I went to a new Italian restaurant last night. It claimed to cater/cook/feed for everyone’s tastes.
The correct answer is cater for
Is it not possible to use the phrasal verb to cook for somebody’s taste at all?
Thank you very much.
“To cater for someone’s taste” is a fixed expression. “To cater for” means both “to provide meals for” and "to provide with what is desired ": that is why it is so right for this expression. I guess you could say “to cook for everyone’s tastes”; it would not actually be incorrect, but it would sound as though you were deliberately avoiding the expression that comes to mind as the most natural one. I think this exercise is forcing you to choose the most idiomatic answer.
Thank you. And how about this sentence.
My mother is the best. She tries to cater/cook for everyone’s tastes in the family.
thank you in advance.
In general, you cook for someone, not for something. That’s why “cook for … tastes” is odd. For the same reasons as above, “cater for” is much better here.
Should I cook something for the party?
Besides, I think that “to cater for” and to cater to" have slightly different meanings.
You could say that “the party” comprises people? With metaphors or metonymia, I guess anything’s possible…
I’d say “to cater to” is usually not used with actual food in mind?