Friday, June 12, 2026

Week 17: McSpaghetti?

 

McSpaghetti?


Questions:

  1. Approximately what percent of McDonald's market is international?  How does that compare to the percent of its local (American) market?  

  2. What is the “localization” strategy and explain how using this strategy contributed to the success of McDonald’s worldwide?

  3. When McDonald’s expanded into India, what unique change(s) did they make to the menu? 

  4. How did McDonald’s use local Korean culture to drive an increase in global sales? 

Sunday, May 31, 2026

T.G.I.F.

 T.G.I.F.

Thank God It’s Friday. I have technical problems. So, let’s take an early break.

We do have a problem. That room is locked. So, I don’t have the class list or work for today. Let’s go backwards.

1.         Homework. We will check this later.

2.         Listening activity.

3.         Later is language practice.

Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell __________?

Nuclear Energy / power.

Was/were

Worried about

Percent: %

Country

Einstein

Genre: science fiction, comedy, documentary, etc.

1.         What were people worried about in 1952?

They were worried about the atom bomb in 1952.

2.         What percent of the world’s power came from nuclear power in 2019?

Around 10 percent of the world’s power was nuclear in 2019.

3.         What country uses the most nuclear power?

France uses the most nuclear power.

4.         What is the problem?

Nuclear power is dangerous. It can make a powerful weapon.

5.         What did Einstein do?

Einstein wrote a letter to the American President.

6.         What genre is this movie?

This movie is a documentary.

 

Cue: hint

Anti: no

Reliable: always comes and never late

Quite: Same

Secure: safe

Affordable: cheap, can pay for it, not too expensive

We have the test in two weeks on June 12.

In: later

Let’s do some review. I want to food review.

What is the difference between sauerkraut and kimchee?

Germany: yellow or green

Kimchee / kimchi is from Korea. Red or orange

Both are made with cabbage and vinegar.

Ethiopia: bread, soft, sour, chewy

In England, we don’t eat with our hands.

Mexico City: likes sweet potato (yams) candies: sweet, chewy, colorful

3. Peanut butter comes in a jar. You can choose it two ways. Smooth or crunchy. It’s both salty and sweet at the same time.

Three years ago, my company sent me to Georgia, in Eastern Europe.

4.         It’s a bread sort of like pizza bread.

5.         Germany: sauerkraut is made from cabbage

 

 




T.G.I.F.

Thank God It’s Friday. I have technical problems. So, let’s take an early break.

We do have a problem. That room is locked. So, I don’t have the class list or work for today. Let’s go backwards.

1.         Homework. We will check this later.

2.         Listening activity.

3.         Later is language practice.

Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell __________?

Nuclear Energy / power.

Was/were

Worried about

Percent: %

Country

Einstein

Genre: science fiction, comedy, documentary, etc.

1.         What were people worried about in 1952?

They were worried about the atom bomb in 1952.

2.         What percent of the world’s power came from nuclear power in 2019?

Around 10 percent of the world’s power was nuclear in 2019.

3.         What country uses the most nuclear power?

France uses the most nuclear power.

4.         What is the problem?

Nuclear power is dangerous. It can make a powerful weapon.

5.         What did Einstein do?

Einstein wrote a letter to the American President.

6.         What genre is this movie?

This movie is a documentary.

 

Cue: hint

Anti: no

Reliable: always comes and never late

Quite: Same

Secure: safe

Affordable: cheap, can pay for it, not too expensive

We have the test in two weeks on June 12.

In: later

Let’s do some review. I want to food review.

What is the difference between sauerkraut and kimchee?

Germany: yellow or green

Kimchee / kimchi is from Korea. Red or orange

Both are made with cabbage and vinegar.

Ethiopia: bread, soft, sour, chewy

In England, we don’t eat with our hands.

Mexico City: likes sweet potato (yams) candies: sweet, chewy, colorful

3. Peanut butter comes in a jar. You can choose it two ways. Smooth or crunchy. It’s both salty and sweet at the same time.

Three years ago, my company sent me to Georgia, in Eastern Europe.

4.         It’s a bread sort of like pizza bread.

5.         Germany: sauerkraut is made from cabbage

 

 

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Anonymous

 


Nosedive


I will skim the story (article) first to teach the new words or vocabulary.

Discuss: talk about

Upside: good things, benefits

Downside: bad things, bothersome things, etc.

Entertainment: what we do fun in our free time

Products: things, stuff

However: but

Cyber predator: someone trying to hurt you on the internet, cyberbully

Cyber: Internet

Bully: Big guy hurts the little guy

Criminal: bad person

Take advantage of: hurt you

Regularly: often, common, usually

Device: small machine

Numerous: many

Opposing view: different idea

Anonymously: don’t tell your name

Celebrities: famous people

Politics: government

Create: make, cause

Answer with a sentence to practice grammar.

Stress: pressure

Anxiety: feel nervous all the time

Easily defrauded.

It’s nine o’clock sharp.

 


Saturday, May 9, 2026

That Sculpture Is a Masterpiece


Mona Lisa

If you listen to my voice, you will hear I have a bad cold. So, today. We need to take it easy. I don’t have a lot of energy (power).

Let’s finish art and start technology.

I will explain the new words / vocabulary on page 99 first.

Conference: big meeting

I wouldn’t miss it for the world: it is important to me

Fascinated: interested

Moved by: inspired by

Frida Kahlo: Mexican painter

Exhibition: exhibit, what you can see at a museum

Possession: what you own; it belongs to you

Cookware: pots and pans

Furniture: table, chair, desk, lamp, etc.

Traditional: from a long time ago

In the meantime: at the same time

It’s a deal: OK

Indicate: tell people, show, etc.

Increase: more

Appealing: popular; everyone likes it

Van Gogh committed suicide. He killed himself.

Frustration: problem, you don’t like it

Device: little machine

Solution: solve the problem

1.          We are starting to study technology. Let us think about famous, classic video games or computer games.

1.          Could you please repeat that?

2.          How do you spell     ?

A quarter: 1/4 or 25 cents (One quarter of 100 cents or One dollar.)

Cost

Asteroids

Doug

College

Dorm: where students can live in university

Arcade

More profitable: make lots of money

I will explain some of the new words quickly.

Roles: reasons

Article: story in a newspaper or magazine

Moved: inspire, make someone think or have a feeling

Educate: teach or learn

I am hopefully educating you.

You are hopefully being educated.

Enormous: very big, huge, gigantic, massive

Sculpture: 3D art

Masterpiece: great or famous art

Ordinary: normal, not special

Emperor: King

Glimpse: look fast or quickly, look only for a short time

Portrait: picture of a face or head; of a person

Perhaps: maybe

Approximately: about, not exactly, guessing

Designed: made

Jewelry: necklace, bracelet, ring, etc.

Located: where it is; address

This class is located in room 205.

Display: show

Unusual: strange; not normal; weird

Ignored: do not pay attention to

Art critic: person who writes about art

Recommend: suggest

Treasure: something that is expensive, nice or special

Chimei Museum

Worth going there: good to go there

National Palace Museum

Appealing: popular; everybody likes him/her

 

It’s eleven (o’clock) sharp.

Fascinated by: interested in

I have GEPT scores. The score is 10% of your final grade.

Listening Practice.

Could you please repeat that

Jewelry: necklace, bracelet, earring.

Do you think gold jewelry is tacky?

He visits a museum once a year.

 

Inspires.

Friday, March 27, 2026

Why so Glum?


Negative means “no.”

Driving me crazy: I don’t like it.  

Stew is soup with meat.

We eat soup in English because we use a

spoon.

Awesome: great, fantastic, terrific, good, wonderful

Isn’t that a shame: terrible, bad

Allergic to: your skin gets itchy

Addict: like a smoker, they can’t stop

We do NOT drink soup. We eat soup.

Student A: read the sentence

Student B: write all of the sentence down under the picture

the sentence describes

Reiterate: say again so you don’t forget

How do you pronounce    ?

1. Entrée: main dish/cours (steak, pasta, chicken)

2. Mashed Potatoes

3. Salmon: “l” is silent

4. Cashier: person you pay the money to

5. Chatted: talked

6. Maitre D’ = French borrow word; The man who

works at the front door in a restaurant.

7. Drumsticks: chicken leg

8. Raw: not cooked

9. Chicken thigh: bigger

In detail: give a lot of information; explain a lot

He is not a waiter.

It tastes bland: almost no flavor, like water or rice

bread, etc.

It tastes tangy: sweet and sour together, like

BBQ sauce

It tastes greasy or oily

Ingredients

Oden: fish

Cabbage

 

 

Sweet potato: yam

Omelet

Tuna

 

Listening practice:

1.              Could you please repeat that?

2.              How do you spell    ?

Teach taught

Lesson: learn something

Kitchen

 

Zone out: space out

 

Hawaii  Oahu  Hawaiian food

Ingredients    popular

Urgency

 

 

 

 

 

In detail: give a lot of information; tell a lot

Writing is 10% of your grade. We have to do it once every semester. I gave you a score. If you fix the mistakes, I will give you a higher score.

1.  I explained many times a paragraph is five or more sentences. With two or three sentences, you did not develop / explain your idea. Many of you still wrote paragraphs that were NOT five or more sentences. Please fix them.

2.  I explained many times about spacing before punctuation. This is punctuation:  , . ? ! “ ; : …

Do NOT do this. Please fix this.

3.  This is a university. We do NOT use contractions in formal writing. Contractions are for speaking. They are for talking. They are not for writing. Here are some examples of contractions. He is – He’s, They are – they’re

4.  This is a logical problem more than a writing problem. Absolute statement.

Jadi always eats at McDonald’s. She loves to eat the chicken burger. We don’t always do anything. Jadi never speaks French. She does not understand the language.

Avoid absolute statements in writing because they are NOT logical. How do we fix it?

Jadi usually/often/normally/regularly eats there.

If you did NOT come to class, write a story now about your favorite foreign restaurant and the restaurant you hate the most. Come get some paper from me. This is 10% of your grade. IMPORTANT.

It is a quarter past 11: 11:15

I will skim first for the new words.

Notice: pay attention or see, look at

I’m not in the mood: I don’t want to do it; I don’t feel like it

Glum: sad; unhappy, depressed

Gossip: talk about other people when they are not there

1. It was a dead giveaway: I knew your secret; it is easy to know what is going on

2. Definitely: for sure; absolutely; 100%

Employee: worker

Employer: boss

Cut it out: stop doing that

Stand up for yourself: protect yourself

1.  Ethics: what other people want you to do, law, rules

For example, you cannot steal or kill

2.  Morality: the rules you make for yourself

3.  Personality: character (traits)

4.  Psychology: what is happening in your brain

Honest: true; the “h” is silent

Reliable: always do it

Loyal: never leave your husband or wife; we will say the dog is a loyal animal

Fair: treat everyone the same; the teacher should try to be fair to the students

Provide: give

Listening Practice

Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell   ?

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Cauliflower & Broccoli

Cauliflower versus broccoli

This is semester two, 203 class. Last semester, this class did very well for grades. If you came to class every time, I am sure you got a high grade. Let’s look at the grading system again. It is a little different this semester:

Attendance (20%): come to class. Every hour you do NOT come to class, I deduct (minus 1%). If you miss a class, that is minus 2%. 18%.

Participation (10%): be happy in class and write full sentences, etc. Talk with feeling. Monotone is no good.

30% just to come to class

Ideal: perfect; the best

Diet: the food we eat

Dairy product: from a cow, like milk, butter, cheese plus eggs

1.          I went on a diet. (This means to lose weight.)

Poultry: meat from a bird, like chicken, turkey or duck

Cantaloupe: orange melon

Bell pepper

Broccoli: Green

Cauliflower: White

Avoid: stay away from; don’t want…

Answer with a sentence to practice grammar. If they say “YES” with a sentence, write down their name. If they answer “NO” with a sentence, do not write.

She wants shredded cheese.

We buy food in a store. We order food in a restaurant.

Randomly: no purpose or reason

1.          Walnuts are healthier than peanuts.

2.          Peanuts are cheaper than walnuts.

3.          Ketchup is from a tomato.

4.          Macaroni is one kind of pasta.

She put some raisins and strawberries on her oatmeal.

Carbohydrate: carbs

I am on a low carb diet. I am avoiding beer and bread. No rice. Etc. No noodles. But, you can eat lots of protein.

Excuse: reason for not doing something

Declining: to say “no,” to say you don’t want it

It doesn’t agree with me: it makes me sick or uncomfortable

Hindus in India can’t eat beef.

Jews and Muslims can’t eat pork.

Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim: religions

A lot of Taiwanese people don’t eat beef because their ancestors were farmers.

How do we order eggs in a restaurant?

Waiter: How do you like (want) your eggs?

Answer: I like (want) my eggs:

a.          Sunny-side up

b.          Over easy.

c.           Hard boiled. Cooked in water.

d.          Poached. Cooked in water, but no shell.

e.          Omelet style

f.              Scrambled.

I am an Atheist.

I am an Agnostic.

“P” is silent in raspberries.

I talk. You write down what I say.

Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell    ?

Type: kind of

Cheddar Cheese

 

 

 

 

 





This is semester two, 203 class. Last semester, this class did very well for grades. If you came to class every time, I am sure you got a high grade. Let’s look at the grading system again. It is a little different this semester:

Attendance (20%): come to class. Every hour you do NOT come to class, I deduct (minus 1%). If you miss a class, that is minus 2%. 18%.

Participation (10%): be happy in class and write full sentences, etc. Talk with feeling. Monotone is no good.

30% just to come to class

Ideal: perfect; the best

Diet: the food we eat

Dairy product: from a cow, like milk, butter, cheese plus eggs

1.          I went on a diet. (This means to lose weight.)

Poultry: meat from a bird, like chicken, turkey or duck

Cantaloupe: orange melon

Bell pepper

Broccoli: Green

Cauliflower: White

Avoid: stay away from; don’t want…

Answer with a sentence to practice grammar. If they say “YES” with a sentence, write down their name. If they answer “NO” with a sentence, do not write.

She wants shredded cheese.

We buy food in a store. We order food in a restaurant.

Randomly: no purpose or reason

1.          Walnuts are healthier than peanuts.

2.          Peanuts are cheaper than walnuts.

3.          Ketchup is from a tomato.

4.          Macaroni is one kind of pasta.

She put some raisins and strawberries on her oatmeal.

Carbohydrate: carbs

I am on a low carb diet. I am avoiding beer and bread. No rice. Etc. No noodles. But, you can eat lots of protein.

Excuse: reason for not doing something

Declining: to say “no,” to say you don’t want it

It doesn’t agree with me: it makes me sick or uncomfortable

Hindus in India can’t eat beef.

Jews and Muslims can’t eat pork.

Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim: religions

A lot of Taiwanese people don’t eat beef because their ancestors were farmers.

How do we order eggs in a restaurant?

Waiter: How do you like (want) your eggs?

Answer: I like (want) my eggs:

a.          Sunny-side up

b.          Over easy.

c.           Hard boiled. Cooked in water.

d.          Poached. Cooked in water, but no shell.

e.          Omelet style

f.              Scrambled.

I am an Atheist.

I am an Agnostic.

“P” is silent in raspberries.

I talk. You write down what I say.

Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell    ?

Type: kind of

Cheddar Cheese

 

********************************************************


Skim: read quickly

I will skim for new words first.

Packed: a lot of people

I wonder: I want to know

Grand opening: the first day of business for a new company

Vegan: don’t eat meat or dairy products (from a cow, like milk, butter, cheese, ice cream and eggs)

Environment: the world around us, trees, mountains, lakes, etc. 

Consumption: eat or drink

Extreme: very hard or difficult

Mighty: very

Cutting down on: less and less

In order to: because

Discuss: talk about

Scale: machine that tells you how heavy you are

Adopt: get / try something new

Gain: more

Lose: less

Eating junk food is not good for our liver or kidney

Organs

Male: boy

Female: girl

 

Could you please repeat that?

How do you spell     ?  

Bland: no taste

Ingredients

Mutton: sheep meat

Sandwich

Genre: science fiction, comedy, cartoon, drama, etc.

Juice: juicier

Sweeter

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