Mandarin Monday: A Cheat Sheet for Ordering in Mandarin for Newbies
Some of us local Chinese and grizzled expat veterans of many a Mandarin class forget that a significant portion of the expat population recognizes so few Chinese characters that rocking up at a restaurant without an English menu can be a real challenge. While this quickie guide won't give you access to the deeper, darker corners of every Chinese menu, it's a start to at least make sure you don't accidentally order the Spicy Lung Slices or Large Intestine Soup: Food 食物 shíwù
Vegetables 蔬菜 shūcài
– Cabbage 白菜 Báicài
– Scallion/Green onion 葱 Cōng
– Onion 洋葱 Yángcōng
– Celery 芹菜 Qíncài
– Coriander 香菜 Xiāngcài
– Bamboo shoot 笋 Sǔn
– Mushroom 蘑菇 Mógū
– Tomato 西红柿/番茄 Xīhóngshì/ Fān qié
– Potato 土豆 Tǔdòu
– Corn 玉米 Yùmǐ
– Eggplant 茄子 Qiézi
– Cucumber 黄瓜 Huángguā
– Bean sprout 豆芽 Dòuyá
– Spinach 菠菜 Bōcài
Meat 肉 Ròu
– Pork 猪肉 Zhūròu
– Beef 牛肉 Niúròu
– Chicken 鸡肉 Jīròu
– Lamb 羊肉 Yángròu
– Ribs 排骨 Páigǔ
– Pork belly 五花肉 Wǔhuāròu
– Steak 牛排 Niúpái
Seafood 海鲜 Haixian
– Crab 螃蟹 Páng xiè
– Shrimp 虾 Xiā
– Fish 鱼 Yú
– Lobster 龙虾 Lobster
– Spicy Crawfish 麻辣小龙虾 Má là xiǎo lóng xiā
Regional dishes 地方菜 dìfāngcài
– Peking duck 北京烤鸭 Beijing kǎoyā
– Shanghai small steamed buns 上海小笼包 Shànghǎi xiǎolóng bāo
– Xi’an hamburger 西安肉夹馍 Xī’ān ròujiámó
– Sichuan hotpot 四川火锅 Sìchuān huǒguō
– Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles 兰州拉面 Lánzhōu lāmiàn
– Hangzhou braised pork belly 杭州东坡肉 Hángzhōu dōng pō ròu
– Changsha-style stinky tofu 长沙臭豆腐 Chǎngshā chòu dòufu
Drinks 饮品 yǐnpǐn
– Tea 茶 Chá
Red wine 红酒 Hóng pútáojiǔ
– White wine 白葡萄酒 Bái pútáojiǔ
– Beer 啤酒 Píjiǔ
– Juice 果汁 Guǒzhī
– Ice water 冰水 Bīngshuǐ
– Coca-Cola 可乐 Kělè
– Herbal tea 王老吉 Wánglǎojí
Key ordering phrases
Hi, what do you want to order?
你好，请问你要点什么？ Nǐhǎo，qǐngwèn nǐ xiǎng diǎn shénme？
I’d like to have __.
我想要__。 Wǒ xiǎngyào__.
Hi waiter, I’m a vegetarian, can you recommend some vegan food to me?
你好，服务员， 我是素食主义者，请问你能推荐我一些素食菜给我吗？ Nǐhǎo fúwùyuán, wǒshì sùshízhǔyìzhě, qǐngwèn nǐneng tuījiàn yìxiē sùshícài gěiwǒ ma?
I really like to eat steak!
我很喜欢吃牛排! Wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī niúpái!
READ: Mandarin Monday: How a Song Dynasty Poem Inspired One of the Biggest Memes of 2020
This post comes courtesy of our sister site beijingkids.
Photos: Pixabay.com
