Food conversation questions

Food

• Let's agree that the best food in the world comes from your own country. Which country produces the second best food?
• Are you personally a good cook?
• What is your favourite food? Can you cook it? How is it prepared?
• What types of foreign food have you tried? What is your favourite?
• What is your favourite type of cheese? Do you like blue cheese?
• Do you like chocolate? What is your favourite type?
• Do you enjoy seafood? What is your favourite?
• Do you like "rare" steak or do you think it is disgusting?
• What are some typical foods from your home country?
• How many “food scares” can you think of which have occurred in the last two years?
• When you buy food, do you read the label? What information can you find on the label?
• Do you ever take any nutritional supplements? Which ones?

Mealtimes

• How many meals do you have each day? When do you have them? Which is the most important?
• Is there any meal which you habitually skip?
• What do you usually have for breakfast?
• Have you ever tried the traditional English breakfast? What did you think of it?
• How often do you eat alone and how often with friends or family?
• Typically, how much time do you spend over lunch?
• At work do you have a full meal or just a sandwich? Which do you think is best?
• Do you often eat "fast food"? What is your opinion of fast food?
• If you no longer live in your home country - what food do you miss most? Or what food do you think you would miss most if you were to leave?
• What meals are typically eaten at special days in your country? At Christmas, Easter, etc.?
• Does anything strike you about the question: "Right kids, what do you want for tea?"?

Diet and health

• Do you think that you eat a “balanced diet”? What is a “balanced diet”?
• What does the “Mediterranean diet” include? What does it NOT include?
• Are you interested in your level of cholesterol?
  • How often do you have it checked?
  • Why is a high level of cholesterol said to be a bad thing?
  • What difference do you think that diet makes to your level of cholesterol?
  • What things could you do to reduce your level of cholesterol?
• Do you take any action to consume less salt? Do you think people should reduce their salt intake?
• Do you think that a vegetarian diet could be healthy? In what ways do you think it might be good and in what ways bad?
• Do you, or anyone you know, suffer from food allergies? What problems do they cause?
• Are you allergic to any food? How do you feel if you eat it?
• What action, if any, do you take to control your weight?
• During February 2013 it was revealed that many supposedly "beef" dishes sold in Europe contained varying amounts of horse meat. It you had eaten some of this unknowingly how would you feel?

Junk food

• What is "junk food"? Why is it called "junk"?
• Is there a difference between junk food and fast food? If so, what is it?
• If you had to chose between junk food and your heath? Which would you go for ?
• Why is it so tasty/popular?
• How often do you eat junk food?
• If you could, how often would you eat junk food?
• Why is it said to be so bad for us?
• What do you think about the suggestion that advertising (or sale) of junk food to children should be restricted?
• What do you think about the suggestion that if people put on weight and get other health problems because they eat junk food then they should have restricted services from the state medical services?
• Do you think the following are junk food? Why/why not?
  • Commercially produced pizzas
  • Commercially produced hamburgers
  • Mass-produced sandwiches.
  • Chocolate.
  • Fried chicken.
  • Fish and chips.
  • Ice cream

Non-alcoholic drinks

• How much water do you drink every day? Do you set out to drink a specific amount or just drink when you are thirsty?
• Do you think there is any difference between bottled water and tap water?
• If you order water in a bar (or restaurant) do you ask for tap water or bottled water? Why?
• Do you think there could be a market for a bar which only sells different types of water?
• How much coffee, tea or other drinks do you consume? Do you think these drinks are healthy?
• How much sugar do you put in your tea or coffee? Does the amount you use concern you?
• Do you need coffee in order to operate? Could you be addicted?

Unusual food

In some cultures things are eaten which other cultures think are very strange. What do you think about the following as food:

• Dogs
• Cats
• Horses
• Pork (pigs)
• Rats
• Snails
• Seafood in general (shrimps, oysters, crabs etc.)
• Different types of insect
• Brains
• Pigs' feet
• Milk
• Cheese
• Blood
• Black sausage (made from blood)
• Haggis (sheep's stomach filled with various entrails.)

• What do you think is the most unusual thing that you personally have ever eaten?
• Do you consider yourself to be an "adventurous" eater?

Fruit and vegetables

• How often do you eat fresh fruit and vegetables? Do you have them with every meal or just occasionally?
• How often do you eat preserved fruit and vegetables?
• Which are your favourite fruits and vegetables and which ones can't you stand?
• What positive health benefits can you get from fruit?
• Do you try to buy locally produced fruit or do you buy whatever is cheapest?
• Are all types of fruit and vegetables constantly available in your country or are they only available "in season"?
• If you have a garden do you grow your own fruit or vegetables? Which ones?
• How much difference is there between things grown at home and those bought at the supermarket?

Food culture and Culinary trends

• How has food, eating and drinking culture changed in the last 20 years?
• Have any cuisines or styles become fashionable or established? Why?
• Have any foods or cuisines fallen out of favour? Why?
• Talk about some foods, cuisines or ingredients that interest you.
• What do the following mean to you:
  • Seasonality
  • Field-to-fork
  • Authenticity (e.g., ingredients and technique)
  • Fusion
  • Food miles/Air miles
  • Street Food
  • Obesity
  • GM (Genetically Modified)
  • Pop-ups (a pop-up restaurant or shop)
  • Pesticides
  • (Celebrity) Endorsements
  • Nose-to-tail cooking (using less conventional cuts of meat and offal)?
• How does colour of interior or space where we eat affect our notions or opinions of what we are eating? What associations do we have with colours? What do the following colours suggest to you: Blue, Grey-White-Black, Red-Terracotta, Green, Yellow, Acid colours, Pastel colours?
• Tea or coffee? Do you avoid the sweet course?
• What do you think about the '5-a-day' recommendation?
• Is breakfast an important meal of the day for you? Or is coffee and a cigarette enough?
• What makes an Oriental diet better than a Western one?
• If you were to move abroad what would you miss most foodwise?
• Are celebrity chefs or cookbooks a useful or useless addition to food culture?