This is an All Ears English podcast episode 47.
How to order a coffee and a pizza in English.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast where you'll finally get real native English conversation and fluency for business and life.
We believe in connection, not perfection when it comes to learning English.
Now here are your hosts.
Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Boston and New York City, USA.
USA.
Let's learn how to order street food in New York City.
Today, get four new English phrases to order pizza or bagels from a vendor on the street.
Plus, find out why only New Yorkers fold their pizza.
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Hey, Michelle, how's it going?
Hey, good, good, good.
How are you?
Good.
Michelle, did you check out that episode yesterday from Michael from Happy English?
What a New York accent he has.
Oh, I love it.
Yes.
So cool to hear it.
It's so cool.
Guys, if you have not heard yesterday's episode, and the title of that is Forget About It.
Yeah.
Right.
Four New York City English slang words.
That was so exciting and fun to record.
And just I just love listening to that New York accent.
I mean, Michelle, you live in New York, so you're kind of immersed in that accent all the time.
You told us that your dad has a little bit of that accent, maybe or not.
Both of my parents. okay so what are your thoughts on that yeah uh yeah it's something it's funny like I love the New York accent it's also sometimes it's fun to like poke fun at it a little bit haha which parts of it do you poke fun at the most oh oh with my dad I mean like I think the most well I mean there's the typical dog dog right like or the mall mall but with my dad it's the art it's the like um salt and pepper you know it's like yeah so it's it's that lack of that or sometimes okay yeah yeah i know on yesterday's episode michael taught us the term agita do you guys use that word i mean i know i heard that word a fair amount when i was in new york yeah agita tell us that i know i know that word Well, our listeners are gonna have to go back.
Let's not tell them.
Let's let them know that they need to guys go back to episode 46 to find out the meaning of that.
That would be more fun.
Okay, find out the meaning of it.
But today we're extending this New York City conversation into street food, because what is more typical in New York than grabbing a quick coffee or pizza on the street?
Yes.
And I remember during one of my jobs I would always do like dollar pizza during lunch when I first moved to New York.
Oh, my gosh.
Pizza for a dollar.
That was a thing.
That's so awesome.
And it was pretty good, I think.
That's fantastic.
So usually pizza is not really physically on the street, but it's always in those little shops, right?
Yes.
And they're like the little, yeah, it always feels like it's like on the corner and.
Right, exactly.
So you can just rush in there real quick, grab something.
So today we're going to introduce to you guys four key phrases that you can use when you order street food in New York or Chicago or LA or you know, probably in LA it's more tacos that you're ordering.
Right, Michelle?
Maybe.
Right, right, right.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So let's let our listeners know what the first vocabulary phrase is, Michelle.
What is it?
Okay, so it's what can I get you?
So this is what you're more likely to hear from the vendor, right?
Yeah.
Right, right, right.
Yeah, or if they're speaking quickly, you might hear like, what can I get you?
What can I get you?
What can I get you?
And probably, you know, this is going to come fast at you, right?
Like you said, they don't have a lot of time.
So be ready for it.
Just, I think what our listeners can do guys, what you can do is, as you're walking up to that vendor, you can prepare to hear this, or something like this
That will prepare your mind to understand it when you hear it.
There's like that pre-step we have to do.
Yeah, sometimes I like get there and I don't know yet what I want.
And then they ask me right when I get there.
And I'm like, I don't know.
Yeah, I'm like, I need a sec.
Yeah, it's true.
It's true.
So that's the first one that you really want to be ready for.
And maybe as a bonus we could teach that.
Michelle, what would you say if you're not quite?
Because that happens to me a lot too in pretty much any place.
I just don't know what I want yet.
And they ask me, what can I get you?
They ask right away.
So what do you typically say there?
I just say, oh, I haven't decided yet.
Or, oh, I'm still looking.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I haven't decided yet.
I'm still looking.
So guys, write those down as a bonus.
And then, okay, what could you say if you know what you want?
Okay, well, you could say, I'll take and then order.
So like, I'll take a slice of pepperoni pizza or whatever.
Yeah, exactly.
Or I'll take a medium coffee, something like that.
This is very straightforward, very simple.
Instead of saying, I would like to have, that takes so long, right? right?
And it's not natural.
I'll take blank.
So simple and easy.
And just like New York, in New York, locals like it quick and easy and simple, don't they, Michelle?
Just simplify everything because life is busy.
Direct.
Okay, what's the next one?
Can I get up and then listed?
Can I get a slice of cake?
I don't know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Also, I don't even know if anymore this is such a thing.
You can tell us.
I know there used to be a lot of coffee and donut vendors and bagel vendors on the street in New York.
Do you see that anymore these days?
Or is that not so much a thing?
I used to just like sometimes get coffees like on the way to work.
Yeah, from those vendors.
I think it's still a thing.
Yeah.
And there's even the very typical.
I hope these are still around, but the typical cup that it's like a blue pattern.
Yeah, the blue one.
That is so famous because you see it on TV shows and you see it all over the place.
And it's so New York.
I hope that's still around.
If it's not, I might like I wish I had bought one and kept it because it's so New York.
I don't know.
Just these little artifacts from different cities that are all over the media, TV, movies.
It's just so typical New York.
I love it.
Um okay, guys.
So that's, can i get a blank okay?
And the last one michelle, what is it?
Hold the blank, so like that means don't put this on, yeah.
So like hold the mayo right or hold the onions, yeah.
And obviously a more clear thing could just say no mayo, no onions, no ice.
But This is kind of fun, kind of native and natural, maybe a little old fashioned too, but it's kind of fun sometimes to be a little old fashioned with our English, I think.
Yeah.
So Michelle, let's show our listeners two role plays.
We know they love role plays.
In the first one, what are we doing here?
Okay, well, you are ordering a coffee.
Of course.
Kind of a complicated coffee, actually.
And a bagel from a street vendor.
I kind of have a complicated order here.
So get ready, guys.
Here we go.
All right, here we go.
All right.
How you doing?
Great, thanks.
What can I get you?
I'll take a small coffee, four sugars.
Any cream in that?
Yep, two creams, please.
Here you go.
Oh, could I also have a blueberry bagel with butter?
Sure, you want that toasted?
Yeah, that'd be great.
Now I want a blueberry bagel with butter.
Oh, do you like blueberry bagels?
No, I never get a blueberry bagel.
But now that I saw it written, it's all I can think about.
I would much rather take cinnamon raisin bagel or cinnamon raisin toast is so good.
I mean, my favorite bagel is an everything bagel.
An everything bagel.
I like egg bagels, but blueberry bagels I don't have.
But I would take it right now if you put one in front of me just because of this.
Have you had lunch yet, Michelle?
You sound hungry.
I have had lunch.
It's closer to dinner for me.
Oh, that's true.
That's true.
Well, all right, let's go back through this.
So this sounded very New York, especially because you were playing the vendor role here, right?
And so you said, how you doing? right?
How you doing?
Okay.
So we're not necessarily doing the accent.
You guys can go back and listen to Michael to get that real New York accent, but you know they're likely to shorten instead of how are you doing?
Vendors don't have time for that, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I don't I mean, I think in general, a lot of people would say, how are you doing?
But like, I think it's a special thing.
Like, hey, how you doing?
Like, yeah, exactly.
And then you said, what can I get you?
Or you said, really, what can I get you?
What can I get you?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then you said, I'll take, right, to order.
Yep, I'll take a small coffee.
And I like that again, just because it's direct.
There's very few words in that, right?
It's very simple because my order is going to be complicated.
So let my order be more complicated and let the wording be simple, right?
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Yeah.
And then, yeah, I asked you if you wanted cream and blah, blah, blah.
And the toasted bagel.
You got to get it toasted.
Got to get it.
It does really make it that much better.
And bagels are kind of famous in New York.
I love how today we're doing the two foods that are pretty famous in New York City well.
And another thing in New York I don't know if you've ever done this or heard people do it people sometimes ask for it scooped out.
Scooped out.
What does that mean?
That means like that.
It's like it's often for people, maybe if they're like dieting or they don't want as many carbs, or maybe they just like the way it tastes, like to like take the dough and scoop it out of the bagel, so you're more so just having like the shell of the bagel and then like the cream cheese inside Or whatever.
But isn't a bagel already kind of holed out?
Like there's a hole in the middle of the bagel.
No, this one's like you're making like a little moat on the inside.
I'd have to see it to understand what you mean.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But sometimes, like, that's not, like, a thing you would ask for.
Like I've been with Dan and like once he like asked for something scooped out in just like an actual like it was.
First of all, I think, we were in Rhode Island.
And it was like some like small coffee shop.
And I was like, no.
I was like I think it's a very either New York thing or, just like I don't know, a certain kind of bagel place, like a real bagel place kind of thing, where they'll do it.
But like, yeah, it's like you want to ask for like a Starbucks bagel scooped out.
No, no, no.
Something like that cool.
Well, maybe we'll do a follow-up episode for our listeners on quirky orders in new york.
Like quirky things people order in new york right, and what neighborhoods they order them in.
So interesting.
All right, guys.
So in the next one, now we're going to order pizza right, a slice of pizza.
So what's happening here michelle, with this one?
Well, I am ordering a slice of pizza, and hilarity ensues.
Just kidding.
I don't know.
Well, I wrote this role play, so hopefully it makes sense.
Let's see.
Sometimes I wonder how it's going to make sense.
All right.
And then you're going to ask for extra napkins.
You're going to order pepperoni and you're going to get a soda, too.
So let's get ready.
Here we go.
Here we go.
All right.
Hi, can I get a slice of pepperoni?
Sure, you want that heated?
Yes, please.
Okay, that'll be $5.35.
Oh, can I get a few extra napkins?
Sure, they're in the bag.
Oh, perfect.
And can I also get a medium orange soda, but hold the ice?
Here you go, ma'am.
It's $8.20.
Okay, here you go.
Thanks.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
All right.
So very typical, right?
Not too crazy, but it went pretty smoothly here, the ordering.
What did you say, Michelle, from our vocabulary words?
I said, can I get a... Can I get a... Sounds like it's from a song too.
I don't know what song.
It is from a song.
It's been killing me the whole time because I want to say it so bad, but I...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, guys.
So it's just coincidence, right?
I suppose that's kind of used in a slightly different way, but it means the same thing.
You're asking for something, right?
Yeah, yes, exactly.
But very common.
Would you say this when you're ordering, Michelle?
Can I get a slice?
Oh, yeah.
For sure, for sure, for sure.
That's what I always say.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then, for some reason, I decided to order an orange soda, but not only an orange soda, but just with no ice, which to me sounds like a nightmare.
I know.
I know.
Because I think, thinking about this realistically, in this kind of pizza shop, which is a very small shop, I'm imagining four tables, three tables.
You're probably not going to have it in a glass.
You're probably going to get the can is most.
Don't you think?
Probably they're going to sell cans.
That's true.
Yeah, that's true.
I feel like I always want it straight from the can.
Like you know, sometimes at a restaurant they give you the can and then the glass with the thing of ice.
And I'm like...
No, I just like, I feel like it tastes best from the can.
Really?
That's interesting.
Sometimes I feel that way about beer.
Like I want it in a bottle instead of a can or I want it in a cup or whatever.
I don't know.
We have our weird biases, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
But do you usually get your pizza heated up because they can put it in the oven?
That's a common question, I think, too.
Right.
Do you want the slice?
Because usually they have the slices already cut up.
And then do you want it heated?
Maybe it's been sitting in the plastic and the glass in front of you.
Right.
Do you usually get your pizza slice heated?
If they were to ask me, I might say yes, but I feel like sometimes they do it without you asking.
Oh, yeah.
True.
True, true, true, true.
Yeah, that's true.
And do you fold?
Here's another quirky New York pizza question.
Do you fold your pizza?
Yes, very much.
Okay.
Do you?
I guess I do.
Yes.
Yeah.
I don't know if I, I guess I used to not fold it, but like I'm a folder.
You're a folder.
Yeah, it's so funny.
Yeah, it's a very new york question right, because guys the why michelle, it's about the size of the slice, right?
Yeah, and you can usually just fold it in half and then yeah it's uh, it's good stuff to fold it.
I don't, I don't know why, but I like to do it.
Sometimes I'll unfold it for a little bit just to get the taste, and then I'm like I like it folded.
I like the feel.
Yeah, it's kind of fun.
You get like double the dough at the same time.
It's a very New York thing, guys.
And usually they'll – or sometimes I think they'll put it in a bag.
We said, sure, they're in the bag.
Like you'll have the pizza on a paper plate, right?
In a brown bag, yeah.
In a brown bag.
So very typical experience ordering pizza.
But the reason the fold is interesting it's very New York is because in other parts of the country, for example, you order Chicago style pizza.
You can't fold that pizza.
It's way too thick.
Right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's a very special thing to.
Yeah.
So guys, now we want pizza and a blueberry bagel.
I would take the pizza before the blueberry bagel personally.
But yeah, guys, you're getting the real New Yorker insider knowledge.
You know.
So if you're loving what you're learning today, if this is really fun it's a new way to learn go and hit.
Follow on the All Ears English podcast.
You don't miss all of our awesome episodes.
Let's just let our listeners know that last one we did.
Michelle, I think we didn't quite cover that.
You said hold the ice, right?
Right.
Oh, yeah.
Sorry.
Yes.
Hold the ice.
Right.
So I don't want the ice.
Don't want that ice.
Love it.
So good.
Any final thoughts on ordering on the street in New York?
Oh, I'm hungry.
Enjoy your meal.
There's a lot of good food on the street.
Street food is the best.
Anywhere you go, pretty much, right?
Yeah.
Love it.
Yeah, it's good stuff.
All right.
Thanks for hanging out today, Michelle.
And I'll see you in the next one.
All right.
Bye, Lindsay.
Bye.
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