THE STEW IS SO SALTY THAT I CAN’T ENJOY IT

Sometimes we taste food and notice something is wrong. Maybe it’s too sweet, too spicy, or in this case—too salty. When a dish has too much salt, it can be unpleasant to eat. In this topic, we focus on using expressions like “so + adjective + that” to describe a result or consequence, such as “so salty that I can’t enjoy it.”

This grammar structure helps us explain problems with food, feelings, or situations. We also practice talking about taste and giving polite feedback about food.

🔹 Examples:

The stew is so salty that I can’t eat more than one spoon.
The coffee was so bitter that she threw it away.
The cake was so delicious that everyone asked for seconds.

📘 GRAMMAR: 'So... that' structure

We use “so + adjective + that” to describe a result or consequence of a situation.

Structure:

Subject + verb to be + so + adjective + that + result

Examples:

The stew is so salty that I can’t enjoy it.
The soup was so hot that I burned my tongue.
This dish is so tasty that I want more.

You can also use modal verbs to suggest actions:

You should add less salt.
You can’t eat that much salt.
We mustn’t serve it like this again.

📘 VOCABULARY (10 words):

Stew – a dish made by cooking meat and vegetables slowly.
Salty – having too much salt.
Enjoy – to take pleasure in something.
Taste – the flavor of food or drink.
Flavor – the combination of taste and smell.
Dish – a prepared type of food.
Recipe – a set of steps to make a dish.
Bland – not having much flavor.
Spicy – having a strong, hot flavor.
Ingredient – one of the foods used to make a dish.

📘 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS:

The stew is so salty that I can’t enjoy it.
It needs less salt.
This is too much for my taste.
I think the cook added too much salt.
Can we fix it with more water?

📘 SENTENCES:

Positive:

The stew is tasty and warm.
I enjoy cooking new recipes.
We will prepare a fresh dish tomorrow.

Negative:

The stew isn’t good today.
I can’t eat it because it’s too salty.
You shouldn’t use that much salt.

Questions:

Why is this stew so salty?
Didn’t you taste it before serving?
Can we do something to fix it?

Answers:

I’m not sure, maybe I used the wrong spoon.
No, I forgot to taste it.
Yes, let’s add some potatoes to reduce the salt.

📘 CONVERSATION:

Emma: Hmm… this stew is so salty that I can’t enjoy it.

David: Really? Let me try. Oh wow, yes, it’s very salty!

Emma: Didn’t you just follow the recipe?

David: I did, but maybe I misread the amount of salt.

Emma: That happens. Can we fix it?

David: Maybe. I can add some more water and a potato.

Emma: Good idea. That should help absorb the salt.

David: Thanks! Next time I’ll be more careful.

📘 READING:

Carla was preparing dinner for her family. She followed a new recipe for beef stew. She added onions, carrots, potatoes, and salt. But she didn’t notice that she added salt twice. When dinner was ready, everyone sat at the table. Carla took the first bite and stopped. “Oh no,” she said. “The stew is so salty that I can’t enjoy it.” Her family agreed. Carla was a little sad, but her mother smiled and said, “It’s okay. We all make mistakes. Let’s try to fix it.” Carla added some water and a potato. After a few minutes, the stew was much better. Everyone ate with a smile.

Questions: