Describe an unusual meal that you had IELTS Cue Card

IELTS CUE CARD TOPIC

Describe an unusual meal that you had

You should say:

When did you eat it?
Where did you eat it?
With whom you had the meal?
Why do you think it was unusual?

NOTE – The examiner gives you one minute to plan your answer, and to help you prepare for the topic, the examiner provides you with a pencil and a notepad. You’ll have to answer the questions given on the topic for one-to-two minutes.

Sample 1

Introduction

As a food enthusiast, I love trying various mouth-watering delicacies to pamper my appetite.

Recently I tried an unusual meal that is worth mentioning.

When did you eat it?

Last year there was a lockdown in my nation due to the corona pandemic. During that time, I stayed indoors for a few months and felt upset.

Finally, when the administration lifted the lockdown, I was in a state of euphoria. And to celebrate my freedom, I went to the village of my bosom friend Vivek. The primary aim of my trip was to spend quality time with Vivek.

At Vivek’s residence, I had an unusual meal that was delicious.

Where did you eat it?

I had the meal on the rooftop of Vivek’s house.

With whom you had the meal?

While having the meal, I had Vivek’s whole family with me.

Why do you think it was unusual?

The meal was unusual because Vivek’s mother cooked it in the solar cooker. As I went in summer, there was scorching heat, and Vivek’s house had a massive rooftop.

Her mother served me, Mustard Mash with Miaze Bread and Rice pudding.

The taste was divine because the cooking process was not harsh on the food. Moreover, all the spices were in the correct quantity. The aroma of the meal was fantastic.

Although I had eaten like a horse, I was full of beans because the food got digested easily.

Having an organic meal cooked using an alternative energy source was unforgettable.

After returning from Vivek’s place, I purchased a solar cooker, and I often cook on that.

Sample 2

Introduction

In this modern era, the world has become a global village. Due to that, the cuisines of different places are available in my city, and I have tried most of them. Today I will talk about an unusual meal unavailable in the cities.

When did you eat it? and Where did you eat it?

Last year my father took me to his friend’s village for a wedding celebration.

With whom you had the meal?

Being a social butterfly, I make new friends with tremendous ease. Many guests at the wedding were my age, and I befriended them. And I had about 20 people with me while having the meal.

Why do you think it was unusual?

It was unusual because, being a city dweller, I first ate a mead cooked on an earthenware stove, also known as a clay stove or mud stove.

Firstly, the meal had a unique and different flavour because of the porous nature of the clay. The uniqueness of the taste was due to the clay, which absorbs and throws moisture gently, helping to keep the food moist and soft.

Moreover, the clay stove possessed good insulation, maintaining the heat’s consistency and keeping the cooking temperature low. Consequently, the cooking remained even and thorough.

Lastly, the food cooked through was healthier as the chef did not use any chemicals or heat in his cooking process.

All the food items were mouth-watering, and to have the same things at my place, I installed a tiny earthenware stove where I cooked the meals of my choice.

Sample 3

Introduction

Being a food enthusiast, I have this uncanny knack for trying different delicacies. Recently I had an unusual meal which I enjoyed a lot.

When did you eat it?

Last month I went to Jalandhar city for a two-night stay. There I tried kulhad pizza for the first time.

Where did you eat it?

I have the habit of trying the street food of the city I visit. Before arriving in Jalandhar, I watched numerous food blogs for the food available in the city. One of the blogs was about a newly married couple who created a new dish named Kulhad Pizza.

With whom you had the meal?

I enjoyed the meal with my bosom friend Andrew.

Why do you think it was unusual?

It was unusual because a usual pizza has its set recipe. In the past, chefs used to bake them in wood-fired ovens. With time, a lot of changes took place, and the electrical ovens have become the main cooking machine for pizzas. And most restaurants use them for baking.

But having pizza cooked in Kulhad(Clay pot) is out of the box. In Indian cooking, Kulhads are mainly used for serving tea, and these days in every nook and corner of the cities, there are numerous shops selling tea in them.

One couple from Jalandhar city thought beyond the conventional domain and created a new dish. Instead of baking a pizza the usual way, they brought a paradigm shift in pizza cooking by putting all the ingredients in a kulhad and then baking it.

The baking in Kulhad enhanced the pizza taste, and it was awesome. It was better than any other pizza I had eaten in my life.

Sample 4

Introduction

Although I have eaten various unusual meals in my life, one of them is beyond the conventional domain and hence worth mentioning.

When did you eat it?

I ate it last summer.

Where did you eat it?

I ate it during a trip to the Himalayas.

With whom you had the meal?

Last summer, I went to the Himalayas to get an escape from the scorching heat of North India. I went there with my family. During our journey, we went to a village near Shimla City. There from the locals, we knew about a special vegetable called “Guchi Mushroom”.It is a rare form of mushroom which is available in the Himalayas.

Why do you think it was unusual?

Finding Guchi mushrooms is an uphill task because they are available in higher altitudes. Moreover, they are never found in bunches and sometimes, for finding a single mushroom, you need to travel five kilometres in the hills.

Apart from this, the locals told us that Guchi mushroom provides enormous health benefits, and due to this reason, the price of one kg mushroom is around 400 dollars.

After knowing vital information about the Guchi mushroom, we decided to try it. For that, our tour guide took us to an eating joint in the village. There he served a dish called Guchi curry with assorted pieces of bread. The taste was unique, and despite eating an enormous quantity of it, I did not feel heavy.

The meal was unusual to a great extent because I had it for the first time. Moreover, I had it fresh because the chef served us freshly picked mushrooms. Lastly, we paid a high amount of 500 dollars for that meal.

Sample 5

Introduction

Recently I had the opportunity to eat a unique eatable.

When did you eat it?

Two months back, I enjoyed an unforgettable meal that is worth sharing.

Where did you eat it?

I ate it at a newly opened Mexican restaurant.

With whom you had the meal?

One of my friends invited me for a meeting at the new restaurant he had opened, and I had a meal with him.

Why do you think it was unusual?

It was unusual for many reasons. My friend served a ranch-flavoured chicken dish he cooked using Ranchology seasoning mix.

Although it was a usual chicken dish he baked for 30 minutes in the oven, the Ranchology seasoning mix added to its taste, and the flavour was unique. For the first time, I tasted something like that.

To prepare the delicacy, he marinated chicken pieces in a mixture of Ranchology seasoning mix, curd and tomato juice for half a day. Then, he baked the chicken for long hours to enhance its taste and aroma. Moreover, he garnished it with finely chopped coriander and spring onions.

The earnest effort of a friend produced a distinct flavour for which the credit went to the Ranchology seasoning mix. The taste was truly unique compared to anything I had eaten before. The ranch flavour had a distinct touch that was tangy and savoury and adding garlic, ginger, and onion enhanced the presentation considerably.

Although the dish had a strong flavour, it was comfortable to eat and gelled perfectly with the chicken.

The unique feature that made it particularly unusual was that I had never tasted Ranchology seasoning mix before, and the thought of using ranch seasoning for cooking a chicken dish never came to my mind. That day, I ate like a horse.

Overall, I had a gala while enjoying this unusual meal. I would support trying Ranchology seasoning mix on various food items to enhance the taste.

Follow-ups

Here are some examples of follow-up questions that the examiner might ask during your speaking part 3 related to the cue card “Describe an unusual meal that you had”.

1. Is having dinner at home a good idea?

There is no denying this conviction that having a healthy life is a blessing. And we should take every stone to maintain good health. Eating home-cooked food is a prudent approach in this modern era where the adulteration of food items is overgrowing. Moreover, during dinner time, most of the family members come back home after finishing their respective tasks. Hence having dinner at home is a good idea because it allows us to spend quality time with our family members.

2. Do young people like to spend time with their families or friends?

People take their family members for granted at a young age, and they think their friends are the best of them. Due to this reason, they spend a substantial amount of their spare time with them partying and gossiping.

3. What do you think are the benefits of having dinner together?

Having dinner together is a prudent approach because it helps the family members to spend quality time with each other. Moreover, they can share their whole day experiences on a good note while savouring their favourite food.

4. Do you think people are less willing to cook meals by themselves these days, compared to the past?

In this modern era, fierce competition has become a vital part of our lifestyle. Due to this reason, the leisure time at our disposal has been reduced substantially. In such a scenario, the percentage of people who cook food at home has declined considerably.

Moreover, the food delivery applications like Zomato and Swiggy have made delivering outside food extremely easy. It is another reason for the rise in the preference for outside food.

5. What is the best way to learn cooking?

In this modern era, we have many ways of learning to cook. Firstly we have blogs where millions of recipes are available along with the cooking procedure.

Apart from this, on platforms like Youtube, Instagram and Facebook, many creators have uploaded videos where they teach cooking in detail.

However, the best way to learn the meat and potatoes of cooking is to work in the aegis of a seasoned cook to have real-time experience. While learning cooking, you need to take a feel of the aroma and many other factors for which we need live support.

Vocab

1. Worth mentioning

Meaning: Important enough to require a comment.

Sentence: The role of T20s in the development of cricket is worth mentioning. Firstly it has invited corporates to invest heavily in this sport. Secondly, it has provided substantial funds to the players.

2. Eat like a horse

Meaning: To eat a lot

Sentence: I eat like a horse whenever I go for a buffet meal.

3. Meat and potatoes

Meaning: The essential aspects of something

Sentence: It takes ages to understand the meat and potatoes of leadership.

4. Uncanny Knack

Meaning: Strange Habit

Sentence: Although social media helps us connect freely and easily with no geographical barriers, it develops an uncanny knack for watching notifications now and then in us.

5. Full of beans

Meaning: Happy One

Sentence: Regular exercise has served me two benefits. Firstly it makes me full of beans, and secondly, it provides me with a clean bill of health.