Emma’s Favorite Restaurant
When Emma and her family go out to dinner, they always go to their
favorite restaurant. Their favorite restaurant is an I talian restaurant,
and they usually go once a week. Emma
always gets ravioli, and her l ittle brother
Josh always gets spaghetti with
meatballs. Their parents l ike to try
different things.
One week when they were getting ready
to go out to dinner, Emma’s father suggested they try the new
restaurant in town. Emma and Josh both moaned and groaned. The
new restaurant was Lebanese. All Emma and Josh knew about
Lebanese food was that it often revolved around chick peas and
grape leaves.
“You might actually end up l iking it if you give i t a try,” said their
mom.
Their dad added, “Let’s try it once, and if you don’t l ike it, we will go
back to our ‘tried and true’ spot next week.”
Emma and Josh got into the backseat of the car and rolled their
eyes at each other.
Josh asked, “If we don’ t l ike it, can we get a pizza on the w ay
home?”
“I highl y doubt you will go hungr y, but if i t makes you feel better, we
will grab a pizza on the way home.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, a host met them at the door
and greeted them with enthusiasm. He led them to a table and said,
“We are very happy that you are trying our new restaurant. I f you
have any questions about the menu or need any help choosing a
menu item, your server will be with you shortly.
The restaurant was looked pretty cool, and the host was
super nice. Emma and Josh began to relax a l ittle bit.
They actually started to think it would be fun to try
something new.
When the server came over, he told them what
some of his favorite meals were. Emma and Josh
were surprised to learn that the restaurant served
something similar to ravioli, and it served a meatball
dish.
Emma ordered manti, dumplings filled with spiced
lamb and covered in tomato sauce. Josh ordered
kibbeh, meatballs made with wheat and spiced ground
lamb and served with garlic sauce.
After Emma and Josh took the first bites of their
dishes, they paused before saying anything. Emma was thinking that
the manti tasted different than ravioli, but she didn’t think it was
bad. Josh was thinking his meatballs looked very similar to the
meatballs that come with spaghetti, but the sauce was white, not
red l ike he was used to. He l iked the kibbeh, though.
They each took a few more bites, and then they both declared,
“You were right, Mom. This food is pretty tasty.”
When the meal was over, Em ma said, “I think I have another favorite
restaurant. Now I have a favorite I talian restaurant and a favorite
Lebanese restaurant.”
Josh agreed and asked, “Can we switch between the two
restaurants for our weekly dinners out?”
“I think tha t is a great ide a,” said Emma and Jos h’s parents.
“Maybe we can even try the Thai restaurant sometime soon,” said
Emma.
Questions:
1. Why would Emma and Josh have moaned and groaned about
trying a new restaurant?
2. What do you think the phrase “ tried and true” means?
3. Why would Emma and her family need help choosing a menu
item?
4. Which dish was similar to ravioli?
5. What do you think the moral of the story is?
6. Why would Emma want to try the Thai restaurant sometime
soon?
