Listen to the conversation using your ebook: English the American Way: A Fun ESL Guide to Language and Culture in the U.S. (with Embedded Audio & MP3)

I don’t know about you, but I’m ! All that waiting for the bus and hailing taxis has made me . Hungry? Yes. In the to cook? No way! Hmmm. The hard part is deciding where to go and what to eat. Restaurant choices are endless: steaks, vegetarian meals, , , and from just about every country on earth. Even the will be happy! But I think some is just what the doctor ordered. There’s nothing like fast food after a day. Ha—fast food for when you’re feeling slow. But don’t let fast food’s fool you. It’s more than just burgers and fries with a shake. With people becoming more (and conscious of those extra pounds!), restaurants are providing more and more healthy choices: salads, water, lean proteins, and whole grain breads. In fact, many restaurants now post the calorie counts of their menu items. I’m not sure I want to know that my mega-cheeseburger lunch has more than I need for an entire day!
Once you have your dream dinner in , you can just into your car and the nearest drive-thru. Sure, it may seem a little strange telling a machine that you want a mega-burger with cheese, but when you continue to the window to pay, the cashier will have your juicy burger order all ready to go. Ah, I can taste already…

MACHINE GUY: Can I take your , please?

LIA: Hmmm. A burger sounds good. I think I’ll a mega-burger with cheese, extra pickles, no mayo.

MACHINE GUY: Anything to drink with that?

LIA: a Coke. Extra large.

MACHINE GUY: else?

LIA: Yes, a kids’ meal with chocolate milk and chicken .

MACHINE GUY: fries with that?

LIA: Hmmm. The fries smell great, but fruit instead?

MACHINE GUY: Sure. You can have an apple or fruit cup.

KID: Mom, you know I fruit cup, but I’d have the apple. But only if they put a around it!