| meal | A meal is the food that you eat at about the same time each day: 'After the meal we went to a discotheque.' 'We usually have our main meal in the evening.' |
| menu | A menu is a list of all the things that you can order in a restaurant: 'I tried to read the menu but it was all in French.''Is there any fish on the menu?' |
| course | A meal may be served in separate stages. Each stage is called a course:'The main course was disappointing, but the dessert was excellent.' 'I'm not hungry enough to eat a threecourse meal.' |
| dish | A dish is:
(1) food prepared in a particular way and served as a meal or part of a meal: 'My favourite Italian dish is lasagne.''For the main course there were six different meat dishes to choose from.'
(2) a (usually shallow) container that food is placed in and then cooked or served: 'I hope this dish is ovenproof!' |
| the dishes | The dishes is a collective term for all the plates, bowls, cups, etc, that are used during a meal: 'Whose turn is it to wash the dishes tonight?' |
| plate | A plate is:
(1) a (usually round) flat object that food is placed on, especially just before it is eaten: 'All the clean plates are still in the dishwasher.' 'I'd never seen anyone put so much food on their plate.'
(2) (also plateful) the amount of food on a plate: 'How can you eat two large plates of spaghetti and still feel hungry? |