Welcome! Table for two?
Well, before we decide to dine here, can you tell me if you serve any vegan dishes?
Of course! Let me show you the menu.
And I mean dishes other than salad. I always end up eating salad in restaurants.
Not to worry. As you can see, all the dishes marked V are vegetarian.
But I’m vegan, not vegetarian. It’s not the same thing.
I know, but many of the vegetarian dishes can be adapted quite easily.
What, you mean by removing the eggs or dairy products or something like that?
Exactly! For instance, we can substitute the cheese for guacamole in our veggie burritos.
Oh, that actually sounds delicious. So yes, please, a table for two!
NOW LET’S REVIEW THE VOCABULARY!
When asking for a table in a restaurant, it is customary to state the number of diners, i.e., ‘a table for two’ (or four, or ten, etc).
A dish is a particular preparation of food as part of a meal, for example, spaghetti bolognese. It can also mean a bowl or a plate.
A menu is the list of dishes available in a restaurant.
‘Other than’ means ‘except’ or ‘apart from’.
When you end up doing something, you finally find yourself in a particular situation.
‘Not to worry’ is an expression of reassurance. It’s the same as saying, “Don’t worry.”
‘Adapt’ is a synonym for ‘change’ or ‘modify’.
Using ‘What?’ by itself is a concise way of asking for clarification or more information.
Dairy products are products containing or made from milk.
‘For instance’ is the same as ‘for example’.
‘Veggie’ is a short colloquialism for ‘vegetarian’.
‘Actually’ can be used to emphasise that something is surprising.
‘Delicious’ means that something is pleasant to eat or smell. ‘Tasty’ and ‘yummy’ are colloquial synonyms.
