Hello there! Today, we’re going to talk about doughnuts! But first…
Site News
Since the last newsletter, I’ve made two new lesson worksheets and two YouTube videos:
Worksheets:
- True Story – The youngest person to sail solo around the world
- News – 285-year-old lemon fetches more at auction than antique chest
Videos:
- Fluent English Reading – The Racehorse that Paints!
- English News Words – Music Awards
I wasn’t able to do a Livestream this week, but I uploaded 5 short videos and 2 posts. You can find them on my Instagram.
Nick’s News
Since I work at home, I don’t get out very much. This weekend, however, I popped into Nagoya to see my old friend, Steve. I hadn’t seen him in years so it was good to catch up. It was also my first time at Mister Donuts in god knows how long! I was surprised and a bit confused that the trays, tongs and doughnuts were all inside cabinets, and I had to put my money in the till myself. The only thing the staff had to do was make my coffee. It looked like a very easy job! I was a bit embarrassed when I sat down because Steve had only got one doughnut, but I had ordered four! ๐
- popped into = went into
- catch up = hear the latest news
- god knows how long = I have no idea how long
- till = cash register
British Culture
When I lived in the UK, there were only three kinds of doughnuts – ring, custard and jam. My mum would buy them at the supermarket and they were delicious. I must have been about 20 years old when I saw my first doughnut shop. It was a Dunkin’ Donuts next to Charing Cross station in London. I was feeling a bit peckish (hungry) so I thought I’d pop in and get a quick doughnut before my train left. I was overwhelmed (overcome, moved) by the variety of different doughnuts and didn’t know what to order. I felt pressured to choose, and when the assistant asked me what I wanted, I said, “One doughnut, please!” She was not amused (didn’t think it was funny), but I wasn’t joking! I asked her if they had any ring, custard or jam doughnuts, and she said, “This isn’t a supermarket!” ๐
British English
Notice that in British English, we usually spell it “doughnut”. In the U.S, “donut” is probably more common, partly because of shops like Dunkin’ Donuts using that spelling.
Here are some common English phrases used to talk about doughnuts:
- Fancy a doughnut? (= Would you like a doughnut?)
- I’m nuts for doughnuts (= I really want some doughnuts!)
- A dozen doughnuts (= 12 doughnuts, easy to share and sometimes cheaper)
- Do doughnuts (= drive a car in tight circles, creating skidmarks)
Making English fun!
I’ve said before that English is more fun is you study something that you’re interested in. Since we’re talking about doughnuts today, I asked ChatGPT for a list of the top 10 most popular doughnuts in the U.K. You must be interested in this, right?!
- Jam Doughnuts: Soft, sweet bread filled with strawberry or raspberry jam.
- Custard Doughnuts: Doughnuts filled with a sweet, creamy filling.
- Sugar Ring Doughnuts: Doughnuts in a ring shape, covered in sugar.
- Chocolate Doughnuts: Doughnuts made with chocolate or covered in chocolate.
- Glazed Ring Doughnuts: Ring-shaped doughnuts with a sweet, shiny coating.
- Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts: Doughnuts with apple filling and cinnamon flavor.
- Lemon Curd Doughnuts: Doughnuts filled with a sour lemon cream.
- Salted Caramel Doughnuts: Sweet doughnuts with a salty caramel flavor.
- Boston Cream Doughnuts: Doughnuts filled with vanilla cream and topped with chocolate.
- Vegan Doughnuts: Doughnuts made without any animal products, suitable for vegans.
So which of those doughnuts would you most like to try? Comment below!
Motivation
This week, I celebrate getting 8,000 subscribers on YouTube. It’s amazing, really, that so many people are interested in my videos. I must admit, I do get a feeling of satisfaction when the numbers go up. It motivates me to keep going.
I think chasing targets is a great way to stay motivated. You could aim to finish 2, 5, 10, 50 pages of a textbook by a certain date. You could try to memorize 1,000 words! Just start with a few, and write down how many you learn each day. Watch the numbers grow!
You can do the same with time. I recommend tracking how many minutes you study for and add them up over a week. Set a target of 1,860 minutes! It looks like a big number, but is actually only 1 hour a day for 31 days. And when you get to 1,860 minutes, push for 2,000! ๐
Thank you for joining me for tea! If you’re enjoying my blog and would like to get new posts in your email, please subscribe. If you have friends who might like these posts, please share this link with them. I really appreciate it!
All the best,
Nick
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