don Juan
But man is a carnivorous production
And must have meals - at least once a day;
He cannot live, like woodcocks, upon suction,
But, like the shark and tiger, must have prey.
Lord Byron
 
Roast Beef of old England
When mighty roast beef was the Englishman's food
It ennobled our hearts and enriched our blood--
Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good.
Oh! the roast beef of England.
And Old England's roast beef.
Henry Fielding

AMERICAN ENGLISH VERSUS BRITISH ENGLISH

American English&British English
Quotations from famous authors
""We (the British and Americans) are two countries separated by a common language."
G.B. Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
The Americans are identical to the British in all respects except, of course, language."
Oscar Wilde
Giving English to an American is like giving sex to a child. He knows it's important but he doesn't know what to do with it."
Adam Cooper (19th century)
CURIOSITY
The Englishman commented to the American about the "curious" way in which he pronounced so many words, such as schedule (pronounced shedule). The American thought about it for a few moments, then replied, "Perhaps it's because we went to different shools!"
We find some differences between American and British English.

1) There are  some grammatical differences:

a) In American English the past simple is often used to give new information or to announce a recent happening (in this case the present perfect is mainly used:
   -I lost my key.Can you help me look for it?  (In standar English would be: I´ve lost my key.)

    The past simple is used with just,already and yet  :

     - I´m not hungry.I just had lunch.( In standar English : I´ve  just had lunch, It´s used the present perfect)
     - Did you do the ironing? I already did it.
     -I didn´t do the ironing yet.
b) In American English the forms I have, I don´t have,do you have? are more usual then the forms I´ve got,I haven´t got,have you got?
     -Do you have any money?

c) Americans say "on  a team" after a superlative instead of " of"
   He´s the best player on the team.

d) Americans say " on the weekend " or "on weekends" instead of at the weekend/weekends.

e) Americans use different than not different to

f) Americans say write someone without to:
    Don´t forget to write me.
g) Some verbs having double form for the past simple(e.g learned,learnt) are used mainly in the regular form( learned) in American English.

h) The past participle of get is gotten in American English.
   Your English has gotten much better since I last saw you.
i)AmE: It looks like it is broken
BrE: It looks as if it is broken / It looks like it is broken
j)AmE: Tuesday through Sunday (to also possible)
  BrE: Tuesday to Sunday

2) There are also some spelling differences for example:
 traveling, traveled,canceling,color,honor.

Words ending in -or (American) -our (British) color, colour, humor, humour, flavor, flavour etc.
Words ending in -ize (American) -ise (British) recognize, recognise, patronize, patronise etc.
AmE: Program BrE: Programme

3)There are many different accents in both British and American English. Someone from Boston sounds very different from someone from the immigrant Italian community of New York, and they both sound very different from a Texan farmer.

Generally, though, there are differences in vowel sounds, particularly the short vowels. British speakers often don't pronounce the R in words like "car" and "hard" but Americans nearly always do.

AmE: More nasal vowels than in BrE
BrE: The sound “o” is rounded short (dog)
AmE: Pronunciation of the sound made by a+consonant is pronounced /ae/
BrE: The pronunciation is different than in AmE for the sound of the vowel like in home, go, open.
AmE: “r” is pronounced no matter where it is positioned in the word.
BrE: “r” is pronounced only before a vowel sound.
AmE: The “t” and “d” are softer and lighter than in BrE.
BrE: The “u” sound (new, tune) is pronounced like /ju:/
BrE: The suffix –ile is pronounced with /aIl/
AmE: The suffix –ile is pronounced like /l/
AmE: Every syllable is pronounced in long words ending in –ary, -ery or –ory
AmE: The final vowel of a word borrowed to French is most of the time stressed
( here you are some interesting webpages to notice this contrast)

VOCABULARY
Sometimes, a given word may have a different meaning depending on the variety of English that is used.

AmE: Mad is a synonym of crazy
BrE: Mad is a synonym of angry

And often, a different word is used in both Englishes to refer to the same idea.

AmE: Candy
BrE: Sweets
AmE: Diaper
BrE: Nappy

Flat    AmE:Apartment
Lift    AmE:Escalator
Pop    AmE:Soda
Jumper    AmE:Sweater
Car parkAmE:Parking lot
Bonnet    AmE:Hood
Boot    AmE:Trunk
Pavement AmE:Sidewalk
Waistcoat AmE:Vest
Clothes peg AmE:Clothes pin
Vest: n undershirt. The item of clothing worn under your shirt. What Americans call a “vest,” Brits call a “waistcoat.”

CROSSWORDS PUZZLES
http://iteslj.org/cw/1/ck-brit1.html

Food and Cooking Terminology: British to American
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/foodx.html

English Usage in the UK and USA
http://www.krysstal.com/ukandusa.html
Selected Vocabulary Differences

Between British and American English
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/usgbdiff.html

AMERICAN-ENGLISH/ENGLISH-AMERICAN TRANSLATION GUIDE
http://www.ling.ed.ac.uk/~aaron/amlish.html
Comparing American English and British English
http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/OTHERREFERENCE/GRAMMARANDPUNCTUATION/AmerEngBritEng.html
English (British) - American Dictionary
http://www.bg-map.com/us-uk.html

CARTOONS

 

In American English, the usual spelling of the word is "check"

Vet - In England, vets look after the health of our animals and pets. They are rarely seen loitering on street corners, begging for work or money. The first American who tolda British he was a vet heard all about his dog before he put him straight! Whoops! You call them veterinarians I believe.

An Eddy Izzard sketch which takes a humorous look at some of the differences between American and British English. 

"American vs. British English" the tongue match

 

UK vs US English

British are also NOT stupid - WITH SUBTITLES

The Resident / Why People Hate The USA

How to be English.How to "make" a cup of tea

Sting - Englishman In New York

"Englishman In New York"

I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear
I like my toast done on one side
And you can hear it in my accent when I talk
I'm an Englishman in New York

See me walking down Fifth Avenue
A walking cane here at my side
I take it everywhere I walk
I'm an Englishman in New York

I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York

If, "Manners maketh man" as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say

I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York

Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety
You could end up as the only one
Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society
At night a candle's brighter than the sun

Takes more than combat gear to make a man
Takes more than a license for a gun
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can
A gentleman will walk but never run

If, "Manners maketh man" as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say

I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York

USA VS ENGLAND