Spoiled Food and Drink
2024-08-03
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Noura about how to describe food that is no longer safe to eat.
2Dear Teacher,
3Would you please tell us the words we use to describe spoiled food?
4Now I use only one or two words for all of food types, such as " rotten" or "spoiled."
5However, in my native language we use different words for different categories like spoiled vegetables, bread, beverages, [and] meat-dishes.
6I wonder if it is the same in English too.
7Thank you for writing to us, Noura. I'm happy to answer this question.
8Let's begin with the two words you mention, "rotten," and "spoiled".
9We can use both words to talk about food in general. So, we can say either of the following:
10That food is rotten.
11That food is spoiled.
12But for some foods, we use "rotten" much more than we use "spoiled."
13For example, we can say rotten eggs, rotten tomatoes, rotten apples, rotten vegetables, rotten fruit, and so on.
14The most common usage of "rotten" is with eggs.
15We use "spoiled" mostly when talking about meat or milk.
16Another general term for spoiled food or drink is the expression "gone bad".
17Now let's look at some other terms we use with certain foods and drinks.
18"Rancid" describes foods that contain fats that have started to go bad.
19These typically include nuts, seeds, and oils. Fish, meat, and poultry can also become rancid.
20We use the word "stale" to describe bread that has become hard and difficult to eat.
21And "wilted" describes lettuce or other greens that are no longer fresh.
22Mold is a kind of very small fungus.
23It makes food go bad and can be found on fruit, bread and cheese.
24The adjective we use for mold is "moldy."
25We use the adjective "sour" or the expression "to go sour" to describe milk or cream that has started to spoil.
26Note that there is also a food called sour cream, which is safe to eat - and quite tasty!
27As you can see, a meal with rancid, stale, sour, wilted, moldy, rotten and spoiled food is one to avoid!
28For our readers and listeners, do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
29And that's Ask a Teacher.
30I'm Andrew Smith.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Noura about how to describe food that is no longer safe to eat. 2Question 3Dear Teacher, 4Would you please tell us the words we use to describe spoiled food? Now I use only one or two words for all of food types, such as " rotten" or "spoiled." However, in my native language we use different words for different categories like spoiled vegetables, bread, beverages, [and] meat-dishes. I wonder if it is the same in English too. 5Answer 6Thank you for writing to us, Noura. I'm happy to answer this question. 7Let's begin with the two words you mention, "rotten," and "spoiled". We can use both words to talk about food in general. So, we can say either of the following: 8That food is rotten. 9That food is spoiled. 10But for some foods, we use "rotten" much more than we use "spoiled." For example, we can say rotten eggs, rotten tomatoes, rotten apples, rotten vegetables, rotten fruit, and so on. The most common usage of "rotten" is with eggs. 11We use "spoiled" mostly when talking about meat or milk. 12Another general term for spoiled food or drink is the expression "gone bad". 13Now let's look at some other terms we use with certain foods and drinks. 14"Rancid" describes foods that contain fats that have started to go bad. These typically include nuts, seeds, and oils. Fish, meat, and poultry can also become rancid. 15We use the word "stale" to describe bread that has become hard and difficult to eat. And "wilted" describes lettuce or other greens that are no longer fresh. 16Mold is a kind of very small fungus. It makes food go bad and can be found on fruit, bread and cheese. The adjective we use for mold is "moldy." 17We use the adjective "sour" or the expression "to go sour" to describe milk or cream that has started to spoil. Note that there is also a food called sour cream, which is safe to eat - and quite tasty! 18As you can see, a meal with rancid, stale, sour, wilted, moldy, rotten and spoiled food is one to avoid! 19For our readers and listeners, do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 20And that's Ask a Teacher. 21I'm Andrew Smith. 22Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.