Restaurants and Eating

Chapter 3 – 100 words for Food

The aim of this guide is to teach you the basic Cantonese words you need to make yourself understood. Please read this section in conjunction with our website: About China / General Information - where sections about: Food, Restaurants, and Etiquette are fully detailed

http://www.china-expats.com/AboutFood.htm

11 Basic Words – Reprise from before

Eat, meal, dinner	sic fan	Written as ‘xi fan’. fan = rice, min/fun = noodles	食飯
Drink	yuaam	General, non specific word for fluids	飲
Hungry	tong-nor		肚餓
Full, replete; burp	hO bao	Usually shortened to ‘bao-ah	好飽
Good food	hO sic		好食
Street restaurant	seeU yeahr	Usually late evenings – and throughout the night!	宵夜
Female or Waitress	leun(g) loi	(g) is pronounced 10% only. Zhi as in ‘Zion’. leun(g) means beautiful. Mandarin = lang liU	靚女
Male or Waiter	leun(g) zhi		靚子
The bill	mai dan	Saying: ‘My Dan’ is fine. ‘mai dan-na’ is local speaking	埋單
Beer / alcohol	bAi d’zhao	‘bAi’ as in Bay leaf; Zh = J as in jowel Mandarin ‘Pee jew’ (Versions: ‘Bee jew’, ‘be zau’)	啤酒
Water	soi	Mandarin: ‘shwAy’	水

Note:

v Q: Would you like something to drink?

o lAi yuaam mAer?

o Would you like something to drink? This often infers warm water or tea, but remains a general question

v Q : Would you like to drink …?

o lAi yuaam mmm yuaam …? (… specify the drink)

o Means: ‘You drink, not drink …?’

Entering a restaurant, Setting the Table

	English	Cantonese	Comments	Char
201	Chinese Greeting	gAi chEE...yun?	The very first question you will be asked is how many people ? You reply with the number adding ‘gor yun’
	Greeting No. 2	mIe fan	‘My fan’. Lit : uncooked rice or cooked rice ?; Meaning = would you like something to eat?	米飯
202	Menu	choi pAi	Especially : A la cart menu	菜牌
	Menu (General)	choi dan		菜單
	Order now	lAi lai	Use for food or drinks	嚟
203	Later	ch’uh-DE	Alt: ‘CEE DE’. Coll. ‘an-DE’ also means later, but is not so common.	遲啲
204	3 beers now and the food later	‘sam d’zhi bAi d’zhao leung loi. chu-DE xi fan choi pAi mmm goi’ This or something similar should immediately resolve the problem
205	Open the bottle	hoi d’zhao	Follow with ‘mmm goi’ for politeness	開啤酒
206	A glass	bu-oi-yeei	Said as one syllable. Difficult to get right. ‘boi’ is close. Means a drinking glass	杯
207	Chopsticks	fI zhee	(I as in Me)	筷子
208	Chinese spoon	chee		匙
209	Knife and Fork	doh t’ch-aar	Knife = "doh", Fork = "t’ch-aar". Chinese invented the Fork in 1400bc by the way	刀叉
210	Bowl	wun / zhong	A small bowl or cup	碗/盅
211	Pot of Tea	cha woo		茶壺
212	Ashtray	yin zhong	‘yin’ means cigarette	煙灰盅
213	Hot or spicy	laaht		辣
214	Salt	yim	‘y-iem’ with 10% ‘e’	鹽
215	Soy sauce	sic yaow (xi yau)	The word ‘soy’ will not be understood in this context	豉油
216	Toothpick	ngaa cim		牙籤
217	Doggy bag	dah bao		打包
218	Tissues	Sow zhI/Gee gun	Usually a pack, but can be a roll in a pot	手紙
219	Vegetarian	sic zhaI or hek sOu	See note below	食齋/吃素
220	Staff	for gAi	Supervisor, shop assistant, waiter general	伙計
	Waiter or waitress	kAi toi	The sex of a person is usually not specified	企台
	Waitress	leun(g) loi	(g) is pronounced 10% only. Zhi as in ‘Zion’. leun(g) means beautiful. Mandarin = lang liU	靚女
	Waiter	leun(g) zhi		靚子
	Waiter (Formal)	kAi tong	Polite version that nobody uses ‘siu GEE’ means ‘You are a Fat pig’, be careful!	企堂
	Waitress (Formal)	seeU GEE		伙計
	Manager	ging lAi	Also use for Head Waitress, Supervisor, etc	經理
	Boss, Owner	lo ban	Coll. ‘lo ban-na’	老闆

Note:

v Ordering. The waitress will expect you to order food immediately, and not expect you to order alcohol. Westerners usually want a drink first whilst they study the menu. This is a very big problem !

Vegetarians:

The official Cantonese phrase is ‘xi zhaai’ or ‘hek sou’, which nobody will understand!
You may have more success with ‘mO yuk’ meaning ‘no meat’. However, this does not mean nor imply, that you are vegetarian!
‘sO’ will probably work = 蔬 Meaning = vegetables only, and implies you are Vegetarian
Your best bet is to convey that you are a Buddhist, as everybody knows Buddhists do not eat meat in a vegetarian sense of the word. Try ‘fat-fat’ and ‘fat gao tou’ when you get stuck, or…..
Go to a Vegetarian Restaurant – all cities have them
Calling a friend is ok, and may bring forth the required results?

50-50 and asking the audience will get you nowhere
Vegan’s should pick another country, sorry

Food Basics

221	Soup	ton-gAi		糖
222	Rice Porridge	juck	Sounds like ‘Jock’. Alt in Hong Kong : ‘congEE’	糜
223	Meat	yuk		肉
224	Beef	ngau yuk	Nasal version of ‘now’	牛肉
225	Steak	ngau pa	Alt. Ou pa. 10% cooked = medium	牛扒
		Note: Steak is ordered using the 10% method - & is always overcooked!		成熟
	Rare	yut sing suk	Numbers 1 – 9 for percentages. Chinese chefs do not like to serve a steak that has any liquid blood!	一成熟
	Medium	mmm sing suk		五成熟
	Well done	CyUn suk	Approximate Meaning: fully cooked	全熟
226	Burger/Hamburger	haam bO bah!	Used as a general term. Usually means beefburger	漢堡包
227	Hot Dog	yit gao		熱狗
228	Shepherds Pie	Ou yuk pIe	Probably a cottage pie (Minced beef)
229	Chips / Fries	siu tue		薯條
230	Sandwich	sam mun GEE	Often lightly toasted and in 3-layers	三文治

More Types of Meats

231	Chicken	gaI	Sounds like ‘guy’. Also means ‘woman of the night’	雞
232	Steamed chicken	jing gaI		白雞
233	Drumstick	gaI bAi		雞髀
234	Wings	gaI GEE/ gaI jik		雞翼
235	Pork	GEE yuk		豬肉
236	Spare Ribs	pIe gwat	10% ‘t’. Many styles and versions	排骨
237	Lamb	yeurm yuk	This means ‘Mutton’ = generalised common usage Note: I have used normal ‘m’, because this is what I hear. It is actually nasal ‘ng’	羊肉
		sUi yeurm	This is lamb, and also a name of a famous food chain offering ‘hot-pot’ DIY (sUi fAi yeurm)	小羊
238	Goose	ngor	As in Knorr brand soups	鵝
239	Duck	aap	A sharp resonating sound a bit like a ‘Quack’	鴨
240	Pigeon	yU-EE gup	Alt: ‘gap gaap’	鴿
241	Snake	se-ur		蛇
242	Dog	gao yuk	Coll: ‘sam lop heurng yuk’ 三六香肉 (Pun on 9)	狗肉
243	Toad	gap naa	Usually gnarly black toads done in a chillie casserole	蛤乸
244	Fish	ye-UE	Often a ‘Bones nightmare!’	魚
	Big boned fish are normally sea fish. Ask for either ‘gwi ye-UE’ or ‘lo-bo’
245	Eel	sin/maan ye-Ue		鮮/鰻魚
246	Sea Food	hoi sin		海
247	Crab	haa		蟹
248	Prawns	haI	Many types of these – best to choose your own	蝦
249	Oysters	sang ho	Fresh Oyster: Plain or choice of dressings	鮮蠔
250	Lobster	leung haa	10% ‘g’	龍蝦

Grains (Carbohydrates)

251	Rice	fan	Cooked rice general. ‘faan’ is more correct in Guangzhou	飯
252	Glutinous Rice	nor mai / zhEm nEm mai	Sticky rice	糯米/粘米
253	Wheat Noodles	min	The best are made by hand	麵
254	Rice noodles	hor fun/mIe cin		河粉/米線
255	Stir Fry	chow mEEin		炒麵
256	Steamed buns	maan tau	Chinese bread	饅頭
257	Bread	min bao	Be very careful, most Chinese bread is very sweet	麵包/麪包
258	Steamed bread	maan maan	Stuffed or un stuffed Chinese bread dumplings	饅
259	Dumplings	dim sum	Chinese entrees or hors derves	點心
260	Potatoes	shiU zhI		薯仔

Dairy Produce

261	Milk	lIe	As in lie down. Alt HK: ‘lai’	奶
262	Cream	gai lim	Expect tinned whippy-squirty cream	忌廉
263	Skimmed milk	tU GEE lIe	Characters mean: ‘Low fat milk’	低脂牛奶
264	Evaporated Milk	faah lIe		花奶
265	Condensed Milk	lin lIe		煉奶
266	Powdered Milk	lIe fun		奶粉
267	Yogurt	sU-EEn lIe		酸奶
268	Cheese	GEE sEE/zhI CEE	China makes hundreds of different cheeses & imports all your favourites also. However, cheese is not a normal food for most	芝士
269	Tofu	dau foo	Beancurd (Remember Cantonese change ‘t’ to ‘d’)	豆腐
270	Egg	dan	Chicken egg is ‘gaI dan’, usually boiled雞蛋	蛋

Vegetables

271	Greens	sum choy	Cabbage leaves of the day	蔬菜
	Leggy Broccoli	choy sum		菜蔬
	Proper Broccoli	sai laan faa		西蘭花
	Pickled Cabbage	sUen choy	Vaguely akin to sauerkraut + sugar and chillie!	酸菜
	Chinese Cabbage	baak choy	10% ‘k’	白菜
	Chinese Leaves	surng wang wah wah choy		紹菜
272	Asparagus	lo sun		蘆筍
273	Aubergine	gaa ke ke /Ai gwa	Eggplant	茄
274	Celery	sAi kun		西芹
275	Capsicum Peppers	d’oung lo-ung GU		燈籠椒
276	Chillies	chow wah/ laaht zhiU	‘hO laaht’ works very well (Grammar Nightmare!)	辣椒
277	Tomatoes	faan k’eur	Yes we know it is technically a fruit. Often found in fruit salads!	番茄
278	Cucumber	cheng gwa		青瓜
279	Mushrooms	goo	There are many types of Chinese mushrooms	菇
280	Above With Garlic	sAi-EE laan faa	Usually steamed dishes. Char right means ‘garlic’	蒜
	Ginger	g-eng	Most popular in Cantonese cooking	薑

Note:

Tinned Baked Beans are called ‘dau dau’ (doh-doh)

Fruit

281	Apple	ping gwor	There are many types of apples and pears, some of which seem to be a combination of both. Some also look like peaches	蘋果
282	Pear	sU-Eet lAy		雪梨
283	Peach	tO		桃
284	Orange	chaang		橙
285	Banana	heurng GEEU		蕉
286	Grapes	tai GEE		提子
287	Longnan	l’o-ung-ngan	Similar to lychees. Considered a delicacy
288	Lychee	lAi GEE		荔枝
289	Mango	mong goo	As in ‘Mongoose’	芒果
290	Melon	gwa		瓜

Desserts

291	Ice cream	sU-EEt go	‘go’ – not pronounced ‘gO’ as in English ‘go’	雪糕
292	Sponge cake	daan gOu		蛋糕
293	Pancakes	baan kick	Frappes style, cooked by Indians for some reason?	班戟
294	Custard pies	daan taat	Similar to real Bakewell tarts from Bakewell village in UK. Usually served hot	蛋撻
295	Chocolate	zyU go lik		朱古力
296	Double-skim Milk	leurng lIe	A Shunde Daliang specialty like blanche mange	雙皮奶
297	Fruit Salad	zaap gwO	Normally includes tomatoes and sweet mayonnaise!	雜果
298	Toffee Banana	but sEE heurng GEEU
299	Toffee Apple	but sEE ping gwor
300	French Toast	sAi dor sEE		西多士

Note 1:

Western Fast Food = Macdonald’s and KFC

Burger	haam bO bah!	mah doh-nal zee = MacDonald’s; han duk gAi = KFC. That’s it = no other options!	漢堡包
Chips or fries	siu tue shiu-zhi	Means potatoes. ‘tue-shiu’ or ‘shiu-tue’ is more correct	薯條
Cola	hO-la	Coke = ‘hO how hO-la’, Pepsi = ‘bah t’zhi hO-la’	可樂
Pizza	bok beng peit-zzaah	Pizza Hut (only) is also in China + some very good local Chinese delivery versions	薄餅
Chinese Burgers	haam bO bah!	These are available from Xi’an and Urghur outlets. 1. The Xi’an ones are very good, but usually close by 9.30 pm. The default is ‘lamb’; However - the ‘Donkey Burger’ is mega! 2. The Urghur version is open 24/7/365 – They are the Chinese who usually wear a small white paper hats. Their meat is genuine ‘Halal’, and they should also offer a ‘Cracking’ doner meat’ – except this never gets into their burgers thingamajigs. Best buy at 3 or 4am = 5 RMB (£0.50) each. “Boy food!”	漢堡包
Takeaway	ngoi mAi	Fast food places will always ask you this. Learn an answer that suits you (and they understand). for instance… ‘lidO’ = ‘here’; ‘hoi’ = ‘go’ (and point)	外賣
Eat in	tong sic		堂食

Table Manners

Initially you may find the way that ordinary Chinese eat food to be uncouth. Please know that they are also judging you equally badly and will probably think you are totally un-cultured. Perception is a wonderful asset

1. The host should sit opposite the door

2. Toasts regularly punctuate a formal Chinese meal

a) Don’t drink (Alcohol) before the host has proposed the first toast

b) The honoured guest (Probably you) should repay this toast either immediately, or as soon as the next dish is served

3. If you drop a piece of food on the tablecloth – leave it there

4. When using toothpicks, the mouth should be covered

5. If eating something large and awkward, cover your mouth

6. Most meals are not considered formal – but be aware of the above, and especially ‘toasting’ 7.

7. Less formally, never drink alone. Tap your glass on the Lazy Susan - so anyone wanting a drink will join you

Please see our section on etiquette for fuller information

In Chapter 4 we will look at Drinks, Transport and Sports