Reading

A2 French reading: how a food truck gets ready for lunch

Behind the scenes of a French food truck: shopping at dawn, prep, the noon rush and closing. An A2 text with glosses, roles and a timeline question.

In short

An A2 text in the present tense with time markers (à six heures, ensuite, pendant que, à midi pile). Two partners run a food truck; identify who does what, and in what order.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Two partners preparing galettes and vegetables in a food truck.
Bilal and Clara get leur camion-restaurant ready for lunch. Illustration: Atelier

Le camion de Bilal et Clara

Bilal et Clara tiennent un camion-restaurant1 depuis deux ans. Ils font des galettes et des salades avec des produits locaux.

À six heures du matin, Bilal va au marché de gros2 acheter les légumes et le fromage. À huit heures, dans leur petite cuisine, Clara épluche3 les légumes pendant que4 Bilal prépare la pâte à galettes.

À onze heures et demie, ils garent le camion devant la zone d'activités. Clara installe5 l'ardoise et les tables ; Bilal fait chauffer les plaques. À midi pile, la file6 est déjà longue.

Entre midi et deux, ils servent cent vingt clients. À treize heures trente, la galette au chèvre est en rupture7. À quinze heures, Bilal nettoie le camion et Clara fait les comptes8. Demain, ils recommencent.

Read it in English

Bilal and Clara have run a food truck for two years. They make galettes and salads with local produce.

At six in the morning, Bilal goes to the wholesale market to buy vegetables and cheese. At eight, in their small kitchen, Clara peels the vegetables while Bilal prepares the galette batter.

At half past eleven, they park the truck in front of the business park. Clara sets up the chalkboard and the tables; Bilal heats the hotplates. At twelve on the dot, the queue is already long.

Between twelve and two, they serve a hundred and twenty customers. At one thirty, the goat's cheese galette is sold out. At three, Bilal cleans the truck and Clara does the accounts. Tomorrow, they start again.

Who does what?
TimeBilalClara
6:00buys produce at the market–
8:00makes the batterpeels vegetables
11:30heats the hotplatessets up board and tables
15:00cleans the truckdoes the accounts

Entre midi et deux (between twelve and two) is how the French name the lunch break. Le coup de feu is the rush in a kitchen, and en rupture (de stock) means sold out. Une galette in Brittany is a savoury buckwheat pancake.

Question 1No account needed
Who goes to the wholesale market?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Bilal. Bilal va au marché de gros.

Question 2No account needed
What is sold out at 1.30?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

the goat's cheese galette. La galette au chèvre est en rupture.

Question 3No account needed
Pendant que means…

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

while. Pendant que + clause: while.