Travel in Chinese Lesson 21 Reservation

同事男：今天是周末，咱们一起吃晚饭吧。

雪梅：今天你怎么变得那么大方？

同事男：小李刚来咱们报社，大家还没一起吃过饭呢！

小李：你们太客气了。

同事男：你们两位都喜欢吃辣的吗？

小李：我没问题，雪梅你呢？

雪梅：中国菜我都喜欢。

同事男：那就去门口那家川菜馆吧。

小李：是报社门口那家吗？那儿可火了，吃饭的人特别多。

同事男：没事儿，我们现在就打个电话预订一下。

小李：我来订吧，我也经常去那儿吃。

小李（打电话）喂，是川菜馆吧，今天晚上我们想在你们那儿预订一桌。

饭店人：请问几位。

小李：三位，有没有小包间。

饭店人：包间都满了。

小李：那就在大厅吧，要安静一点儿的地方。

饭店人：请问先生贵姓？

小李：免贵姓李，我们大概6点半左右到。

饭店人：李小姐，给您预订的是16号桌，用餐时间是6点半左右。

（在饭店）

服务员：请问几位？

同事男：三位，我们已经预订了，16号桌。

服务员：几位这边请。这是菜单。

同事男：你们看看菜单，看看喜欢吃什么？

小李：你点吧，你挺会点菜的。

雪梅：就是，你点吧，这叫能者多劳嘛！

同事男：好，先点几个凉菜，四川泡菜、夫妻肺片，再来几个热菜，雪梅你有没有不吃的东西？

雪梅：我不喜欢吃猪脚、猪头什么的。

同事男：好，鱼香肉丝、宫爆鸡丁，再来个麻婆豆腐，这些都是典型的川菜。

雪梅：几个菜了，够了吧？

服务员：凉热加起来五个。

同事男：五个菜，五个不好，再来一个，酸辣黄瓜，六六大顺。

服务员：喝点什么酒？饮料？

同事男：我要一瓶啤酒，你们呢？也喝点啤酒吧。

雪梅：我想喝菊花茶。

小李：我也喝菊花茶吧，来一壶菊花茶。

同事男：啤酒要冰的。

服务员：请稍等。
 

Translation:

(Office)

Colleague1: It’s time to go home. Xuemei, Xiaoli, the weekend starts today. Let’s have dinner together. It’s my turn to pay.

Xuemei: That’s wonderful. Why are you so generous today?

Colleague1: Xiaoli is our new workmate. We haven’t gone out for around together yet.

Xuemei: That’s right. Xiaoli, what kind of food do you like?

Colleague2: Thank you. You are very kind.

Coleague1:Do you both like spicy food?

Colleague2:I don’t have a problem. How about you Xuemei?

Xuemei: I’ll eat anything. I like all Chinese food.

Colleague1: Then we’ll go to a Sichuan restaurant near the entrance.

Colleague2: The one near the office entrance?

It’s popular these days. There’re so many people.

Colleague1: We’ll make a reservation now.

Colleague2: I can make a reservation. I often go there.

Colleague2: Hello, is this the Sichuan restaurant?

We’d like to book a table for tonight.

Waiter: Hello. For how many?

Colleague2: Three. Do you have any small VIP rooms?

Waiter: The VIP rooms are fully booked.

Colleague2: In the main dining room, somewher quiet.

Waiter: Could I ask for your surname please?

Colleague: My surname is Li. We’ll be there around 6:30.

Waiter: Miss Li, we’ve reserved table 16 for you around 6:30.

(Sichuan restaurant)

Waitress: Welcome! How many are there in your party.

Colleague1: Three. We’ve already booked, table 16.

Waitress: This way please.

Waitress: Here is the menu.

Colleague1: Have a look at the menu and see what you’d like to eat.

Colleague2: You do the ordering. Everything is OK.

Xuemei: That’s right. You order. You’re so good at it.

Colleague1: OK. We’ll order some cold dished first.

Sichuan pickles, spicy sliced beef and tendons. Then, we’ll have a few hot dishes.

Is there anything you don’t eat, Xuemei?

Xuemei: I don’t like stuff like pigs’ trotter and pigs’ head.

Colleague1: OK. I know. Spicy pork shreds and Kungpao chicken. We also want to have a Mapo spicy tofu. There are all typical Sichuan dishes.

Xuemei: How many is that? Is that enough?

Waitress: Hot and cold dishes- altogether that’s five.

Colleague1: Five dishes? That doesn’t sound good.

We’ll have anther one, spicy cucumber. Lucy six dishes.

Waitress: Would you like some wine with that? Soft drinks?

Colleague1: I’ll have a beer. What about you? Have some bear?

Xuemei: I’d like some chrysanthemum tea.

Colleague1: Make the beer a cold one.

Waitress: Please wait for a moment.
 

Bookmarks

1）什么都 whatever

（例）那里的东西什么都很贵。

The things there are all expensive.

（例）我什么都不想买。

I don't want to buy anything.

Sign Posts

Styles of Chinese Cooking

There are many different styles of Chinese cooking and it can be hard to generalize.

Cantonese food, from the south of China, tends to put a great deal of emphasis on fresh ingredients, quickly cooked and lightly seasoned. Northern cooking styles tend to have much stronger, salty flavours. Northerners tend to prefer large, hearty portions while the food in Shanghai is known for being delicate, light and sweet.

Some parts of China, especially Hunan and Sichuan provinces, are known for hot, spicy food. Coastal areas, especially, love to eat fish and all forms of seafood. Further west, especially along the silk road areas of China, the food is closely related to Middle Eastern styles, with lamb being the main form of meat. Wheat products, like noodles, steamed or fried breads and dumplings are common in the north and west of China, while rice is the main staple in southern China.

Some people divide Chinese cooking into 4 styles, others say 8, still others say 10. And that's still not including ethnic styles like Korean or Muslim cooking, both of which are widely available in China.

No matter wher you're going, trying the local food should be one of the highlights of any trip to China.

Substitution and Extension

1）还没…呢an action has not yet occurred

（例）他还没下飞机呢。

He hasn't come off the plane yet.

2）每…都… every, each and every one

（例）北京的每个公园他都去过。

He's been to each and every park in Beijing.