The Reading / Listening - Mayonnaise - Level 5

Japanese people have a particular fondness for mayonnaise – the creamy, egg-based condiment. Fans of the dressing now have a new product to try – drinkable mayonnaise. Lawson, Japan's third largest convenience store chain, is selling a mayonnaise-flavoured drink, called "Nomu Mayo". This means "mayo drink" in Japanese. The store says the drink is, "a long-awaited new product for mayonnaise lovers". It added that, "the richness and sourness of mayo are reproduced in this chilled beverage". The label states the drink is a "mayonnaise-style drink" and "not mayonnaise".

Nomu Mayo costs ¥198 for 200 ml. Lawson is testing sales to gauge its potential. Japan's version of mayonnaise, which uses rice vinegar, is ubiquitous in Japan's kitchens and restaurants. However, the jury is out on whether drinkable mayo will be popular. It has gone viral on social media and has very mixed reviews. Yahoo Japan stated: "It had the texture of mayonnaise.…The taste didn't feel diluted at all, and it tasted like mayonnaise, which is a bit strange." It added that the drink was "a bold product aimed at a very niche demographic".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Mayonnaise - Level 4 or  Mayonnaise - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14145659/Japanese-supermarket-launches-drinkable-mayonnaise-sip-straw-leaving-foodies-horrified.html
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/japan/mayonnaise-drinkable-mayo-japan-nomu-lawson-b2655230.html
  • https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/6f3e9a141106df538c25fad632b5e6703f690d10


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. people have a particular fondness
  2. the creamy, egg-
  3. Fans of the dressing now
  4. Japan's third
  5. a long-
  6. mayonnaise
  7. the richness and sourness of mayo
  8. chilled
  1. are reproduced
  2. largest
  3. based condiment
  4. beverage
  5. lovers
  6. for mayonnaise
  7. awaited new product
  8. have a new product

Paragraph 2

  1. ubiquitous in
  2. the jury
  3. It has gone
  4. mixed
  5. The taste didn't feel diluted
  6. a bit
  7. the drink was a bold
  8. aimed at a very
  1. product
  2. viral on social media
  3. strange
  4. Japan's kitchens
  5. niche demographic
  6. is out
  7. at all
  8. reviews

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Japanese people have a particular fondness for mayonnaise - the creamy, (1) ________________________________________________. Fans of the dressing now have a new product to try – drinkable mayonnaise. Lawson, Japan's (2) ________________________________________________ store chain, is selling a mayonnaise-flavoured drink, called "Nomu Mayo". This means "mayo drink" in Japanese. The store says the drink is, "(3) ____________________________________________ product (4) ________________________________________________". It added that, "the richness and sourness of mayo are reproduced in (5) ________________________________________________". The label states the drink is a "(6) ________________________________________________" and "not mayonnaise".

Nomu Mayo costs ¥198 for 200 ml. Lawson is testing (7) ________________________________________________ its potential. Japan's version of mayonnaise, which uses rice vinegar, (8) ________________________________________________ Japan's kitchens and restaurants. However, the jury is (9) ________________________________________________ drinkable mayo will be popular. It has (10) ________________________________________________ social media and has very mixed reviews. Yahoo Japan stated: "It had the texture of mayonnaise.…The taste didn't feel (11) ______________________________________________, and it tasted like mayonnaise, which is a bit strange." It added that the drink was "(12) ________________________________________________ aimed at a very niche demographic".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Japanesepeoplehaveaparticularfondnessformayonnaise-thecreamy
,egg-basedcondiment.Fansofthedressingnowhaveanewproducttotr
y–drinkablemayonnaise.Lawson,Japan'sthirdlargestconveniencest
orechain,issellingamayonnaise-flavoureddrink,called"NomuMay
o".Thismeans"mayodrink"inJapanese.Thestoresaysthedrinkis,"alo
ng-awaitednewproductformayonnaiselovers".Itaddedthat,"theric
hnessandsournessofmayoarereproducedinthischilledbeverage".Th
elabelstatesthedrinkisa"mayonnaise-styledrink"and"notmayonnai
se".NomuMayocosts¥198for200ml.Lawsonistestingsalestogaugeits
potential.Japan'sversionofmayonnaise,whichusesricevinegar,isubi
quitousinJapan'skitchensandrestaurants.However,thejuryisoutonw
hetherdrinkablemayowillbepopular.Ithasgoneviralonsocialmediaan
dhasverymixedreviews.YahooJapanstated:"Ithadthetextureofmay
onnaise.…Thetastedidn'tfeeldilutedatall,andittastedlikemayonnaise
,whichisabitstrange."Itaddedthatthedrinkwas"aboldproductaimeda
taverynichedemographic".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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