Food and meals

In the past, it wasn’t easy to get enough vitamins in winter, but now the shops are full of vegetables and fruits at the greengrocer’s, and the chemist’s offers a wide range of vitamin and mineral tablets. You can buy fresh or tinned fruits (bananas, oranges and lemons are fairly cheap, but strawberries in winter, fresh pineapples and many other exotic fruits still be expensive), raw of frozen vegetables (peas, walnuts, peanuts), which are very nutritious.
For a healthy diet we should avoid too much sugar and fat (especially animal fat – butter and lard). Brown rice, lentils and wholemeal spaghetti are healthier than our popular dumplings.
The day is normally started with breakfast. We usually have only quick breakfast – a slice of bread (wholemeal bread is better), or a breadroll and butter, margarine or some spread, sometimes with cheese or ham, and a cup of tea, coffee, milk or cocoa, or just a glass of juice. But a Sunday breakfast can be more similar to what the British like – ham (or beacon) and eggs (fried or scrambled). Eggs can also be boiled (hard-boiled or soft-boiled). The British also have a few pieces of buttered toast with some jam or honey. Some porridge, muesli or corn flakes with milk are also popular. Breakfast eaten later in the morning is sometimes called brunch (breakfast-lunch).
While we prefer having our main meal at noon, the British eat just a light meal at midday and they call it lunch. It often consist of a just a few sandwiches (named after Earl of Sandwich, who used to eat them while playing the cards), filled with cheese, ham end vegetables.
Our midday meal, however, is the main meal of the day and it is called dinner (the Britsh usually have it in the evening). It is commonly started with some soup, which is followed by the main dish. Our national Czech dish is dumplings with pork and cabbage. We also like Wiener schnitzel, wich is pork coated with flawour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried in deep oil, witch mashed potatoes, or with potatoe salad. Beef is usually served with heavy sauces – e.g. tomato sauce, cream vegetable sauce or dill sauce. Another popular dish is fried cheese with tartar sauce.
After the main course there can be a dessert (a cake or other sweets, stewed fruit, ice cream or a sundae) and a drink – lemonade or other beverages (fruit juice, tea, coffee, beer, or wine if we celebrate something).
Our traditional diet and overeating makes us fat, and some of us need to lose weight. Instead of pork, beef and mutton we should eat more chicken, fish and other seafood. Our most popular fish is carp at Christmass and trout. Meat shoud always be lean and garnished with vegetables (carrots, peas, beans, parsley, lettuce, cauliflower, beetroot etc.).
Morning tea (tea with milk and a few biscuits in Britain) is a short break between breakfast and lunch, and there is usually tea-break in the afternoon.
English supper is often just a light meal in the evening, eaten while watching TV. It is usually cold dish with slices of cold meat (roast beef), vegetables or salads and some biscuits.
If you are short of time, or walking round the town (and you don’t want to starve) you can buy some takeaway food at a fast food shop in the street – a hamburger, hot-dog, pizza, grilled chicken, or the popular fish and chips in Britain. It can be eaten while walking in the streets, or sitting on a bench without using a plate, a spoon, a fork and a knife. The only thing you need is a paper napkin to wipe your greasy fingers and lips.
Occasionally, you go out to have a meal in a restaurant (it saves the cooking, laying and clearing the table and the washing up). Chinese, Indian, Greek and Italian restaurants are very popular. They usually offer delicious spicy dishes.