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Americans are very fond of cocktails, most bartenders can mix
most drinks.
COOKING
The biggest thing you will notice about trying to cook in the
United States is that you won't know how to measure anything.
Americans use ounces, pounds, and pints rather than the metric
system, of course. But they also use special measuring containers
that hold specific amounts of food, rather than weighing things like
flour and sugar.
The containers come in cup sizes: for dry foods, you have 1
cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, and 1/8 cup, and for liquids, you have 2-cup
or 4-cup containers. A cup is equal to 8 liquid ounces; butter
comes in sticks that are equal to 1/2 cup each. Confused yet? If
you are staying in the United States long enough to need to cook
and read recipes, you should buy a set of measuring cups and
measuring spoons.
Cakes are baked in baking pans, cookies and biscuits on cookie
sheets. Use a mixer to mix the ingredients for a cake, and a blender
for mixing and pureeing foods and liquids. Turn cooking food over
with a spatula or a pancake turner. Food is cooked on stoves or
ranges, not on cookers, and ovens have broilers, not grills.
GLOSSARY OF AMERICAN TERMS
all you can eat
All-you-can-eat restaurants charge a set price and allow customers
to help themselves to as much food as they like, usually from a
long counter or bar.
appetizer
the first course in a meal; starter.
bar
a place that serves all kinds of alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, and
sometimes snack foods. A bar is also an area inside a restaurant or
other public place where alcoholic beverages are prepared and
sold. Bars usually have a counter behind which the bartender
stands and serves drinks.