Dining 50 Meters Above the Ground

January 3, 2022, Daily News | Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

crane/ kreɪn/ Noun

a tall machine with a long arm used to lift and move objects

Example:
The city's skyline is dominated by hundreds of cranes.

strap/ stræp/ Verb

to hold something in place with a length of material

Example:
He strapped the surfboards to the car roof before we left.

waitstaff/ ˈweɪtstæf/ Noun

waiters and waitresses considered as a group

Example:
The waitstaff here are excellent.

permanent/ ˈpərmənənt/ Adjective

lasting for all the time in the future

Example:
This painting is part of the museum's permanent collection.

standard/ ˈstændərd/ Adjective

normal or average

Example:
It's standard to leave a 15 percent tip.
Exercise 2

Article

Dining 50 Meters Above the Ground

If you're looking for a new dining experience, Dinner in the Sky can make
your next meal impossible to forget!
Using a crane, guests are strapped to chairs and lifted about 50 meters
above the ground — along with their table, chefs and waitstaff.

The idea began in Belgium in 2006, when a company that runs dining
and communication events joined a company that makes theme park
attractions to create a special dinner for a group of young European
chefs and restaurant owners.
The dinner was a success, and the organizers started receiving calls from
all over the world as people wanted to try it themselves. This gave them
the idea to start a company and offer the experience to even more
people.
Dinner in the Sky is now available in over 60 countries around the world
— although it usually has to be booked for a special event.

It's available in Dubai until the end of April 2022, with seats starting at
about $200 per person. There's also a permanent location in Las Vegas
that costs $290 per person. It will be available in London for about two
months in 2022, as well as in two cities in Belgium for several weeks.
The standard Dinner in the Sky table can hold up to 22 guests and five
staff. It weighs 3.4 metric tons and requires three hours to set up — as
well as a space that's large and strong enough to hold a huge crane.
While some people might worry about eating high in the air, the
company says it's very careful about safety, and has never had an
accident.
Exercise 3

Discussion
1. What are your thoughts on Dinner in the Sky?

2. Do you think you'd enjoy dining 50 meters above the ground? Why?
Why not?

3. Do you know of any unique or unusual restaurants where you live?

4. Have you had any memorable restaurant experiences recently?

5. What's the priciest meal you've had recently? Wa s it worth the cost?
Exercise 4
Further Discussion

1. How often do you dine out? Do you have a favorite restaurant?

2. Have you had any disappointing restaurant experiences recently?

3. Are many of your friends and family foodies?

4. Which of your friends or family is the best cook?

5. A good restaurant is like a vacation. — Philip Rosenthal. What are your

thoughts on this statement?

Source
This lesson is based on an article by Chiara Leone-Ganado.