The Gyros

 
 
 

Vocabulary

view	include	to this day
enjoy	oregano	name after
pot	remain	melting pot
melt	tower	landmark
grill	corner	around the corner
alike	ketchup	cooperate
gyros	culinary	delicious
verb	literally	mean (2)
turn	variety	choose/chose/chosen
pita	mustard	common
herb	tzatziki	around (3)
pork	focus (2)	as well as
beef	thyme	found (2)
fry	across	served with
taste	portion	traditional
local	suggest	frequent (2)
onion	staff (2)	season (2)
garlic	attract	come/came/came
	approve

 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

It’s a view that’s been enjoyed by many, including Alexander the Great. Thessaloniki the second-largest city in Greece was founded in the year 315 BC. It was named after Alexander’s sister.

To this day it remains a cultural melting pot. The city’s most famous landmark is the White Tower.

Just around the corner is a culinary landmark named Psisu.

Psisu Boss: “A very good friend of mine suggested to me to cooperate and open this store.”

Here the focus is on gyros.

Psisu Boss: “Psisu is a Greek verb meaning ‘to cook’ or ‘to grill’.”

Gyros literally means “to turn”. Here there are many varieties to choose from.

Psisu Boss: “There are some kind of bread that are good with gyros, but the most common one is pita.

At Psisu, customers can choose between tzatziki, mustard, herb and garlic sauce as well as four different kinds of bread. Gyros is traditionally made from pork. It’s typically seasoned with oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic; and served with tomatoes, onions and fried potatoes.

The staff serves between 200 and 400 portions of gyros a day. The restaurant attracts tourists and locals alike. It’s also frequented by students from across the country.

Student: “I’ve been here when I came to Saloniki. I tasted the gyros and other food, and it was delicious. So I came again with my friends.”

And how does she like her gyros best?

Student: “The traditional way with potatoes, tomato and ketchup–and tzatziki, of course.”

Psisu Boss: “We all want taste the traditional Greek gyros.”

Alexander the Great surely would have approved.

 

 

Questions

1. Thessaloniki in Greece is a very ancient city. True or false?

2. Was the Psisu restaurant founded by the owner’s great-grandfather?

3. Do they cook and serve all kinds of fish, octopus, crab, lobster, and pastries?

4. “Gyros” comes from a Turkish word. Is this right or wrong?

5. Does gyros only consist of pork meat, or does it include many different ingredients?

6. The Psisu Restaurant is very busy. They earn a lot of money. It is very profitable. Is this correct or incorrect?

7. Only local Thessaloniki residents like the gyros. Yes or no?

 

A. I am from Greece. I live in Greece. I am Greek. I have visited Greece. Yes or no?

B. Have you tasted Greek food? Have you eaten gyros? Are there gyros, doner or shawarma stands, stalls or restaurants in your city?

C. What are the common foods or snacks in your city?

D. My friends and I would like to own and operate a snack stall or food stall. True or false?

E. What might happen in the future?