REPLY: 2:221/6.0 6576b9b0   
   MSGID: 2:5023/24.4222 657c9d15   
   CHRS: CP866 2   
   TZUTC: 0400   
   + 22:38 [4222] call to english_tutor   
     22:38 [4222] connected   
   + 22:38 [4222] outgoing session with 2:221/6   
   + 22:38 [4222] quoting Alexander Koryagin -> Gleb Hlebov   
   - 22:38 [4222] TIME Fri 15 Dec 2023 22:38 +0400   
      
    AK> ========   
    GH>> Steak and kidney pie is a popular British dish. It is a savoury   
    GH>> pie filled principally with a mixture of diced beef, diced kidney   
    GH>> (which may be beef, lamb, veal, or pork) and onion. (google)   
    AK> ========   
    AK> "Steak and kidney pie" _are_ different dishes. "Steak" is just a piece   
    AK> of meat, IMHO.   
      
   In theory, yes, it could be that S and KP /are/ different dishes. In the real   
   life "anglosphere", not so much .:-)   
      
   If you think about it, it's not a great idea to have both steak and pie with   
   diced meat in one meal, to begin with. Sure you can afford and have both and   
   add a bag of "Lay's" to that, because why not? But in anglo- or british   
   cuisine S&KP is positively one dish (and a recipe), as quoted above, plus   
   "chips" aren't crisps like Lay's or Estrella but simply a plate of sliced and   
   fried potato, like "french fries" in North America. Just indulge yourself and   
   do a little bit of research on the matter. Otherwise, how would you learn   
   things?   
      
    GH>> 2.  Friend: asks "So last night you went to that restaurant?"   
    GH>>     Me: "Yeah"   
    GH>>     F: "How was it?"   
    GH>>     M: "Great, I had a steak and kidney pie, at last"   
    AK> Why "at last"?   
      
   Because I was going to try it for a while and that day the opportunity   
   presented itself.   
      
    GH>>     F: "THAT pie? For real? With chips?"   
    GH>>     M: "Yeah, it's something else! Highly recommended."   
    AK> -"else"? Maybe "Yeah, it's something! Highly recommended."   
      
   s.e., idiom.:   
   unusual, especially extremely good (or extremely bad):   
   "This game is really something else!"   
   Unique and unusual.   
      
    GH>> Do you realize the difference between those two? Both are casual   
    GH>> dialogue instances that can occur everyday everywhere.   
    AK> I still don't see why I cannot use "a" in the first example. ;)   
      
   You mean this?   
      
    GH>>     S: "Steak and kidney pie with chips"   
    GH>>     M: "Good"   
      
   The context is kind of an everyday talk between parents and kids, like they   
   know there's a lot of various food in the fridge at home and that he's   
   supposed to take some food, warm it up in a microwave and eat. The reference   
   here is the type of food, not the amount or quantity of it, like portions,   
   servings, etc.   
      
   The more you learn the more you will see why you should or shouldn't use those   
   depending on the variety of context. None of us 'tutees' is perfect here, we   
   just keep on learning.   
      
      
   + 22:38 [4222] session closed, quitting...   
   - bye!   
   --- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5   
    * Origin: Type  to continue (2:5023/24.4222)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/123 10/0 1 15/0 90/1 102/401 103/1 705 105/81 106/201 123/131   
   SEEN-BY: 128/260 129/305 153/7715 154/10 214/22 218/0 1 215 601 700   
   SEEN-BY: 218/720 840 850 860 870 880 930 221/1 6 226/30 227/114 229/110   
   SEEN-BY: 229/112 113 206 307 317 426 428 470 664 700 240/1120 250/25   
   SEEN-BY: 266/512 282/1038 291/111 301/1 113 320/219 322/757 342/200   
   SEEN-BY: 396/45 450/1024 460/58 463/68 467/888 712/848 5000/111 5001/100   
   SEEN-BY: 5005/49 5015/42 46 255 5019/40 5020/400 570 715 830 846 1042   
   SEEN-BY: 5020/4441 5022/2 5023/12 24 5030/49 5034/13 5053/51 5054/8   
   SEEN-BY: 5058/104 5061/15 133 5075/35 128 5080/102 5083/1 444 5090/958   
   SEEN-BY: 6035/3   
   PATH: 5023/24 5020/715 1042 301/1 218/700 229/426