Phở
I am Jenny and I am currently teaching Vietnamese at Sydney Languages Solutions. I will introduce to you one of my favorite Vietnamese foods – Phở
Phở is one of the most popular Vietnamese dishes. It origin was in the early 20th century in Nam Dinh, a province in southwest of Hanoi. Enjoying a bowl of hot Phở whenever hungry is kind of pleasure.
Phở’s recipe may vary amongst different regions, but commonly the main ingredients include white rice noodle, broth (made by stewing the cows or pigs bones with spices such as cinnamon sticks, coriander pods, cloves star anise and cardamom), and slices of meat (beef, chicken). Typical garnishes for Phở are onions, lime, chili peppers and bean sprouts.
Due to its popularity, Phở can be easily found in many countries such as Australia, America, French, Canada, China, Indonesia…If you have never tried Phở before, why don’t give it a go? I believe you will love it from the first sight!
Is Your Passion Fashion?
I recently read an article on where not to learn Japanese from which started me thinking about language and how it is an ever-changing creature.
The following resources may be useful to help with reading, writing and comprehension, but when it comes to speaking, these following points may be worth considering:
Don’t learn from novels as no-one talks that way.
Don’t learn from scientific journals as no-one talks that way.
Don’t learn from newspapers as no-one talks that way.
Don’t learn from road signs as no-one talks that way.
Don’t learn from advertisements as no-one talks that way.
Don’t learn from phone texting as no-one talks that way.
Don’t learn from manga (comics) as no-one talks that way.
As a native English speaker and mother of young teenagers, it is a constant battle for me to keep up with their ever-changing language. They constantly bring home words that I recognise but with meanings that are completely new to me.
It may be the answer for students of a new language – learn from the youth of today as the words they use now will be in the dictionaries tomorrow, and everyone will talk that way!
By Vicki
But What Will I Talk About?
When you start learning a new language, one of the best ways to improve is to talk to people who are native or fluent speakers.
A few months back we looked at moving out of your comfort zone to do exactly that; to start using what you have learnt in class and putting it to use, be it in a restaurant, a supermarket, at a friend’s party etc.
When you are just beginning, your vocabulary will be quite limited and for some students, this might prevent them from talking to others.
You may think, ‘what will I talk about when my language level is just at the beginner’s stage? What will I say?’
That is why visiting a specific location can work well: in a restaurant you can use simple greetings and order food; at the supermarket you can do the same, or ask for directions to locate some goods; and at a friend’s party you can use your new vocabulary to talk about the weather, your family or better still, ask simple questions that allow you to listen and learn.
By Vicki
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