Rob: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Rob.
Rosie: And I'm Rosie.
Rob: Today we're talking about the humble sausage, or to use the English slang,
bangers. So are you a fan of sausages Rosie?
Rosie: Yes I am, I love sausages Rob.
Rob: Me too, I love them and so do locals and visitors to the capital of the Czech
Republic, Prague.
Rosie: Yes, but there's a bit of a sausage war going on there.
Rob: Yes that's what we'll be talking about soon. But Rosie we always like to kick off
the programme with a question and today is no exception. Are you ready?
Rosie: I think I am ready Rob.
Rob: Approximately, what is the length of the longest sausage ever made? Is it:
a) 59 metres
b) 5.9 kilometres
c) 59 kilometres
Rosie: That’s' a difficult one. I have no idea so I'm going to guess. I'm going to say b, 5.9
kilometres.
Rob: Well we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. But back to our story
about this possible bad news for sausage lovers in Prague. In the city, this cheap
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and greasy snack has another name – klobasa – and they are sold at klobasa
stands in the main, Wenceslas Square.
Rosie: For almost a century, people who are hungry or hung-over have been consuming
these klobasas day and night but not for much longer.
Rob: That's right. Wenceslas Square is undergoing a gradual process of gentrification,
which means they're smartening it up. The BBC's Rob Cameron can tell us more.
Listen out for his description of the klobasa cooking and also how they make
people feel:
Rob Cameron, BBC
Call them klobasa, kielbasa, bratwurst, bockwurst or simply sausages - there's no escaping them
as you walk down Prague's main thoroughfare. They sit, sizzling, in metal trays - delicious to
look at, especially at 3am - but always consumed with a sense of guilt and gastric foreboding. For
locals and visitors alike, consuming a foot-long klobasa is part of the Prague experience.
Rosie: Interesting! I didn't realise there were so many names for sausages; klobasa,
kielbasa, bratwurst, bockwurst, and he described them as sizzling in metal trays.
Rob: Sizzling. The word just sounds like sausages cooking. They look delicious at
three o'clock in the morning, I wonder why?! But people eat them, or consume
them, with a sense of guilt, they know they shouldn't eat them but they do!
Rosie: Yes, and some people worry about the affect on their stomachs, or what the
reporter called 'gastric foreboding'. But despite that, it's part of the Prague
experience!
Rob: Indeed. The Mayor of Prague's First District says the klobasa stands are part of the
city's cultural heritage. They are as crucial to Prague as the hot dog is to New
York.
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Rosie: So they are very important. But maybe not for much longer as this main street, or
thoroughfare, is going to have a makeover. That means they want to improve or
change the appearance of the area.
Rob: Let's hear more of the report from Rob Cameron about what the City Council is
planning to do. Listen out for the word he uses to mean birds:
Rob Cameron, BBC
Architects want to pedestrianise and gentrify the area, removing the dozen or so old sausage
stalls with their greasy pavements and overflowing bins that attract both human and avian
scavengers. In their place will be six salubrious establishments, offering not just sausages but
cut flowers and croissants, more in line with a modern European metropolis. The humble
klobasa, it seems, no longer cuts the mustard.
Rob: So the City Council's plans include allowing people to walk around freely and not
allowing any vehicles. In other words, pedestrianise the area. They are going to
remove the overflowing bins because they attract human and avian scavengers.
Rosie: So these are humans and birds who hunt through the bins looking for old bits of
food to eat, yuk! They're going to be replaced by six salubrious establishments,
in other words, six clean, pleasant and smart shops.
Rob: They'll still be selling sausages but also cut flowers and croissants. It's felt this
will make it more like a modern European city or metropolis.
Rosie: Interesting! Selling croissants and cut flowers make it a modern city! They're not
the best things to eat when you are hungry or hung-over! I feel sorry for the
humble klobasa.
Rob: Well as the report said, the klobasa no longer cuts the mustard. To 'cut the
mustard' is a good expression. It means it no longer comes up to expectations.
And now Rosie, it's time to see if you have cut the mustard with the answer to this
week's question.
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Rosie: This was about world-record-breaking sausages.
Rob: Yes. Earlier I asked you, approximately, what is the length of the longest sausage
ever made? Is it:
d) 59 metres
e) 5.9 kilometres
f) 59 kilometres
Rosie: And I said 5.9 kilometres.
Rob: You are wrong I'm afraid. According to the Guinness World Records, the record
for the longest sausage measured 59.14 km (36.75 miles) and was made by J.J.
Tranfield in Sheffield in the UK in October 2000.
Rosie: I wonder how many people it took to eat it?
Rob: Quite a few I expect but they didn't invite me. OK Rosie please could you remind
us of today's words?
Rosie: Of course. They are:
humble
klobasa
hung-over
gentrification
gastric foreboding
thoroughfare
makeover
pedestrianise
avian scavengers
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salubrious
Rob: Thanks very much Rosie. And that's all we've got time for today. Bye.
Rosie: Bye.
