Food from Around the World

The Philippines                                   

Balut

People eat eggs all over the world. Scrambled, fried, poached, soft-boiled and hard-boiled eggs are a popular food. One of the ways eggs are eaten in the Philippines is the food called balut. Balut is a hard-boiled duck egg. But, in middle of a balut egg you will find a duck!






The USA

BBQ Alligator

Barbecue is a traditional way of cooking meat in the United States. In many countries meat is cooked on a grill over an open fire. Real barbecue, on the other hand, is a way of cooking meat that requires long cooking times in a closed barbecue cooker. Any kind of meat can be barbecued. Most people know about barbecued pork, chicken or beef. In the state of Florida some people also barbecue alligator.


      Mexico

Chicken Mole

Do you want to eat chocolate chicken? If you eat the dish called Chicken mole in Mexico you are eating chocolate chicken. Mole is a sauce made with cocoa and chili peppers. Because sugar and milk are not used the dish doesn't taste like chocolate. It does taste delicious.







Korea

Beondegi

In Korean restuarants and  you can order beondegi. If you don't know what it is you might think it is beans. But beondegi is baby bugs! A baby bug is called a larva (the plural is larvae) , and the Korean dish beondegi is boiled or roasted silkworm larvae. Beondegi has little fat, so it is thought to be a health food.





Italy

Look close to see the maggots!

The Korean dish beondegi is silkworm larvae. But larvae are also eaten in Europe. Cazu Marzu is a sheep milk cheese. It is eaten in Italy on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. The cheese is  famous because it contains live maggots (fly larvae). The cheese is usually eaten spread on bread. When the cheese is eaten the maggots are still alive. The maggots can jump up to 15 centimeters, so people cover it with their free hand when they eat it.

Click on Read More for the Grammar Breakdown and some exercises.




Grammar Breakdown: The Passive Voice

These sentences are in the passive voice.

One of the ways eggs are eaten in the Philippines is the dish called balut.
In many countries meat is cooked on a grill over an open fire.
Because sugar and milk are not used the dish doesn't taste like chocolate.
Beondegi has little fat, so it is thought to be a health food.

We can rewrite them in active voice.

One of the ways people eat eggs in the Philippines is the dish called balut.
In many countries people cook meat on a grill over an open fire.
Because cooks don't use sugar and milk in the dish it doesn't taste like chocolate.
Beondegi has little fat, so people think it is a health food.

What's different?

The sentences is the active voice have a doer (or doers) that the sentences in passive voice don't. The people who eat the eggs, cook the meat, think beondegi is a health food and the cooks who don't use sugar or milk are all missing in the passive voice sentences.

To form the passive voice you need:

a subject + a form of the be verb + a past participle + the rest of the sentence

Like this: Duck eggs + are + eaten + in the Philippines.

Exercise 1.  Turn these active voice sentences into passive voice.

Example: He took my car keys.→ My car keys were taken. (No doer)

1. Mary ate the cake.
2. My brother broke the glass.
3. The waiter brought our meals.
4. My wife hid the Christmas presents.

Exercise 2. Read the definitions for the cooking terms (You can use the Google Translate Tool at the top of the page), then use them to complete the sentences.

1. roast
2. poach
3. fry
4. boil
5. barbecue
6. grill

1. Every July 4th we make (         ) ribs at our picnic.
2. (         ) hamburgers are delicious.
3.  I don't like (         ) fish. It's too oily.

4. How long are should I (         ) the pasta?
5. (        ) eggs are a healthy breakfast.
6. The turkey was (        ) for three hours.

Answer Key for Exercise 1.

1. The cake was eaten. 2. The glass was broken.   3. Our meals were brought.  
4. The Christmas presents were hidden.

If you want to say who did the actions then we use a by phrase.

1. The cake was eaten by Mary.
2. The glass was broken by my brother.
3. Our meals were brought my the waiter.
4. The Christmas presents were hidden by my wife.

Answer Key for Exercise 2.

1. barbecue   2. Grilled   3. fried    4. boil   5. Poached    6 . roasted