You read the title, so you know what we’re about to do! But first, I’d like you to close your eyes and imagine the most delicious dish (meal) you’ve ever had. What did it look like, smell like, taste like? Was there a rainbow of colors on the plate, tantalizing (causing you to feel excitement/interest) aromas (smells), and flavors that made your taste buds go wild? What ingredients made up this mouth-watering (very delicious) dish? Was the meal something you created, or was the experience in a restaurant or friend’s house? What was it about this particular dish that made it so memorable? Perhaps it could have been a celebratory dinner, a romantic date, a first-time encounter, or a cultural experience. Whatever your top culinary (related to or used in cooking) experience may be, I want to hear about it! Tell me here in the comments, or even better tell me on Instagram!  Today (and all this week, in fact) is a great time to do it! Here is why…

We’ve just started week 2 of #nostalgicnovember Instagram challenge, CULINARY WEEK.

A bit of information for you if you’re just joining me ((WELCOME! 🙂 )),  I’d like to share with you a super exciting, very educational, travel inspired Instagram Photo & Video Challenge that I am hosting with my ladies over at Wanderful. This fit was perfect; I love traveling, the majority of you reading are from various parts of the world, and Wanderful is an adventurous community of world travelers! So, let’s all start connecting, shall we? The “rules”of the challenge are simple, and the benefits are immense. You get to walk down memory lane (relive some of your favorite memories) and learn/practice English, while checking out some amazing photographs along the way! You’ll want to get started – if you haven’t already – by clicking here and going over to Instagram. Click that follow button so you’ll not only start the challenge, but start seeing helpful English tips, and REAL LIFE English being used through my eyes. Yes, it will almost be like I am with you and teaching you, every day. Learn and practice some expressions/idioms, vocabulary, and even some grammar (but don’t worry, it’s fun!)

This week you will learn about food, dining, and culinary adventures from around the world, in addition to everything mentioned above. You have the chance to learn new food vocabulary, and add some things to your travel bucket list. Inspire someone else with your favorite meal, the one we imagined earlier, by sharing it via Instagram and tagging me @jenesl760, @sheswanderful and using the hashtag #nostalgicnovember. We will choose some of our favorites throughout the month, and one special person who shared their images will receive a prize at the end! (WOO!)

I have already started daydreaming about my favorite culinary dishes, so make sure you check out those experience after you share your own with me.

Are you ready for Week 2’s Lesson? Let’s go!

Vocabulary:
culinary [adjective]: relating to or used in cooking –> always followed by a noun
dish [noun]: a) ((in this context)) meal   b) a plate/something you serve food on
tantalizing [adjective]: causing feelings of great excitement/interest because it’s appealing
aromas [noun-plural]: a pleasant smells
tastebuds [nouns-plural]: the spots on your tongue that give the ability to taste
mouth-watering [adjective]: very delicious

This week encourages you to describe your favorite meals. Try and use a variety of adjectives and descriptive language. Use as much detail and vocabulary as you can. Refer to the questions I asked in the beginning as a guide if you feel stuck.

Grammar:
Past Perfect– had + past participle: used to show connections of actions in the past; specifically, to express that 1 action happened before another action or period of time. In a sentence, the verb that is in the past tense is the action that happened first, while the second verb in simple past is what happened later. Note: you don’t need to have 2 actions (2 verbs) in the sentence; however, you must have at least the past perfect verb with another past time expression.
EXAMPLE: Paulo and I had been hiking all day in the cold weather when we finally arrived at our camp site. We knew we wanted to make soup, because it was easy, so we had stopped by the store to buy a lot of yummy vegetables before we got settled for the night.
-1st sentence: *first action: had been hiking           *second action: arrived at the camp site
-2nd sentence: *first action: had stopped        *second action: got settled

These sentences actually refer to my first #nostalgicnovember post for week 2, so check it out to see what I am talking about. Try and use the past perfect tenses when describing your own food experience this week, and don’t forget to tag me (let me know if you want feedback, and I’ll help your English, too!)

Happy Studying ♥

Hey! Do you want to help someone trying to learn English? Do you know someone currently studying English, or even better, studying English and who loves travel? I’d love to help inspire them, so share this post with them via e-mail or social media…the buttons are just below this text. 🙂 Thank you, xoxo.