I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.
Want to come over to my house for lunch?
We're not having anything fancy.
I'm just going to make some quesadillas Vanessa style.
Usually we have leftovers for lunch, but today I thought we'd make quesadillas because I
have a lot of cheese here, so I hope that you enjoy it.
I'm going to cook some food first, and then you're going to join me at lunch with my husband
Let's talk about some of the ingredients that I'm going to use.
Of course, we need a tortilla.
I'm going to make three of these.
I'm going to use some butter in the pan.
You can use whatever you want, olive oil, I don't know.
This is just what I usually use with a quesadilla.
I have some mozzarella cheese, and I have some kimchi for a very traditional quesadilla.
This is not traditional at all.
Usually whenever I make a quesadilla, I just throw in whatever I have in the fridge.
So I already sauteed some kale that you can see in here and I'm just going to kind of
So first thing's first, got to turn on the burner, and we'll kind of let that warm up
a little bit and put my little piece of butter into the pan.
I'm sorry if you come from a country where quesadillas are your traditional food, this
All right, because I already sauteed the kale, the pan's a little bit hot, so I'm just going
to put the tortilla into the pan and mush it around a little bit.
Now comes the fun part, grating the cheese.
So this is a grater and we use the verb, which is almost the same thing as the item.
I'm going to grate the cheese with a grater, so I'm just going to do this, and that looks
And I'll probably just push it around the pan a little bit because it will evenly melt.
If you weren't watching, I would probably use my hands, but because you're watching
and this is going to be on the internet, we'll do it a little bit more of a sanitary way.
During lunch today I plan on playing a game called… Or, not really a game, just using
this item called Table Topics.
It's this little box that has a bunch of questions in it, and Dan and I often use these questions
just to talk about stuff during a meal because sometimes you don't want to think about your
day or you don't want to just talk about the same things you usually talk about, so we're
going to be using these Table Topic questions.
If you think it's a good idea, if you like it yourself, you're welcome to use the link.
There's a link in the description where you can buy it yourself.
I just think it's a cool item because it's got lots of questions in English.
All right, the next thing is to push this kale into the quesadilla.
Okay, and next I'm going to put some kimchi on this.
I don't know if you've ever had kimchi, but whenever I eat it, I feel so refreshed.
Like there's something about it that just makes me feel cleansed inside.
And we have a lot of kimchi in our fridge.
Sometimes I go a little kimchi crazy.
Whenever I see kimchi at an Asian supermarket, or here in Asheville we have a Korean food
truck, it's like a Korean fusion food truck, but there's a Korean family who run it and
So whenever we go there, we always buy more jars of kimchi because we go through it pretty
fast.
All right, I'm going to let that sit there for a second, because usually I like the bottom
of the quesadilla to get, or the bottom of the tortilla to get a little bit crispy or
hard a little bit, so that the inside is nice and melted and the outside's a little bit
If I had any leftover chicken, I would put that in here.
It's a very simple way to make a nice lunch, because I work from home as your English teacher,
I can eat lunch at home, so it's convenient to cook things like this.
But I know a lot of people eat lunch at the office or you're not at home when you're eating,
so of course you could make something like this for dinner if you wanted.
It's a fun way to use your leftovers like kale or just kimchi that you have sitting
All right, let's check the bottom of this.
It looks like it could probably be turned up a little bit.
I don't want to burn the bottom.
I have done that before, one too many times, but if you kind of carefully turn up the burner,
Okay.
It looks like our patience has paid off.
You can see I put the ingredients only on half of it because now comes the important
part, we need to fold it in half.
I'm going to use my fingers a little bit.
Fold it in half so it becomes a nice little shape like that, and I'll just put it right
Nothing super fancy, just simple lunch.
Now I'm going to make two more, and then I'll tell Dan and Theo they can come back inside,
because Theo is always really loud whenever he plays, so they always go outside whenever
So, I'll tell them to come back inside and we can have some lunch together.
Vanessa: Well, welcome to lunch.
We're eating the quesadilla that I just made.
Dan: A kimchi quesadilla.
Vanessa: Theo, what do you think about the quesadilla?
Well today, Theo, I have something special.
We're going to be talking about some questions.
Do you want to talk about some questions with us?
Theo: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
It's like a question conversation starter box.
Dan: Theo wants to ask a question.
Vanessa: Theo, you want to choose a question?
Vanessa: You want me to read it?
Okay.
It says, what's your favorite… Theo, we'll read some more after we've finished this one.
Why don't you eat your quesadilla?
Dan: Yeah, let's do one at a time.
Vanessa: What's your favorite song to play in the car?
Dan: Look up- Vanessa: What did you say?
Number one for Theo is We Will Rock You by Queen.
For me, I like the song I Belong In Your arms by-
Dan: He likes Barbara Ann too, by the Beach Boys.
Vanessa: There's like a little kid's song about a bicycle.
Dan: And my second song I like to listen to in the car is by Kero Kero Bonito and it's
I feel like I don't really have a favorite song to listen to in the car, but we listen
to We Will Rock You a lot, because Theo always requests it.
He sits in the back seat and says… What do you say in the back seat?
Vanessa: We will, we will rock you.
Yeah, he loves that song a lot.
Vanessa: All right, should we go to the next question?
Let's see if we can make it through all of them.
Dan: Well, before Theo wants to get up.
Dan: All right, what's it say?
Vanessa: Oh, you don't know how to read yet.
Vanessa: Let's take a new one after we finish this one.
Vanessa: Which piece of land would you preserve forever?
Vanessa: Yeah, we'll put that back when we finish it.
We can maybe make a little pile here.
Dan: Which piece of land would I preserve forever?
Dan: I'm going to go with- Vanessa: Barbara Ann.
Dan: I'm going to go with Cinque Terre.
Dan: Just keep it the same as it is right now.
So it's in Italy, on the coast in the Mediterranean, and there's five cities.
Dan: Maybe it's recency bias, because we went and saw it, but it was so pretty.
I just want to keep it how it is, and I love the Mediterranean.
Vanessa: I think I would… My initial reaction is to say the rain forest, but we just watched
this documentary about the water, like coastal waters, and it said that kelp forests are
just as valuable as forests with trees, and how a lot of the coastal waters are being
So, I kind of feel like I would want to preserve some coastal waters.
It says land, but I think that's what I would choose.
Dan: The land goes down into the water.
I'm changing my answer, because the ocean can be in trouble if you fish too much, and
Theo, what piece of land would you preserve forever?
Theo: *Dinosaur noise* Vanessa: Oh, that.
Okay.
Vanessa: All right, let's go to the next one.
Theo, I want to know who taught you how to ride a bike.
That's Dan's dad- Dan: My dad taught him how to ride a bike.
Vanessa: He doesn't know how to ride a bike yet.
Vanessa: He sits on the back seat of the bike with Dan's dad, who we call Opa.
So- Dan: Theo, do you like riding on the bike?
Dan: You like to high five on the bike?
Yeah.
Oh yeah, one time when he was riding, Dan high fived him while he was on the bike.
Who taught you how to ride a bike?
Dan: I mean, I don't remember.
Dan: I remember having training wheels.
Dan: With the little wheels on the side, and my bike was green.
It was leopard print, but it was green.
Vanessa: You remember your bike?
Vanessa: But you don't remember who taught you how to ride it?
Dan: No, I don't remember who taught me.
I cared more about the bike itself.
My parents, who's teaching me?
Vanessa: Theo, who's going to teach you how to ride a bike?
Vanessa: Oh, I know that definitely my dad taught me to ride a bike, because I saw a
I don't really have a memory of it, but apparently I ran into my parent's bedroom and said, "Today's
the day I'm going to ride my bike."
And we went to like tennis court I think, or a basketball court, and there's a picture
of my dad helping me to ride a bike.
Vanessa: Theo, I have a very important question for you.
What would you miss most about your home if you moved?
We'll ask more questions when we finish with this one.
Dan: Theo, what's your favorite room in the house?
Vanessa: He's on the “we will” train.
Vanessa: Are you kissing that card?
Dan: I don't hear him because he doesn't have a microphone.
Vanessa: Theo, I don't want you to eat this card though, because it's not tasty.
Vanessa: Oh, you're reading it?
Eat it and read it sound very similar.
What would you miss most about your home if you moved?
Dan: Ironically, we probably are moving soon, so-
Vanessa: We definitely are moving soon.
Dan: We're definitely moving soon.
Vanessa: So what would you miss most about this home when we move?
Dan: I think everything in the new home is better.
On the inside, everything is better.
I'll miss this home's location, because we live right next to three grocery stores and
we live in a very walkable neighborhood.
Although the new neighborhood we're moving to is also walkable.
It's just different, because we're used to living in cities and this is kind of like
living in a city right now, but we're going to be living more suburban.
Dan: But we're going to be living more suburban, which is a little bit sad.
We'll get another one in just a second.
I need to answer that question first.
Dan: But the house is much better.
Vanessa: Do you want to choose the next one for us?
Can you choose this card right here?
Vanessa: I think Theo is ready for the next question.
Vanessa: Theo, I don't want you to eat it.
Vanessa: Oh, you want us to put this here?
Vanessa: Let's save that card so we can read it the next time.
Vanessa: Oh, you want to open it and put that card there.
Dan: I hope people can't hear me chewing.
Vanessa: That's the worst sound.
Okay.
Vanessa: Oh, I think what I'm going to miss most about this place, I would say the routines
that we've had in the last four years.
Like going to the same park, walking into the grocery store.
We walk to the grocery store a lot, maybe too much.
Dan: The location is very, very good.
Vanessa: Yeah, we know this neighborhood.
Dan: It's also kind of fun to live in an apartment, even though you don't get much privacy.
The flip side is you get to see a lot of people.
Vanessa: All right, we got a little situation on my hands over here.
Dan: And we have neighbors who can help watch our cats and stuff.
Vanessa: Theo, we're going to choose one.
Vanessa: Do you want to read this one?
That one's a good one for you, Theo.
Oh, but I don't want you to eat it.
Dan: I think he's confused about the purpose of the cards.
Theo, are you done with your lunch?
More.
Vanessa: You're going to eat more?
Vanessa: All right, next question.
What did you get into trouble for when you were young?
Theo?
Dan: Theo, what do you get in trouble for?
Theo: *Noises* Dan: He doesn't know what trouble is yet.
Vanessa: What did you get in trouble for it?
Vanessa: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Probably just fighting with my siblings.
I used to tease my sister a lot.
Dan: Yeah, that's probably the main thing.
Fighting with my brother or teasing my sister, because my brother was older and he was bigger,
but sometimes I would come up to him, and okay, I teased both of them.
I'd tease my brother too, and try to make him a little angry.
And sometimes I would take my sister's dolls, and I would take the dolls and I would say,
"I'm going to take it to the bathroom and give it a swirly."
Vanessa: Which is putting it in the toilet.
Dan: Putting the head of the doll in the toilet.
I didn't really do it, I just threatened.
I think that is the same for me.
Dan: I was a little bit naughty, I guess.
Yeah.
You think that daddy was naughty when he was little?
I remember distinctly there was one Mother's Day or for my mom's birthday, some kind of
holiday like that, and we asked her, what do you want us to give you?
I think I was like six years old, so my sister was like three or four.
And she said, "All I want is one day when you girls don't fight."
I guess everybody fights with their siblings.
Vanessa: That's so bad though.
That means that she must've been so annoyed every day with us fighting.
Yeah.
Dan: I can't really imagine you and your sister fighting.
Although her sister can be tough sometimes.
Vanessa was a perfect angel, let me tell you.
Vanessa: I don't know about that.
Theo has something important to tell us.
Vanessa: He wants to tell us about Barbara Ann.
Dan: Oh, you want to sing the song?
Okay.
Now he's not going to sing it.
Dan: He just likes to hear it.
Theo: Bicycle Vanessa: Ready, set, go?
Okay.
Well, Theo took out a bunch of these cards, so I'll just choose one.
Which historical time period would you most like to visit?
Dan: I think you answered this one recently.
Maybe we already did this card.
I think I would say pre-history.
Dan: I want to say like cavemen, and like when they discovered fire.
And how stupid were they or how smart were they?
Were they like, "Ugg, make fire," or were they like, "I believe I have created fire
today."
Vanessa: I was going to say something similar.
I was going to say, I want to go back to see one of my ancestors who was a hunter gather.
Maybe they sounded like Theo sounds right now, and just to see what was their daily
What was hunting like and gathering like?
And they had to live outside all the time, and they had to fight wild animals and live
through thunderstorms and all of that type of stuff.
Dan: We really want to go back far.
Vanessa: Who did I descend from and what were our lives like?
Like what was- Dan: That's just yesterday.
Vanessa: I think agriculture was 10,000 years ago.
What time period do you want to go back?
You want to go back and see when bowls were created?
Theo: Mm-hmm (affirmative) Vanessa: Okay.
Dan: He wants to see the creation of the first quesadilla.
Dan: He wants to see the invention of cheese.
Vanessa: I would not doubt that.
I'm surprised that he has been patient sitting through all of this so far.
Let's do a shallow, simple question.
If you knew you wouldn't get hurt, would you rather sky dive or view sharks from an underwater
cage?
Vanessa: Oh, I spoke too soon.
Vanessa: You want to eat some meat?
If you're all done, let's go into the other room and you can wash your hands, and then
Dan: I don't believe I would get- Theo: Nana.
Vanessa: Do you want to go see Nana?
Vanessa: Oh, Nana's coming after you take a nap.
All right, well let's take a little pause, and I'm going to help him take a nap.
Or maybe we'll just let him play in the other room for a second.
Do you want to go play in the other room for a sec’?
Dan: Yeah, let's let them go to the other room and wrap it up.
Vanessa: Do you want to sit on daddy's lap?
Vanessa: Oh yeah, so if you wouldn't get hurt, would you like to skydive or see sharks underwater?
Dan: I feel like seeing sharks under water isn't even that dangerous.
Vanessa: Theo, if you want them to see your truck book, you've got to come over here and
Vanessa: Yeah, they can't see you over there.
Dan: You want to show them your truck book?
Vanessa: This is Theo's favorite book.
Dan: You going to show them the truck?
Vanessa: You can read that book if you'd like.
Dan: You want to sit here for a minute and look at the trucks?
Theo: *Noises* Vanessa: Okay, that's a good idea.
So I guess I would… Well skydiving would scare me even if I knew I was going to survive,
When I first saw this question a couple seconds ago, my instinct was sharks.
Vanessa: Yeah, because I feel like I would be… It's not often that you can go deep
under the water and see cool things.
Dan: He wants me to point at all the trucks.
Vanessa: This is what happens when you have dinner or try to have a conversation with
Dan: Yeah, we're probably going to have to cut this conversation short.
Well I think that's a good question to end on.
Theo, would you rather skydive or see sharks?
No.
Vanessa: You want to get back here?
Vanessa: Well, thank you so much for joining us for this lunch.
I hope it was an eye opening experience.
If you have had kids, you know exactly what this is like.
If you have never had kids, it is a joyful experience.
Vanessa: Do you want to wave goodbye?
Dan: Look at the camera and say bye bye.
Dan: Want to Say bye bye into this?
Vanessa: Did you have a good lunch?
I hope you enjoyed our little bit silly conversation and learned something new about English and
just about life and the world around you.
Vanessa: Let me know in the comments.
What do you usually eat for lunch?
It'll be interesting to see what people eat for lunch around the world.
Vanessa: Thanks so much for learning English with me and I'll see you again next Friday
for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel.
Bye.
Vanessa: The next step is to download my free eBook, Five Steps to Becoming a Confident
You'll learn what you need to do to speak confidently and fluently.
Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more free lessons.
Bye.