Using English at Work：27 Taking a Break and Eating Lunch(4)

Many restaurants have lunch specials to get people to come to the restaurant during the week; however on the weekends (on Saturdays and Sundays) there usually are not any lunch specials.

A lunch special often has a salad, an entree¹ (or main course), a drink, and sometimes a small dessert.

Diana and I choose the lunch special, but Van picks the all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar².

If something is "all-you-can-eat," it means³ that you pay one price and you can eat as much of something as you want.

Another word for all-you-can-eat is a "buffet⁴' (buffet).

In this case, Van will be able to eat as much soup and salad as he wants.

A "salad bar" is a long table at a restaurant that has many different vegetables, fruits, salad dressings⁵, cheeses, and other foods so that customers at the restaurant can build (or make) their own salads.

The best salad bars⁶ are the ones that have a lot of variety⁷, so you can choose the vegetables and other things you like best.

When Diana and I wait for our orders (the lunch specials) to arrive, Van goes to the soup and salad bar and gets a really big plate of food, because he's allowed to take all that he can eat - and because he's a very big person!

Then he asks, "Do you mind if I start?"

He's asking for our permission⁸ to begin eating his food before our food has arrived.

This is a polite thing to do when you are eating at a restaurant with other people, since people eating together usually wait until everyone is served or has their food in front of them before starting to eat.

Diana and I say, "Of course not," meaning it won't bother⁹ us if he eats first; it's okay.

So, Van, being¹⁰ hungry, begins eating while we are waiting for our food.

When we finish eating, the server¹¹ comes over to clear our plates.

"To clear one's plate" means to pick up the dirty plate from the table and take it to the kitchen after someone has finished eating.

The server also gives us our bill.

A "bill" is a piece of paper that shows how much a customer needs to pay.

In this case, our bill shows the cost of the food and drinks that we ordered.

1 entree   

n.入场权，进入权

参考例句：

• She made a graceful entree into the ballroom.她进入舞厅时显示非常优雅。
• Her wealth and reputation gave her entree into upper-class circles.她的财富和声望使她得以进入上层社会。

2 bar   

n.条，棒，条状物；酒吧，（卖东西的）柜台

参考例句：

• I went to the bar yesterday.我昨天去酒吧了。
• They walked into the bar.他们走进了酒吧。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

5 dressings   

n.敷料剂；穿衣( dressing的名词复数 )；穿戴；（拌制色拉的）调料；（保护伤口的）敷料

参考例句：

• He always made sure that any cuts were protected by sterile dressings. 他总是坚持要用无菌纱布包扎伤口。 来自辞典例句
• I waked the orderly and he poured mineral water on the dressings. 我喊醒勤务，他在我的绷带上倒了些矿质水。 来自辞典例句

6 bars   

n.马上的齿龈；酒吧间( bar的名词复数 )；售酒的（饮食）柜台；条；（门、窗等的）闩vi.

参考例句：

• The hotel is ideally placed for restaurants, bars and clubs. 这家宾馆地处的位置适宜经营餐厅、酒吧和俱乐部。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The prisoner had filed through the steel bars and escaped. 那囚犯锉断钢条逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 variety   

n.（不可数）多种多样，各种不同的；（可数）种类

参考例句：

• The variety of goods in this shop is rich.这家商店货物品种丰富。
• This variety of dog is very useful for hunting.这种狗对狩猎很有用。

8 permission   

n.许可；同意；许可证

参考例句：

• You were wrong to take the car without permission.你未经许可就把车开走是不应该的。
• With your permission I'll leave now.有你的允许，我这就离开。

9 bother   

vt.烦扰，迷惑；vi.烦恼，操心；n.麻烦，纠纷，讨厌的人

参考例句：

• Don't bother about getting dinner for me.别为我做饭麻烦了。
• You needn't bother to lock the door.你不用费心去锁门。

10 being   

n.存在；生存；生命存在，生命，人， 本质；art.在，有，是

参考例句：

• Can you explain to me the purpose of being?你能对我解释一下存在的目的吗？
• What is the purpose of our being?我们生存的目的是什么？

11 server   

n.服伺者，服勤者，伺候者

参考例句：

• The server is introducing the pub.侍者正在介绍这家酒吧.
• My server is having problems this morning.我的服务器今天早上出了问题。