Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a veteran
    • ex. He is a veteran of the restaurant industry who has been a head chef for thirty years.
  2. homemade
    • ex. Whenever I am sick, I only want to eat my mom's homemade soup.
  3. a demonstration
    • ex. The cooking instructor gave a clear demonstration of how to cut vegetables safely.
  4. master
    • ex. It takes many years of daily practice to truly master a foreign language.
  5. accessible
    • ex. Online cooking videos make learning how to cook traditional dishes very accessible to everyone.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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A sushi school in Tokyo is teaching people from around the world how to make sushi, as traditional training becomes more open to beginners. It is led by chef Tsuneo Suzuki, a 45-year veteran who says homemade sushi can taste the best. His school in downtown Tokyo also hosts visitors who want to learn sushi skills for fun or future restaurant work. Students attend demonstrations and classes at the Tokyo Sushi School, which attracts learners from many countries.

In a recent lesson, beginners followed step-by-step instructions and made sushi that looked professional and held together well. One student, Daniel Nevins from Kentucky, learned quickly and said the experience went very well. His wife, Brittany, said, “Learning a different culture’s food is really exciting.”  Some students even plan to open their own sushi restaurants after completing the course in Japan.

Chef Suzuki said making sushi is difficult to master, especially making tuna sushi. But he said it is possible for beginners who follow his instructions in class. This shows how traditional Japanese food is becoming more accessible to people worldwide through modern teaching methods today in Tokyo.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Sushi-making

  • Chef Suzuki said making sushi is difficult to master. Do you agree with him? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • The article mentions a sushi school in Tokyo that is teaching people from around the world how to make sushi. What do you think about this kind of school? Discuss.
  • One student learning to make sushi said, “Learning a different culture’s food is really exciting.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Discuss.

Traditional Japanese Food

  • The article notes that traditional Japanese food is becoming more accessible worldwide. What do you think about this? Discuss.
  • Other than sushi, what other traditional Japanese food would you like to become popular all around the world? Why? Discuss.
  • Why do you think it is important to have formal schools that specially teach how to make traditional foods like sushi? Discuss.