Lesson 22 What can you eat?

ポイント
Kiyomi asks Mike a question I’ve been asked many times. The question is grammatically fine, so why does Mike think it’s strange?

ダイアログ
Kiyomi: Can you eat Japanese food?
Mike: Yeah…Why do you ask?

解説
We ask “Can you eat…?” to find out about dietary restrictions. For example, Muslims and Jews cannot eat pork for religious reasons while people with nut allergies cannot eat peanuts because peanuts make them sick. But Kiyomi isn’t asking about Mike’s ability; she’s asking about his likes. So she should ask, “Do you like Japanese food?”