SBS Learn English will help you speak, understand and connect in Australia - view all episodes.
This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes:
Examples of phrases you can use when talking about unusual or strong flavours:
- Whoa, that’s intense!
- Hmm, that hits hard!
- Wow, that’s full on!
- Yikes, that packs a punch!
- Hmm, that’s really bold!
- Not sure I’m a fan of that one.
- I’m not keen on that curry.
- That cheese isn’t really my thing.
- Bit of an acquired taste, huh?
- That cheese takes some getting used to.
- This sauce grows on you after a few tries.
- I think my taste buds are confused.
- My mouth isn’t ready for that.
- What a strange combination of flavours!
- I reckon it’s pretty tasty.
- You just need to give it a crack.
- You should give it a try.
Colloquial expressions:
When a flavour hits hard, you notice it immediately because it is very strong.
Something that is full on feels strong or overwhelming, especially in taste.
A dish that packs a punch has a powerful or strong flavour.
If you are not a fan of something it means you do not really like it.
If you are not keen on something means you do not like it very much.
When something isn’t really your thing, it means it is not something you enjoy.
When something takes some getting used to, it feels strange or unusual at first and needs time to feel comfortable.
Something that grows on you is something you start to like more over time.
I reckon is an informal way of saying I think and we often use it to introduce our opinion about something.
To give something a crack means to try it, even if you are not sure you will like it.
Vocabulary:
An intense flavour is very strong, powerful, or surprising.
When food is described as bold, it means the flavour is strong and confident, not mild.
An acquired taste is something you may not like at first, but you may enjoy after trying it a few times.
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands, and waterways throughout Australia.
Trying new foods can be exciting… and sometimes a bit challenging. But either way having such easy access to dishes from different cultures is one of the things I love about life in Australia!
Hi, I’m Kate, and in this episode we’re getting ready for Harmony Week, our favourite annual event that celebrates Australia’s amazing multicultural communities.
Like many of us, you might go to a Bring a Plate event, where everyone shares a dish from their culture and you get to try foods that you’ve never had before. But how do you talk about strong or unusual flavours you’ve never tried? Allan and Claire are tasting some foods they haven’t tried before and can help us learn some useful phrases.
Allan:
Whoa… that’s intense!
Claire:
Haha, I know, right? Not sure I’m a fan of that one.
Allan:
I reckon it’s pretty tasty. You just need to give it a crack.
Claire:
Ummm… I think my taste buds are confused.
Allan:
Bit of an acquired taste, huh?
Trying new foods can be like riding a rollercoaster – you know – one of those trains at the fair that go up and down and very fast. Sometimes a new flavour can be delicious, and sometimes you think “what on earth is this”? Let’s look closely into what Allan and Claire said and learn some new phrases along the way.
First, we have Allan:
Whoa… that’s intense!
When Allan says “that’s intense!”, he means the flavour is very strong or unusual. You can use this phrase whenever something surprises you because you find it powerful or unusual, not just food.
So if someone says that they are going to study all night for their exams or says they are going for a 50-kilometre run, you could also find that a bit intense!
Coming back to talking about strong flavours, you could also say:
- Hmm, that hits hard!
- Wow, that’s full on!
- Yikes, that packs a punch!
- Hmm, that’s really bold!
If you’re using any of these phrases, you’re saying that you’re saying that the flavour is very strong, surprising, or unusual. You can use them when something tastes powerful or different from what you expected.
Next, Claire said:
Not sure I’m a fan of that one.
To say you’re “not a fan” of something is an informal way of saying that you don’t really like it. You could also say:
- I’m not keen on that curry.
- That cheese isn’t really my thing.
Then Allan said,
I reckon it’s pretty tasty. You just need to give it a crack.
I reckon is just another way of saying I think, and we often use it to introduce our opinion on something. So, Allan thinks – reckons – that his food is tasty.
You just need to give it a crack.
To give something a crack means to give it a try.” Alan is saying he thinks the food is good and you should try it too. You could also say:
- You should give it a try.
Claire then said,
I think my taste buds are confused.
Your taste buds are the small bumps on your tongue that let you taste things. This is a fun way to say that you are not sure if you like the taste.
You could also say:
- My mouth isn’t ready for that.
- What a strange combination of flavours!
At the end of our dialogue, Allan said,
Bit of an acquired taste, huh.?
An acquired taste is something you might not like at first, but something that you might enjoy it after you have tried it a few times.
For example, I’m sure many of you have had mochi or rice cakes before, but have you ever heard of Sakura Mochi? It’s a traditional Japanese dessert typically enjoyed from March to April. It features mochi wrapped in a pickled cherry blossom leaf. Personally, it’s one of my favourite treats, though many people say the salty-sweet flavour is an acquired taste! You could also say:
- That dish takes some getting used to.
This means the dish might taste unusual or strong at first, and it could take a few tries before you start to enjoy it because it takes some time to get used to it.
Another phrase you can use to describe a flavour that you find unusual or strong when you first try it, but which you might grow to like is:
- That dish takes some getting used to.
If you’re making a steady progress, you’re slowly improving or getting better, one step at the time.
Sign up for previews, updates and to provide feedback.
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire, and Professor Lynda Yates was our educational consultant.
