Straight From the News

I saw this quote in an article about Zoe Saldana.   She said ...

 "I get along very well with animals and children. I dig them, I get them. They make perfect sense to me."

Children make perfect sense to her but does Zoe make perfect sense to you?  

Labor Day

Today is Labor day in the United States.  The first Monday in September is a day off of work (and school) to celebrate the efforts of the American Worker.  

This holiday symbolizes the end of summer.  It's one last chance to go swimming at the local pool before it closes for fall.*  

Many Americans will have a backyard barbecue and grill foods such as hamburgers and hot dogs.  They will also enjoy such foods as corn on the cob, potato salad, and baked beans.

But not everyone has the day off. The stores are all open and most are having big sales.  It's a great opportunity to buy some new clothes at a discounted price.  

Whether you are hard at work or enjoying a day off, I hope you have a happy Labor Day!

This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodEnglish.blogspot.com.

Language note
*Fall and autumn mean the same thing - the season between summer and winter.  Fall is used more often in the United States and autumn is preferred in England.  

A little bit about a little word - SO

Listen to me read this post 



So, How have you been?  I know it's been a long time since you've heard from me.  It's been so long since I posted that you are probably wondering what happened to me. At least, I hope you have been wondering and you haven't forgotten about me entirely. 

Sports and American English

I was looking through an old news article about the US Presidential election and I found this quote with 2 great sport metaphors.  When asked about the final Presidential Debate US Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat and Obama supporter said that "... Romney has to hit it out of the park. This is probably his last chance and I bet on Obama." 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/chuck-schumer-mitt-romney_n_1932602.html

To hit it out of the park is a baseball phrase for hitting the ball over the fence or back wall ensuring a point for your team.  

To bet means to place a wager on the outcome of a game.  

In other words, Senator Schumer said that Romney needs to have a big success in the debate but he believes that Obama will be more successful.  

Read my previous post about sports metaphors in American English.
http://fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com/2012/06/baseball-metaphors-and-idioms.html

Songs for a Rainy Day

It's raining and you are stuck inside with nothing to do.  Why not sing a song and practice your English!  Here are 2 songs about the rain.  They are children's songs most Americans learn when they are very young.  You may think these songs are too easy for you but remember it's part of the culture as well.  Americans will often refer to things they learned when they were young.  An American college student might shout to the clouds "rain, rain go away!"  when the bad weather messes up his outdoor plans.  If you didn't know about this song, you might think it was a strange way to express his feelings.

How's the Weather?

Hello, everyone.  How's the weather in your part of the world?  Here in Hanoi it's bright and warm.  

Talking about the weather is a great way to start a conversation with someone.  In the United States, it's very common for people to talk about the weather with friends, family and even strangers.  

If you are waiting at a bus stop, you can say something about the weather to the person standing next to you and it won't seem strange or inappropriate.  They will probably say something in return and now you are having a conversation.

Give it a try!


How's the Weather by Cbrenn on GoAnimate

Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.

Holiday - St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  In the United States, this is a day to wear green, party and think about all things Irish.  I have a video to share with you but it won't help your English practice because there are no words.  It's a group of young people doing Irish dancing.

However, it does have a connection to the US because there are schools that teach this type of dancing there and you can see performances at different festivals and events especially on St. Patrick's Day.  The US is a multicultural place, so you can enjoy and learn about many different countries.

Communication Events

Welcome to Fastfood English with Cassie.  In today's audio post I talk about strategies for studying English using dialogues and set phrases.  I've also included links to websites with dialogues for eating in restaurants.  Please click on the Read More button below to listen to the show.

English Central Ordering Fast Food

English Central - Ordering: Restaurant Menus

Listen to English with Cassie

Hi join me for 3 and a half minutes of talk in English.  

Today I use -

one idiom "Long time, no see"  

It's a greeting used in the US when you haven't seen someone for a long time but it can also be used as joke when you've seen someone many times in a short period of time.  

and a web link www.yourdictionary.com.

Listen to here to hear more.  



Thanks for listening.  This has been Cassie Brenn for Fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.

George Washington

"Washington as a Farmer" by Junius Brutus Stearns, 1851

Listen to me read this post

This past Monday was a holiday in the United States called President's Day.  It is celebrated every year on the third Monday in February, close to George Washington's Birthday which is Feb. 22.  

Many of you know that GW was the first  President of the United States but did you know he was also a farmer? That's right, he was!  His farm was called Mount Vernon.   At MV, George Washington mainly grew wheat, the wheat was turned into flour and the flour was sold to people in the United States and Europe.  

In the picture you can see GW standing in one of his wheat fields.  What other things do you see in the picture?   Leave your comments and questions in the comments section below.

Thanks for listening.  This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.  

More Valentine Fun

This is a vintage valentine's card from http://vintageholidaycrafts.com.  This is a type of small card that would be exchanged by children in school.  Many of these cards include puns like this one.

A pun is using words in a way to make an unexpected and funny meaning.   It often uses words that have multiple meanings.

This pun plays with the word popcorn which is the snack pictured.
Another meaning of pop is sudden or unexpected.
Corny means silly or unsophisticated.

Vintage means from the past.  It's a nice way to say something is old and collectible.

Happy Valentine's Day!

All around the world people are celebrating Valentine's Day.  It is a holiday to celebrate love.  In the United States everyone from children to adults celebrate this special day.  Even though it is a holiday in the United States schools, stores, and offices are still open.  Children have parties in school.  They eat heart shaped cookies, drink red punch and exchange valentine's with their classmates.  Adults celebrate by sharing a romantic date with their special someone.  Couples will often exchange gifts like cards, flowers and chocolates.

And here's my gift to you - the gift of learning with English Central!  Enjoy these videos on Valentine's day.

Board Games - Monopoly

Recently the board game Monopoly was in the news.  I will tell you why in a minute but first, let me tell you a little about the game.  Monopoly is an American board game in which players travel around a board buying properties, building houses and hotels, and collecting rent from other players.  Monopoly includes many fun game pieces like a bank full of play money, little plastic houses and metal player tokens such as a train, a top hat, and a dog just to name a few.   

I, like many Americans, have many happy memories of playing this game with family and friends.  Most players have a favorite token that they use to move around the board and they choose that token every time they play.  My favorite is the iron.

Which brings me to the reason why Monopoly is in the news -  It all has to do with those little tokens.  You see Hasbro, the company that makes Monopoly decided to have an online contest to get rid of one token and add a new one.   After a month of voting, it was decided the iron token will no longer be in the game.  It has been replaced with a cat.  Lucky for me I like cats even more than irons.  

Video Link -

English Blog - Monopoly  

This is a British website that includes lots of information for people learning English.  You will find a short video with the transcript and explanation about the idioms and wordplay used in the story.  

Thanks for stopping by and Happy (lunar) New Year! 

Super Bowl Sunday

"Are you ready for some football!"

This is a phrase often said on Sundays in the United States where football means huge guys dressed in shoulder pads and helmets trying to get a brown pointy ball in the end zone for a touch down.  Yes, we know that football means a different game to the rest of the world.  (We call that game soccer.)  But to us football means quarterbacks and cheerleaders, the Super Bowl and ....
Super Bowl commercials.

Companies know that millions of Americans will watch the football championship game called the Super Bowl, on Sunday so, they spend millions of dollars making commercials to be shown during the game.  These commercials are often very entertaining and people enjoy watching them and talking about them.    Of course, this is good for business but it's also good for us to practice English.  Enjoy these funny ads.

Happy Ground Hog Day!

It's cold.  It's snowy.  It's winter in the US.   By this time of year Americans living in the Northern part of the country, tired of shoveling snow and driving on icy roads, are asking,  "How much longer will this last?"  

Tomorrow they will have an answer.   Because tomorrow, February 2 is Ground Hog Day.  Folk lore says that on this day ground hogs, furry brown rodents that hibernate in the winter, will poke their heads out of their holes and decide if there will be more winter or an early spring.  If they see their shadow, they will run back into their hole and continue sleeping for 6 more weeks.  This means 6 more weeks of winter.  On the other hand, no shadow means an early spring.  

One ground hog in Pennsylvania has become the most famous ground hog of all for his weather predictions.  His name is Punxsutawney Phil.  Every year on February 2 thousands of people and TV crews come to the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to see Phil.  The celebration begins before sunrise with music, fun and fireworks at a park called Gobbler's Knob.  At sunrise, Phil's human handlers, dressed in tuxedos and top hats bring the ground hog out of his hole and interpret his weather prediction for the anxious crowd.  

Today we only need to turn on our TVs or computers to get an accurate weather forecast but there was a time when people used clues in nature for this information.  This tradition has now become a fun celebration. Read more about this unique American holiday at http://www.groundhog.org/  or watch a video and live stream of the celebration at  http://www.visitpa.com/groundhog-day-live-stream.

  

Geocaching - Making the Find

Here is a bonus post for today.  I wrote this post while I was back in the US traveling around but I never posted it.   So, here it is for you to enjoy...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy the game of Geocaching.  It goes perfectly with my other favorite thing to do ... traveling because you can geocache all around the world.  So far, I've geocached in 6 states in the US, as well as Vietnam and Thailand.  Hopefully, I will be able to add many more places to that list in the future.

One of the things I like about Geocaching is that it leads me to spots I might not otherwise go on my own and it helps me notice things that I pass everyday and never noticed before.

For example, here I am doing a cache in Pennsylvania.  It's in a store parking lot hiding on this lamp post.  A store parking lot is not a very exciting place to visit but look at the view behind it.  I never noticed before how pretty it is.  You can see the valley and farmland and the mountains in the distance.  I would have never stopped and noticed the view if it wasn't for Geocaching.

Martin Luther King Day

Happy New Year 2013!  I would like to say Welcome back to everyone including myself.  I took a vacation for the holidays and enjoyed some time back in the United States to visit family.  I hope you enjoyed the posts I did while traveling.  But now I am back in Vietnam and The Conversation Hour continues which means more posts here at Fastfood English.

So, let's start off the New Year by looking at an American Holiday in the month of January.  This past Monday was a federal holiday in the United States called Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  We celebrate MLK every year on the third Monday of January.   We remember Dr. King for his tireless work as a Civil Rights Activist.  He spoke about equal rights and fair treatment for Black Americans and led non violent protests against unjust laws.   in the 1950's and 60's, Dr. King brought attention to the problems of segregation and discrimination that Black Americans faced in the US.  His work led to positive changes in laws and attitudes.  

How do we celebrate Martin Luther King Day?  Because it is a federal holiday that means schools and offices are closed for the day.  Many people use the free day to participate in volunteer projects.  It's called a Day of Service.  Here is an English Central Video that explains more about it.