SBS Learn English yuav pab kom koj muaj peev xwm tham, totaub thiab sib cuag tau nrog lwm tus ntawm teb chaws Australia - txheeb tau txhua toom sob kawm ntawm no.
Toom sob kawm no haum rau cov neeg kawm ntawv Askiv tshaj lij theem nrab. Tom qab mloog tas lawm, sim teb peb tej lus nug hauv qab no tam li yog ib co kev tshau txuj seb koj totaub zoo npaum li cas.
Learning notes:
Examples of phrases you can use when talking about unusual or strong flavours:
- Whoa, that’s intense! (Uag, ua cas muaj ceem ua luaj!)
- Hmm, that hits hard! (Hmm, hom zaub mov ntawv tsis tshua tsw muaj ceem pes tsawg!)
- Wow, that’s full on! (Uag, hom zaub mov ntawd tsw muaj ceem kawg li!)
- Yikes, that packs a punch! (Uag, qab muaj ceem tiag tiag!)
- Hmm, that’s really bold! (Hmm, ntawd tsw qab tiag tiag!)
- Not sure I’m a fan of that one (Kuv tsis paub tseeb tias xyov kuv puas nyiam (hom zaub mov) ntawd).
- I’m not keen on that curry (Kuv tsis tshua nyiam noj cov curry ntawd heev).
- That cheese isn’t really my thing (Cov mis khov (cheese) ntawd tsis yog yam kuv nyiam).
- Bit of an acquired taste, huh? (Qhov no yuav tsum tau noj ntau zaus mas thiaj li nyiam, puas yog?)
- That cheese takes some getting used to (Hom cheese - mis khov - ntawd yuav tsum siv sijhawm mam li swm).
- This sauce grows on you after a few tries (Hom sauce (kua) no noj ob peb zaug mas yus thiaj pib nyiam).
- I think my taste buds are confused (Kuv xav tias kuv tus nplaig saj lawm tsis paub tias xyov qab li cas lawm).
- My mouth isn’t ready for that (Yam khoom noj ntawd yog yam kuv tsis tshua xis pes tsawg).
- What a strange combination of flavours! (Muaj ntau yam tsos sib tov uas qab sib txawv heev).
- I reckon it’s pretty tasty (Kuv xav tias yeej qab kawg (heev) thiab).
- You just need to give it a crack (Sim mas!)
- You should give it a try. (Tsim nyog koj sim seb zoo li cas).
Colloquial expressions (Tej sob lus ntau los txhais tau ib lub ntsiab lus):
When a flavour hits hard, you notice it immediately because it is very strong. (Thaum ib yam zaub mov twg hits hard ces yuav ua rau yus paub kiag tam sid tias yog dab tsi vim tsw muaj ceem heev).
Something that is full on feels strong or overwhelming, especially in taste. (Yog siv lo lus full on piav txog ib yam zaub mov dab tsi ces txhais tias yam khoom ntawd tus ntxhiab iab thiab daw dhau heev lawm).
A dish that packs a punch has a powerful or strong flavour. (Yog ib yam hno (qav/khoom noj) twg packs a punch ces yog yam khoom ntawd qab muaj ceem tiag tiag).
If you are not a fan of something it means you do not really like it. (Not a fan of something txhais tias yus tsis nyiam yam khoom noj ntawd).
If you are not keen on something means you do not like it very much. (Not keen on something txhais tias yus tsis tshua nyiam).
When something isn’t really your thing, it means it is not something you enjoy. (Isn't really your thing txhais tias yog tej khoom noj uas yus tsis nyiam).
When something takes some getting used to, it feels strange or unusual at first and needs time to feel comfortable. (Take some getting used to txhais tias thaum xub mas txawv vim tsis tau sim noj dua tab sis yuav tau noj ntau zaus mas thiaj swm thiaj nyiam).
Something that grows on you is something you start to like more over time. (Grows on you txhais tias ntev tuaj ntxiv ces yus nyiam zuj zus ntxiv lawm).
I reckon is an informal way of saying I think and we often use it to introduce our opinion about something. (Lo lus I reckon ces yog ib lo lus siv yooj yooj yim hais tias - kuv xav tias - thiab peb yeej ib txwm siv coj los qhia txog peb cov kev xav txog ib yam dab tsi).
To give something a crack means to try it, even if you are not sure you will like it. (To give something a crack txhais tias sim (saj) txawm tias yus tsis paub tias xyov puas nyiam).
Vocabulary (Cov lo lus):
An intense flavour is very strong, powerful, or surprising. (Txhais tias yog qab muaj ceem tiag tiag los yog qab yam ua rau yus ceeb).
When food is described as bold, it means the flavour is strong and confident, not mild. (Yog thaum zaub mov raug piav tias 'bold' ces txhais tias hom zaub mov ntawd qab muaj ceem tiag tiag. Piv txwv li iab tiag tiag, ntsim tiag tiag, qab zib tiag tiag, qaub tiag tiag li).
An acquired taste is something you may not like at first, but you may enjoy after trying it a few times. (Acquired taste txhais tias yog ib yam khoom noj uas thaum xub tej zaum yus tsis nyiam tab sis tom qab sim ob peb zaub lawm yus kuj nyiam lawm).
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.
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Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire, and Professor Lynda Yates was our educational consultant.
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