Welcome to english as a second language pod cast number five hundred and fifty nine. And dean a restaurant meal term oh this is english as a second language pod cast episode five fifty nine. I'm your host doctor jeff will call in coming to you from the center for educational development. In beautiful los angeles california. Our website is e. s. l. p. o. d. dot com. If you enjoy he's part casts consider making a small donation to us or even better becoming a member of e. s. l. pot cast go to our website for more information. This dialogue is about someone who is in a restaurant. And they want to leave the restaurant. So it will describe common vocabulary and phrases you use when you are done eating and want to leave. Let's get started ah ah um can i clear these plates and get them out of your way. Sure where all done. Can i get to the rest of that in a doggie bag no problem i'll wrap it up for you into anything else i can get you. Did you leave room for dessert how that some coffee i t. No i'm stuffed just a check for me thanks. Sure coming right out. No it's your check i'll take that when you're ready. Do you accept personal checks no i'm afraid we don't. How about credit cards yes we do accept credit card. Here's my discover card. Oh we delegate that that one. Okay here's my american express sorry and we don't take that one either we only accept visa one mastercard. I don't have a visa or mastercard. We also accept cash of course. I don't have any cash on me. Is there an h t m nearby. There's one about three blocks away but you don't need to leave something with us so we know you're not running out on the check. How about my doggy bag. How about their telephone all your driver's license. Ok here's my cell phone. I'll be back a s a p no rush i'll be right here making a few calls to bora bora. Ah ah oh the server the person who works for the restaurant that brings you your food and asks you what you want to eat. Says to alvin. Can i clear these plates and get them out of your way. To clear the plates means to take dirty plates away from the table after people have finished eating. In american restaurant it's coming for the server the waiter or someone else. Usually someone we would call the bus boy b u s b o y one word. To come and ask you if you are done eating and then take your plates away from you even though you are still sitting at the table. This isn't done in every country but it is done very commonly here in the us at both good restaurants expensive restaurants and cheap once the server ask. Can i clear these plates and get them out of your way. To get something out of ones away means no longer in front of you no longer blocking or taking up a space. This expression can have other meanings also take a look at the learning guide for additional explanations. All of them says sure meaning yes. We're all done we're all finished. Can i get the rest of that in a doggie bag. L then is asking the server. If he can get the rest of his food the food that he didn't finish on his plate. Put in a small bag or container. So he can take it home with him and eat it later. That bag or container it's called the doggie d o n g g. i. e. bag. Doggy is another word for a dog. The ideas that you would take it home perhaps and give it to your dog but most people actually take it home to eat it themselves so we use that expression even if you don't have a dog. This is a custom that is quite different from many countries. Many countries do not have the custom of taking the food that you did not finish at a restaurant home with you but in the united states it's very common again at both. Inexpensive and expensive restaurants. The server says no problem oh rap it up for you. To rap w. are a p. something up. Means to put something into a box or to wrap it in plastic to protect it so you can use it later. We might also say to package something. So the rader is going to put the food the extra food that elves and once into a bag. She says is there anything else i can get you. This is a common question at the end of a meal for the waiter to ask. Did you leave room for dessert the waiter asks. To leave room for something means to still have space for something in this case do you have space in your stomach. For more food. It's a common way up waiters asking did you leave room for dessert of course the waiter want you to buy dessert. He's trying to or she is trying to sell you more food. How about some coffee or tea alvin says no i'm stuffed. To be stuffed s t you f. f. eat d is in informal expression meaning i'm very full i've eaten too much really. Alvin says just the check for me thanks. Alvin is asking for the waiter to bring the bill to bring the check. Check has many other means in english once again you'll find those in the learning guide. The services sure coming right up. The expression especially in a restaurant coming right up. Means it will be here very soon. In a very short amount of time. The server comes back and says here's your check. I'll take that when you're ready. Meaning i'll take your money or your credit card when you are ready to give it back to me. L them says do you accept personal checks. Here the word check doesn't mean the bill it means a piece of paper. That has your name on it and your banks name on it. That use sign and give to someone just like you would give them money. So a check represents money that you are giving this person the person then takes the check and puts it in his or her own bank. And the two banks will transfer the money over however most restaurants at least in big cities nowadays do not accept personal checks. The server says no i'm afraid we don't. I'm afraid is just a polite way of telling someone something perhaps they won't like. I'm afraid we don't accept personal checks the way they were saying. L them says how about credit cards. Credit cards like visa master card american express. Are small pieces of plastic that you give to someone when you want to buy something. They then will. Take the money from the credit card company and later you have to pay the money back to the credit card company. At least you're supposed to not everyone does. The server says yes we do accept credit cards l then says here's my discover card. Discover is another kind of credit card like a visa and master card but not a very popular one. The server says oh we don't accept that one. Held and says ok here's my american express. Well many businesses except american express but not as many as visa and mastercard. So this is a restaurant that does not accept american express. The services sorry but we don't take back one either meaning we don't. Except that one you can't use it to pay for your bill. We only accept visa and master card. L then says i don't have a visa or master card. Uh l- then is. Probably a little stupid because if you live in the united states and you want to use a credit card you should always have either of the stuff or master card. Because you should know many businesses do not accept discover or american express. The server says we also accept cash of course. Actual money that you give someone is cash l them says i don't have any cash on me meaning i don't have any cash with me in my wallet. Is there in eight t m nearby. Is there an h t m close to here. And a t. and isn't automated teller machine it's a machine that you can get money out of from your bank account any time of the day or night typically. The server says there's one about three blocks away. But you'll need it to leave something with us so we know you're not running out on the check or your check. To run out on the check. Means to leave a restaurant without pain you go you eat and then you leave and you don't pay for it of course that's stealing you're stealing their food. We use this expression however to run out on. Perhaps because sometimes people actually get up and run out of the restaurant so that they don't have to pay. I don't recommend that by the way the server then asks alvin to leave something. With them so that they know he will come back. L them says how about my doggy bag how about the rest of the food that i ate. Of course that's not really going to make you come back necessarily so the server says suggesting something else how about your cell phone or your driver's license. Someone will definitely come back for their driver's license or cell phone alvin says ok here's my cell phone he gives it to to the waiter the server. He says i'll be back a s. a. p.. A s eh p. means as soon as possible as quickly as you can't. The waiter says no rush. No rush means. Don't hurry it's in informal expression. Take your time take all the time you neat. The server then tries to make a joke i'll be right here making a few of phone calls to bora bora. Bora bora is a small french island about half way between the united states in australia it's in the middle of the pacific ocean. Bora bora is considered a very far away places. The joke is that the waiter is going to use his cell phone in order to make these phone calls because presumably the phone call would be expensive. Although nowadays you can just talk to someone on the internet and it's free so you probably don't need to spend a lot of money but the waiters using it as a joke. Bora bora simply represents a far away places. Now let's listen to the dialogue this time at a normal speed ah ah ah inequities played think them out of your way. Sure we're all done gonna get the rest of that a doggie bag no problem i'm having up for you anything else i can get you did you leave room for dessert how about some coffee or tea. No i'm stuffed just a check for me thanks sure coming right out to. It's a check i think that when you're ready do you accept personal checks no i'm afraid we don't how about credit cards yes we do except credit cards here's my discover card oh we don't accept that one. Okay here's my american express. Sorry we don't take that one either we only accept visa and mastercard uhhuh i don't have a visa or mastercard. We also step cache of course. I don't have any cash on me is there any t m nearby. There's one about three blocks away that you'll need to leave something with us so we know you know i'm running out in the check. How about my doggy bag how about yourself on your driver's license. Okay here's my cell phone i'll be back a s a p. No i sh- i'll be right here making a few calls to bora bora ah ah um the person who wrote the script for this episode would never run out on a check. Doctor lucy say. From los angeles california i'm jeff mclellan. Thanks for listening. Come back to listen to us next time. But no rush. I need a cell talk cast. Oh which is like a massage cast is we're gonna produce probably doctor this you say host doctor jel right two thousand ten by the center for the occasional development back
2005