ELL Resources Center

Conversation Questions
Food & Eating

  • About how many different color foods did you eat for dinner last night?
    • Do you think about color when you are preparing a meal?
  • Are there any foods that you wouldn't eat as a child that you eat now?
  • Are you a good cook?
  • Are you a vegetarian?
  • Are you concerned about your daily calorie intake when choosing something to eat?
  • At what times do you usually eat your meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)?
  • Can you cook well?
  • Did you drink coffee this morning?
  • Did you eat lunch today?
  • Do you always eat dinner with your family?
  • Do you always eat vegetables?
  • Do you cook? If yes, what food do you cook the most often?
  • Do you drink milk every day?
  • Do you drink tea every day?
  • Do you eat beef?
  • Do you eat bread every day?
  • Do you eat breakfast every day?
  • Do you eat fruit every day?
  • Do you eat lunch at school every day?
    • How much does lunch usually cost at school?
  • Do you eat rice every day?
  • Do you ever skip breakfast? If so, how often and why?
  • Do you have a favorite bar or cafe? If so, where is it? Why do you like it?
  • Do you have coffee for breakfast?
  • Do you know someone who struggles with an eating disorder?
  • Do you like British food?
  • Do you like Chinese food? Why or why not?
  • Do you like deep-fried food?
  • Do you like food from other countries? If yes, which do you like the most?
  • Do you like Japanese food?
    • What kind of Japanese food do you like?
  • Do you like peas and carrots? How about spinach?
  • Do you like to cook? Why or why not?
  • Do you like to eat a lot of food every day?
  • Do you like to eat American foods?
  • Do you like to eat at fast food restaurants?
  • Do you like to eat cakes?
  • Do you like to eat junk food?
  • Do you like to eat some desserts after dinner?
  • Do you like to eat? Why or why not?
  • Do you like to have breakfast each morning? Why or why not?
  • Do you like to try new food and drinks?
  • Do you often eat out?
  • Do you prefer fish or meat?
  • Do you prefer to eat at a restaurant or at home?
  • Do you prefer your own country's food or other kinds of food?
  • Do you read the nutritional information on the foods you buy?
  • Do you take vitamin pills?
  • Do you think a vegetarian diet is better than a diet that includes meat?
  • Do you usually want to eat dessert after dinner?
  • Have you ever been a diet? If so, how long did you stayed on it?
  • Have you ever eaten dog meat?
  • Have you ever eaten Mozambican food?
    • ...French food?
    • ...Chinese food?
    • ...Italian food?
  • How long do you take to eat lunch?
  • How many calories do most people need every day?
  • How many meals do you usually eat every day?
  • How much do you eat when you are sad or happy?
  • How much does it cost to eat dinner at a hotel in your country?
  • How much rice do you eat?
  • How often do you eat at a fast-food restaurant?
  • How often do you eat bread?
  • How often do you eat fresh fruit?
  • How often do you eat in a restaurant? (How often do you eat out?)
    • Where do you usually go?
    • Who do you usually go with?
    • About how much do you spend?
    • Do you ever go to an Indian restaurant?
  • How often do you eat steak?
  • How often do you go drinking? What's your favorite drink?
  • How often do you go shopping for food?
  • If you are living abroad, what is the food that you miss most from home?
  • Is there any food that you really dislike to eat?
  • What are some foods that are considered unhealthy?
  • What are some foods that you know are healthy for your body?
  • What country's food do you like?
  • What did you eat for lunch yesterday?
  • What did you eat the last time you ate at a restaurant?
  • What did you have for breakfast this morning?
  • What did you have for supper last night?
  • What do you eat for breakfast every day?
  • What do you eat when you feel sad?
  • What do you like to drink?
  • What do you like to eat for your dinner?
  • What do you think of Thai food? Chinese food? English food?
  • What do you usually eat for lunch?
  • What do you usually like to drink when you go out?
  • What food can you cook the best?
  • What food do you hate? Why do you hate it?
  • What foods do you hate?
  • What foods do you love?
  • What foods have you tasted which you will never forget for the rest of your life?
  • What fruit do you eat the most often?
  • What have you eaten so far today?
  • What is a typical meal from your country?
  • What is one of your favorite foods?
  • What is the cheapest place to eat that you know?
    • About how much is a meal?
    • Where is it?
    • How often do you go there?
  • What is the food you like about your country.
  • What is the last meal you cooked for someone else?
  • What is the most expensive meal you have ever eaten?
  • What is the most expensive restaurant that you have ever been to?
    • What did you eat there?
    • When did you go?
    • Who did you go with?
  • What is the most unusual thing you've ever eaten. Did it taste good or bad?
  • What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
  • What is your favorite food?
    • Please describe your favorite food.
  • What is your favorite Chinese food?
    • ... French food?
    • etc.
  • What is your favorite dessert?
  • What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
  • What is your opinion of Chinese food? American food? British food?
  • What kind of beverages do you usually drink?
  • What kind of desserts do you like to eat?
  • What kind of food do like to eat when you are angry?
  • What kind of food do you eat between meals?
  • What kind of food do you like the most?
  • What kind of food do you like to eat?
    • What kind of food do you like?
  • What kind of food does your mother make?
  • What kind of food that you think is the least healthy?
  • What kind of food that you think is the most healthy?
  • What kind of food you usually eat?
  • What kind of fruit do you like the best?
  • What kind of restaurants you like?
  • What kind of vegetables do you like?
  • What kinds of food do you usually eat for lunch?
  • What Korean food do you like?
    • Chinese, French, Italian, etc.
  • What restaurant in this city do you recommend?
    • Why is it a good place?
    • About how much does a meal cost?
  • What special foods do you eat on holidays? (Christmas, New Year's Day, etc.)
  • What time do you usually eat breakfast? How about lunch and supper?
  • What vegetable do you like best?
  • What's the best restaurant you've ever been to?
  • What's the best restaurant you've ever been to? Why did you like it?
  • What's the strangest food you've ever eaten?
  • What's your favorite dessert?
  • What's your favorite drink in the summer?
  • What's your favorite fish?
  • What's your favorite food?
  • What's your favorite fruit?
  • What's your favorite junk food?
  • What's your favorite kind of ethnic food?
  • What's your favorite kind of food?
  • What's your favorite kind of meat?
  • What's your favorite restaurant? Why do you like it?
  • What's your favorite snack?
  • When was the last time you ate at a restaurant?
  • When was the last time you ate dinner with your mother?
  • Where do you usually eat dinner? (...lunch, ...breakfast)
  • Which country's food do you like the most?
  • Which do you eat more often, rice or bread?
  • Which fast food restaurants do like?
  • Which fast food restaurants do you eat at the most often?
  • Who do you usually eat dinner with?
  • Why are diets usually short?
  • Why can't people stop eating?
  • What do Chinese people eat for lunch?
    • (Substitute the nationality of your students.)
  • Do you know the nutritional value of the things you eat every day?
  • Do you believe that "we are what we eat?"
  • How many meals a day do you think should be eaten?
  • Do you usually eat at home or eat at a restaurant?
  • If you were on death row, what would you request for your last meal?
  • Do you pray before each meal?
  • How many calories are in one hamburger?
    • If you don't know, can you make a guess? Is it more or less than an ice-cream cone?
  • Have you ever had pot-luck?
  • What would you bring to a pot-luck lunch?
  • Do you like brunch?
  • How much should you tip the server in a restaurant?
  • What type of restaurants would you not tip in?
  • Have you ever found something disgusting in your food?
  • Have you ever sent food back in a restaurant?
  • Have you ever left a restaurant without paying ("dined and dashed")?
  • Do you like trying new foods?
  • What new foods have you tried this month?
  • What is the strangest food you have ever tried?
  • Do you have any food allergies?
  • Which food from this country do you like the least?
  • What do you think about super-sizing?
  • Should fast food restaurants serve healthier food?
  • Are food portions too big for our health?
  • What food would you like to see in a restaurant in this country?
  • Do you think it is good to count calories when you are eating?
  • Which food is overpriced?