Two Indian food places are fighting in court because both say they made butter chicken first. They both come from the same old restaurant that started in 1947. One family says the other is lying about making butter chicken and another dish first. They are very upset and want the court to decide who is right.

A long time ago, a man and his friends made the first butter chicken in Delhi. They used old chicken pieces and made them yummy with tomato sauce and butter. Now, many people love this dish. But, who really made it first is a big question. Some food writers think it’s not important who made it first; what’s important is how good it tastes.

Original news source: Moti Mahal: India curry houses battle over butter chicken (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of cards with different food-related words or phrases, including “butter chicken.” One person from each team will act out the word or phrase without speaking, and their team members have to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all the cards have been used, and the team with the most points wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students read the article individually or in pairs. Then, ask them to write a summary of the article using their own words. After they finish, have them share their summaries with a partner and discuss any differences or similarities. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their summaries with the whole class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of questions related to the article, such as “Who do you think made butter chicken first?” or “Do you think it’s important to know who made it first?” Ask the groups to discuss their opinions and come up with a collective answer for each question. Then, have one person from each group share their group’s answers with the whole class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of food-related vocabulary words from the article on the board, including “butter chicken.” Divide the class into pairs. One person from each pair will choose a word and draw a picture representing that word while their partner tries to guess what it is. The pair that guesses the most words correctly within a certain time limit wins.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the students to imagine that they are food writers in the future, writing about the history of butter chicken. Have them write a short paragraph predicting what they think will happen in the court case mentioned in the article. Encourage them to use vocabulary and grammar structures they have learned. After they finish, ask a few students to share their predictions with the whole class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What are the two Indian food places fighting about?
2. How long ago did the man and his friends make the first butter chicken?
3. What did they use to make the chicken yummy?
4. Do some food writers think it’s important who made it first?
5. What do they think is important?
6. What do the families want the court to decide?
7. Why are they upset?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Two Indian food (1)______ are fighting in (2)______ because both say they made butter chicken first. They both come from the same old restaurant that started in 1947. One family says the (3)______ is lying about making butter chicken and another dish first. They are very (4)______ and want the court to decide who is right.

A long time ago, a man and his friends made the first butter chicken in (5)______. They used old chicken pieces and made them yummy with tomato (6)______ and butter. Now, many people love this dish. But, who really made it first is a big question. Some (7)______ writers think it’s not important who made it first; what’s important is how (8)______ it tastes.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is butter chicken?
2. How would you feel if someone said they made a dish that you made first?
3. Do you like butter chicken? Why or why not?
4. What do you think is more important: who made a dish first or how good it tastes?
5. Have you ever had butter chicken? Did you like it?
6. What other dishes do you think are yummy?
7. How do you think the court will decide who made butter chicken first?
8. Do you think it’s fair for the court to decide who made butter chicken first? Why or why not?
9. What would you do if someone said they made a dish that you made first?
10. Do you think it’s important to know who made a dish first? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the two families feel about fighting in court?
12. What do you think will happen after the court decides who made butter chicken first?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. court
2. fighting
3. restaurant
4. upset
5. decide
6. tomato
7. butter
8. yummy
9. important
10. question

Meanings:
(A) A place where you go to eat food that someone else makes
(B) To make a choice about something
(C) A red vegetable that you can eat raw or cooked
(D) Something that really matters a lot
(E) When people are not getting along and are very mad at each other
(F) A place where people go to solve big problems with a judge
(G) A yellow thing you spread on bread to make it taste good
(H) Feeling very sad or mad about something
(I) Tasting very, very good
(J) Something you ask when you want to know more
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where are the two Indian food places fighting in court located?
(a) China
(b) Brazil
(c) Australia
(d) India

2. What dish are the two Indian food places fighting over?
(a) Pizza
(b) Sushi
(c) Butter chicken
(d) Tacos

3. When did the old restaurant that started in 1947 make the first butter chicken?
(a) A long time ago
(b) Last year
(c) 100 years ago
(d) 50 years ago

4. What did the man and his friends use to make the first butter chicken?
(a) Beef, ketchup, and cheese
(b) Fish, lemon, and sugar
(c) Old chicken pieces, tomato sauce, and butter
(d) Pork, mustard, and mayonnaise

5. What do some food writers think is important about the butter chicken dish?
(a) How expensive it is
(b) How big the portions are
(c) How colorful it looks
(d) How good it tastes

6. What do the families want the court to decide?
(a) Who has the most customers
(b) Who made butter chicken first
(c) Who has the fanciest restaurant
(d) Who has the best music playlist

7. What year did the old restaurant start?
(a) 2000
(b) 1947
(c) 1900
(d) 2020

8. What did the man and his friends make yummy with tomato sauce and butter?
(a) Chicken pieces
(b) Ice cream
(c) Salad
(d) Hot dogs

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Many people love the dish now, but no one knows who really made it first.
2. One family accuses the other of telling the truth about making butter chicken first.
3. The fight is happening because both places come from different old restaurant that started long ago.
4. Some food writers think it doesn’t matter who made it first, just that it tastes good.
5. They used fresh chicken pieces and made them tasty with tomato sauce and butter.
6. The man and his friends made the last butter chicken in Delhi a long time ago.
7. The upset families want the court to decide who is right.
8. Two Indian food places are mad because they both say they made butter chicken first.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What are the two Indian food places fighting about?
2. Where did the first butter chicken come from?
3. How did they make the chicken yummy?
4. Why do some people think it’s not important who made it first?
5. Who do they want to decide who is right?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What are the two Indian food places fighting about?
They are fighting about who made butter chicken first.

2. How long ago did the man and his friends make the first butter chicken?
They made the first butter chicken a long time ago.

3. What did they use to make the chicken yummy?
They used tomato sauce and butter to make the chicken yummy.

4. Do some food writers think it’s important who made it first?
No, some food writers don’t think it’s important who made it first.

5. What do they think is important?
They think it’s important how good the butter chicken tastes.

6. What do the families want the court to decide?
The families want the court to decide who made butter chicken first.

7. Why are they upset?
They are upset because they think the other family is lying about making butter chicken first.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) places
(2) court
(3) other
(4) upset
(5) Delhi
(6) sauce
(7) food
(8) good
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. court
Answer: (F) A place where people go to solve big problems with a judge

2. fighting
Answer: (E) When people are not getting along and are very mad at each other

3. restaurant
Answer: (A) A place where you go to eat food that someone else makes

4. upset
Answer: (H) Feeling very sad or mad about something

5. decide
Answer: (B) To make a choice about something

6. tomato
Answer: (C) A red vegetable that you can eat raw or cooked

7. butter
Answer: (G) A yellow thing you spread on bread to make it taste good

8. yummy
Answer: (I) Tasting very, very good

9. important
Answer: (D) Something that really matters a lot

10. question
Answer: (J) Something you ask when you want to know more
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where are the two Indian food places fighting in court located?
Answer: (d) India

2. What dish are the two Indian food places fighting over?
Answer: (c) Butter chicken

3. When did the old restaurant that started in 1947 make the first butter chicken?
Answer: (a) A long time ago

4. What did the man and his friends use to make the first butter chicken?
Answer: (c) Old chicken pieces, tomato sauce, and butter

5. What do some food writers think is important about the butter chicken dish?
Answer: (d) How good it tastes

6. What do the families want the court to decide?
Answer: (b) Who made butter chicken first

7. What year did the old restaurant start?
Answer: (b) 1947

8. What did the man and his friends make yummy with tomato sauce and butter?
Answer: (a) Chicken pieces
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Many people love the dish now, but no one knows who really made it first. (Answer: True)
2. One family accuses the other of telling the truth about making butter chicken first. (Answer: False)
3. The fight is happening because both places come from different old restaurant that started long ago. (Answer: False)
4. Some food writers think it doesn’t matter who made it first, just that it tastes good. (Answer: True)
5. They used fresh chicken pieces and made them tasty with tomato sauce and butter. (Answer: False)
6. The man and his friends made the last butter chicken in Delhi a long time ago. (Answer: False)
7. The upset families want the court to decide who is right. (Answer: True)
8. Two Indian food places are mad because they both say they made butter chicken first. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧