Photo by the ESL School at NYFA.
Food is the way to anyone’s heart! It is also a great way to learn grammar. Last week, the students from ESN-NYC went to a classic, retro restaurant from the 1960s called Pearl Street Diner, near Wall Street. Diners are a symbol of “Americana,” or America’s heritage. Many popular and classic films include scenes in a diner. For example, think of the iconic opening scene in Pulp Fiction.
Photo by the ESL School at NYFA.
Diners are well known for serving breakfast all day, and they’re often open for 24 hours a day. Most meals also come with a bottomless cup of coffee (free refills!). There was definitely a lot of food, but little energy afterwards.
To review quantifiers (for example: few, some), the students created Yelp reviews for the Pearl Street Diner. See how many quantifiers you can find.
Mina, a Level 5 student, had a lot to say about the trip:
“The diner is among a great many buildings around Wall Street. It was full of people even in the late morning. There were plenty of packets of jam. The diner has plenty of dishes. The menu has lots of yellow color and it looks like a yellow cab. There was little space in each booth. There are many lights to colorfully decorate inside. There weren’t any Japanese spices. There were few servers. Our waitress looked like an iconic server.
I love Pearl Diner so much! I ordered the California omelet, which has many avocado slices and doesn’t have any meat. So yummy! I had so much fun with Meghan and Snow. I talked about some cultural things, so I discovered a few new things. The diner has a lot of nostalgia. I experienced an American diner, which a lot of movies take place in. I felt very comfortable. I would like to go there again soon!
Photo by the ESL School at NYFA.
Photo by the ESL School at NYFA.
Snow, another Level 5 student, also enjoyed the diner:
There were some packets of jam on the table. There was a little sweet chili sauce on my plate. There were several sets of silverware on the table. There was little coffee in my cup when we finished our brunch. There were many chairs in the diner. There were a few employees in the diner. There were few packets of creamer by the time we were finished. The diner didn’t have any foreign food. The waitress who served us had a lot of patience. She gave me some advice on my order. There were many people in the diner, although it wasn’t time for breakfast or lunch. You can refill your drinks as many times as you want.
I think I’ll give the diner four stars. I love the decoration, which makes me feel like I’m eating in a movie. It really has good service. The waitress always asked us if we wanted more coffee. I enjoyed eating brunch here!
Yum! When you visit New York City, make sure to try Pearl Street Diner and tell them The ESL School at NYFA sent you!
Can you think of any famous diner scenes in other films? Here’s one from Dumb and Dumber (1994)…
Vocabulary
retro (adj.) – having the style or fashion of the recent past.
heritage (n.) – something that is passed down such as a tradition.
iconic (adj.) – something that is a strong representative or example of something.
bottomless (adj.) – unlimited.
