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 Italian restaurant, and they usually go once a week. Emma always gets ravioli, and her little brother Josh always gets spaghetti with meatballs. Their parents like to try different things.One week when they were getting ready to go out todinner, 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 liking it if you give it a try," said their mom.Their dad added, "Let's try it once, and if you don't like 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 like it, can we get a pizza on the way home?""I highly doubt you will go hungry, but if it 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. If 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 little 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. Emmaand 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 like he was used to. He liked 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, Emma said, "I think I have another favorite restaurant. Now I have a favorite Italian restaurant and a favorite Lebanese restaurant."Josh agreed and asked, "Can we switch between the two restaurants for our weekly dinners out?" "I think that is a great idea," said Emma and Josh's parents. "Maybe we can even try the Thai restaurant sometime soon," said Emma.
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?
