Today I'm gonna tell you about what a deli is. It's lunchtime and I'm actually
getting really hungry. One of the great things about living in New York City is
that you can always go to a deli because there's always a deli within one or two
blocks of wherever you are in the city. So, what exactly is a deli?
My name is Connie and this is New York in slow English. A deli is usually a store where you can
buy some basic groceries, but also some junk food like chips and
cookies and cold beer and cold drinks and, what else, the newspaper. But delis
are especially known for their sandwiches. A good deli will make you a
sandwich that is piled high with meat and cheese and lettuce and tomato. And oh
yeah, you can always get coffee there, though nothing fancy, just regular coffee.
There's almost always an ATM machine there where you can get cash. You might
hear different words for this type of convenience store in New York City.
One of them is "bodega". Bodegas are all over New York City, but especially in
neighborhoods where people predominantly speak Spanish. These stores are often
painted yellow and red, I don't really know why, and you can buy groceries there
along with lottery tickets, and you can sometimes find some Hispanic foods,
special food. You might also hear these stores called "corner stores". That's
because in New York City within every few blocks you will find
one of these stores, and very often they are literally on the corner of the block.
In other parts of the United States these stores are called convenience
stores, and they are very often part of a chain like 7-eleven or like Wawa.
These stores are totally homogenous and not nearly as cool as New York City
stores. This is my local deli. Let's go inside and listen to some real New
Yorkers speak. First let's talk to Frank, and then let's talk to Sergio.
Hi Frank. Hello darling. Could I please get a bacon, egg, and
cheese on a roll? Sure. How about bacon egg and cheese on a roll, Mario? And, you don't
have any decaf coffee anymore? Oh man, okay, fine. Just make believe it's decaf. No, I'll be crazy. All right thanks.
All right, honey. How's Jack doing darling? Jack is awesome. Awesome, yeah? Yeah, he's awesome.
He's having the dream, right? He's totally living the dream. There you
go. He's such a happy guy. He claims he's graduating from college in like five
weeks. That's it? It's about time. Does he still look like Fabio? He looks, yeah,
he looks like Fabio.
Can I order a couple of sandwiches? Sure. What would you like? Well, tell me, what do
you think is the best sandwich I should get? Fat boy or Italian. What's
inside it? Italian is capicola salami, I mean
capicola ham, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, pepperoni, onions, oil and vinegar, oregano,
salt and pepper. Okay, let's do it! Alright? Alright. Also, let me get a turkey
sandwich on a roll with mayo, lettuce, and tomato. Okay. And also a medium coffee to
go. Milk and sugar? Decaf. No decaf. Only the regular.
What? Let me get a small, regular, milk and sugar. You got it. Okay thanks.
Okay. So this is what I just ordered: an Italian sandwich with different meats and
cheeses, sweet peppers, onions, lettuce and mayonnaise. And this sandwich is turkey
with lettuce, tomato, and a little bit of mayonnaise. Now listen as two New Yorkers
order their lunch. Do you want lettuce, tomato,
or oil and vinegar?
Just a little bit of mayo.
No lettuce and tomato. No,
no lettuce or tomato.
Actually, roasted pepper.
No mayo. Just roasted pepper. Balsamic? No, no balsamic.
I'll take a whole wheat wrap. Turkey, a slice of muenster cheese, and some onions and some of these peppers in here.
Could you grill it for me? Right now the grill is off. Alright. You got no grill? What is this? Are they hot? No, they're sweet. Put some of those.
Did you get that? Neither did I. Cheers! See you next time, on New York in slow English.