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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

GLOSSARY
lamb – meat that comes from a young sheep
* Don’t overcook the lamb, or it won’t be tender. It should still be pink when you
slice it open.
chops – a thick slice of meat, usually of pork or lamb, normally with a rib (chest
bone) attached
* Let’s cook some chops on the grill and eat outdoors tonight.
pork – meat that comes from a pig
* Do you prefer pork, chicken, or vegetable dumplings?
beef – meat that comes from a cow
* How much beef is in the deluxe hamburger?
cut – a section of an animal’s body used for meat, especially when talking about
specific sections of the body
* Which cut is better for beef stew: a shoulder roast or a rump roast?
butcher shop – a store that sells meat and meat products
* Please go to the butcher shop to buy some chicken breasts and some
sausages.
fresh – not old or spoiled; harvested, killed, or made very recently
* The real estate agent put a vase of fresh flowers in the entryway to welcome
potential buyers.
slaughterhouse – a facility where many animals are killed for processing,
whether for meat or for their skins
* The slaughterhouse inspects all animals for signs of illness before processing
them.
game – wild animals or birds that are killed for sport and for food
* If we’re lucky, Kian will hunt enough deer so we’ll have game to eat all winter.

poultry – birds that are eaten, or whose eggs are eaten; chickens, turkeys,
ducks, and geese
* The recipe calls for chicken, but you can substitute any type of poultry.
bone-in – with the meat attached to a bone or part of a bone
* It takes a little longer to cook bone-in steaks.
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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

boneless – without any bones; meat that is no longer attached to the bones
* They always keep boneless chicken breasts in the freezer, because they can
make so many quick and inexpensive dinners with them.
whole – entire; referring to the entire animal, with all bones, meat, and possibly
organs, but usually without the fur or feathers
* Does your family cook a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, or just the turkey
breasts?
farm – a place where animals are raised and crops are grown; an agricultural
piece of land
* Jason grew up on a farm where he had to milk the cows every day and help his
father maintain the fences.
shotgun – a gun used to shoot at a close distance, often used to kill birds and
small animals
* A shotgun is powerful, but only at short distances. If you want to shoot
something farther away, you’ll need a rifle.

to marinate – to soak uncooked meat or vegetables in a flavored liquid for a
period of time before cooking it
* Try marinating the chicken in a mixture of yogurt, cumin, curry, and garlic
before you broil it in the oven.
to stuff – to fill an opening with a substance
* They served delicious roasted mushrooms that were stuffed with crabmeat,
spinach, and parmesan cheese.
sausage – meat that has been cut up into very small pieces mixed with spices
and some vegetables and put inside a skin or casing in a tube-like shape so that
it can be cooked
* Do you prefer sausage or bacon with your pancakes and eggs?
ingredient – one of many food substances that is used to make another food
product
* Wyatt is allergic to peanuts, so his parents have to check the list of ingredients
before they buy anything at the grocery store.
prime – top-quality; the best or highest quality
* These are prime eggs from organic, free-range chickens.

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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.

a)
b)
c)

Which type of meat is most common in sausages?
Lamb
Pork
Beef

2.
a)
b)
c)

What does the butcher mean when he says, “Everything here is fresh”?
The store is very clean and sanitary.
The store has some of the lowest prices.
Nothing has been sitting in the store for very long.

______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
cut
The word “cut,” in this podcast, means a section of an animal’s body used for
meat, especially when talking about specific sections of the body: “Tough cuts
can become tender if you cook them in a slow cooker for many hours.” A “cut of
(something)” refers to one’s portion or share: “If you invest in our business now,
you’ll have a cut of the profits when we sell the business in a few years.” A “cut”
often means a reduction or decrease in something: “The schools are struggling to
deal with another round of budget cuts.” Finally, the phrase “to be a cut above”
means to be superior or to be better than someone or something else: “These

apartments are a cut above what you’ll find in the downtown area.”
whole
In this podcast, the word “whole” means entire, referring to the intact animal, with
all bones, meat, and possibly organs, but probably without the fur or feathers: “A
whole deer provides too much meat for a single person, so Paul shared the meat
with his friends and neighbors.” When talking about music, a “whole note” is held
for an entire measure: “In the 4/4 time measure, a whole note is equal to three
quarter notes.” When talking about food, “whole grains” are grains that are
complete and have not had a part removed: “Brown breads made with whole
grains are healthier and tastier than white breads made from white flour.” Finally,
when talking about math, a “whole number” is an integer, or a number that is not
a fraction or decimal: “The children are learning how to multiple and divide whole
numbers, but they haven’t yet started working with fractions.”
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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

CULTURE NOTE
New York City's Meatpacking District
The Meatpacking District in New York City “occupies” (takes up space) a
neighborhood in Manhattan. The area grew along with the rest of the New York
City, initially as a collection of “residences” (homes) and businesses. In the late
1800s, it became increasingly “industrialized” (with many heavy industries and
large businesses, and few homes), and the area became known for its markets,

which led to the “establishment” (creation) of several businesses that processed
food.
In its “heyday” (the period of time when a person or thing was at its best, very
popular, successful, and active), around 1900, the district was home to 250
slaughterhouses and “meatpacking facilities” (places where meats are packaged
for selling to stores). Meatpacking continued to be an important part of the
neighborhood’s economy until the 1970s, but then the neighborhood
“deteriorated” (became worse), and eventually became known “primarily”
(mostly) for “drug trafficking” (buying and selling of illegal drugs) and “prostitution”
(selling sex).
However, beginning in the late 1990s, the neighborhood experienced another
“transformation” (major change) and attracted “high-end” (expensive and
luxurious) stores for young professionals. The neighborhood developed a
“reputation” (the public image of someone or something) for being “fashionable”
(seen as good or desirable by many people, often related to popular clothing,
hairstyles, and accessories).
Today, the neighborhood is listed in the national registry of Historic Places and
there are efforts to “preserve” (maintain and save for the future) some of the
historic buildings, including slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants. But the
neighborhood continues to develop and change, and now “attracts” (brings in)
many shoppers and tourists.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c

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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,115 – Buying
Meat from a Butcher.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,115. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Go to our website at ESLPod.com or become a member of ESL Podcast. Why
not? If you do, you can download the Learning Guides for this and all of our
recent episodes. You can also take a look at our ESL Podcast Store with
additional courses in Daily and Business English.
This episode, we’re going to listen to a dialogue between Samantha and a
butcher about buying meat. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Butcher: Good morning. What can I get for you?
Samantha: I’d like some lamb chops, pork chops, and some beef, but I’m not
sure which cuts I want yet.
Butcher: You’ve come to the right butcher shop. Everything here is fresh.
Everything comes straight from the slaughterhouse.
Samantha: Um, I’m glad to hear that.
Butcher: In fact, we got in a shipment of game and poultry just this morning. You
can buy them bone-in, boneless, or whole. They’re as fresh as if you got them
from your own farm or brought them down with your own shotgun.
Samantha: Uh, that’s great. I see that you sell marinated and stuffed meats, too.
Butcher: Yes, we do. We even make our own sausages. We use only the
freshest ingredients. They’re so fresh I wouldn’t be surprised if they got up and
walked across the floor.

Samantha: Right. I think I’ll just take the chops for now.

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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

Butcher: Are you sure? I can show you some of the best prime cuts of beef you’ll
ever see. They’re so fresh you could . . .
Samantha: No, no, that’s all for now. I suddenly feel like a salad for dinner
instead.
[end of dialogue]
Our dialogue begins with the butcher saying to Samantha, “Good morning. What
can I get for you?” A “butcher” (butcher) is a person whose job it is to cut meat
and usually sell the meat to people who want to buy it. Technically, the butcher is
the person who cuts the meat away from the animal or cuts the meat into smaller
pieces. Samantha is talking to a butcher who is asking her what she wants, what
kind of meat she wants to buy.
Samantha says, “I’d like some lamb chops, pork chops, and some beef, but I’m
not sure which cuts I want yet.” “Lamb” (lamb) – notice the “b” is silent when we
pronounce the word – is meat that comes from a young sheep. A “sheep” is a
kind of animal that you also take to hair from in order to make clothing. The hair
is called “wool” (wool). “Lamb,” then, is meat that comes from a young sheep.
When we talk about “chops” (chops), we’re referring to a thick slice of meat, a
thick piece of meat that you can cook. Usually, it is made of pork or lamb. We talk

about “lamb chops” and “pork chops.” “Pork” is meat that comes from a pig.
Samantha says she wants lamb chops, pork chops, and some “beef” (beef).
“Beef,” you may already know, is meat that comes from a cow.
Samantha says she’s not sure which “cuts” she wants yet. A “cut” (cut) refers
here to a section of an animal’s body that we get meat from. Often we’re talking
about specific areas in the animal’s body. An animal such as a cow has many
different sections, and there are four different cuts of beef that you can get from
it. Samantha isn’t sure which cut she wants yet.
The butcher says, “You’ve come to the right butcher shop.” A “butcher shop” is a
store that sells meat and meat products. There aren’t a lot of butcher shops left in
the United States. In most cities, you buy your meat from a grocery store that
sells all kinds of food, but there are still butcher shops. Here in Los Angeles,
there’s a butcher shop about two miles from my house, but most of the people
who buy meat nowadays go to a grocery store, and so there are butchers who
work in grocery stores.
The butcher says, “Everything here is fresh.” To say food is “fresh” means the
meat has recently been cut from the animal or that it isn’t old, it isn’t spoiled. The
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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

butcher says, “Everything comes straight from the slaughterhouse.” “To be
straight from” means it has come directly from a certain place. It hasn’t been
sitting in a warehouse, a storage facility. It has come directly from, in this case,

the “slaughterhouse.”
A “slaughterhouse” (slaughterhouse) is a place where animals are killed, animals
such as pigs and cows and sheep. I grew up in an agricultural state in the
Midwest, in Minnesota, where there are lots of slaughterhouses. In fact, there are
slaughterhouses, or at least there used to be, not too far from where I lived in St.
Paul. The verb “to slaughter” means to kill an animal, and that’s where you get
the word “slaughterhouse.”
Samantha says, “I’m glad to hear that.” She’s glad to hear that the meat is fresh
because it comes straight from the slaughterhouse. The butcher continues, “In
fact, we got in a shipment of game and poultry just this morning.” “We got in”
means we received. A “shipment” is a large collection of something, usually
things that are being sold by a store or are being sent to someone who is buying
a large number of things.
The butcher is talking about a shipment of “game and poultry” (poultry). “Game”
refers to wild animals or birds that are killed either for sport or for food. When I
say they’re “wild,” I mean they’re not in a farm – they’re not being raised or
brought up to be used as food. They’re animals that are out in the trees and, well,
wherever birds go. “Poultry” refers to a couple of different kinds of animals –
“chickens,” “turkeys,” “ducks,” and “geese” are all what we call “poultry.” They’re
birds that are eaten or whose eggs are eaten.
The butcher continues, “You can buy them bone-in, boneless, or whole.” When
you’re buying poultry, sometimes you want the meat to come with the bone still in
it – that would be “bone-in.” “Boneless” (boneless) is when you buy meat,
especially poultry meat, without the bone. “Whole” (whole) refers to buying a
chicken or a turkey or a duck or a goose without it being cut up. In other words,
you get the whole bird, the whole animal.
Americans love to eat turkey on the celebration in November of our Thanksgiving
Day, and most Americans buy a whole turkey and then cook the whole bird, the
whole animal, inside of a large oven. The butcher is giving Samantha different
options for buying the poultry. He continues, “They’re as fresh as if you got them

from your own farm or brought them down with your own shotgun.” A “shotgun”
(shotgun) is the kind of gun that you can use to kill an animal. You can kill a
person with a shotgun as well.
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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

Shotguns are used to shoot things at relatively “close range,” or not too far away
from you. There’s another kind of gun called a “rifle” (rifle) that would be used to
shoot something that’s far away. I myself am not what we would call a “hunter.” I
don’t go out and kill animals with guns. I did, however, once fire a shotgun that a
friend of mine owned. He was a hunter. Where I grew up in Minnesota, lots of
people are into or interested in hunting. I was never one of those people.
Samantha says, “Uh, that’s great. I see that you sell marinated and stuffed
meats, too.” “Marinated” (marinated) comes from the verb “to marinate,” which
means to put uncooked meat or vegetables into some kind of liquid in order to
give it more flavor, to give it a different taste. “Stuffed” (stuffed) comes from the
verb “to stuff,” which means to fill a hole or an opening in a substance.
Sometimes people “stuff” their turkeys. They put things inside of the body of the
turkey to cook in addition to cooking the actual turkey. That’s very common when
people prepare turkeys for Thanksgiving. In fact, we call the food inside “stuffing”
(stuffing). We also use that word “stuffing” for a pillow. The things that you stuff
inside of the pillow in order to make it soft is called “stuffing” as well.
The butcher says, “Yes, we do” – yes, we do sell marinated and stuffed meats.

He continues, “We even make our own sausages.” “Sausage” (sausage) is meat
that has been cut up into very small pieces and usually mixed with certain spices
and perhaps vegetables and then put inside a skin, what we call a “casing”
(casing). Basically it’s a tube-like shape of the meat that you can cook. The
butcher is saying that his butcher shop makes its own sausages. “We use only
the freshest ingredients.”
An “ingredient” is something you use in preparing food. It is a food that is part of
a larger dish. The ingredients for an omelet, for example, would be an egg,
cheese, perhaps some kind of meat. The butcher says, “The sausages are so
fresh I wouldn’t be surprised if they got up and walked across the floor.” The
butcher is saying that the sausages are so fresh it’s almost as if they were alive,
as if they could get up and walk. The idea here is that they were killed or the
meat that is used in them comes from animals who were killed very recently.
Samantha says, “Right. I think I’ll just take the chops for now.” The butcher says,
“Are you sure? I can show you some of the best prime cuts of beef you’ll ever
see.” A “prime (prime) cut” of beef, is a top-quality one, a very high-quality cut of
beef. Samantha says, “No, that’s all for now. I suddenly feel like a salad for
dinner instead.” Apparently Samantha didn’t like the butcher reminding her of
where this meat comes from, and she says maybe she’ll have a salad instead of
meat for dinner.
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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher


Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
[start of dialogue]
Butcher: Good morning. What can I get for you?
Samantha: I’d like some lamb chops, pork chops, and some beef, but I’m not
sure which cuts I want yet.
Butcher: You’ve come to the right butcher shop. Everything here is fresh.
Everything comes straight from the slaughterhouse.
Samantha: Um, I’m glad to hear that.
Butcher: In fact, we got in a shipment of game and poultry just this morning. You
can buy them bone-in, boneless, or whole. They’re as fresh as if you got them
from your own farm or brought them down with your own shotgun.
Samantha: Uh, that’s great. I see that you sell marinated and stuffed meats, too.
Butcher: Yes, we do. We even make our own sausages. We use only the
freshest ingredients. They’re so fresh I wouldn’t be surprised if they got up and
walked across the floor.
Samantha: Right. I think I’ll just take the chops for now.
Butcher: Are you sure? I can show you some of the best prime cuts of beef you’ll
ever see. They’re so fresh you could . . .
Samantha: No, no, that’s all for now. I suddenly feel like a salad for dinner
instead.
[end of dialogue]
Our dialogues are always fresh here at ESL Podcast, thanks to the wonderful
work of our wonderful scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse.
From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come
back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

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ESL Podcast 1115 – Buying Meat from a Butcher

English as a Second Language Podcast was written and produced by Dr. Lucy
Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2015 by the Center for Educational
Development.

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.