Travel in Chinese Lesson 24 Hot pot

表姐：（接电话）好的，我们回头再联系吧。

小杰：姑姑，你在和谁打电话呢？

表姐：哦，是我的一个朋友。我们刚一起出去吃了火锅。

小杰：火锅？那是什么？是不是锅里有火，我们从火里往外夹菜。

表姐：这哪儿跟哪儿呀，真应该让表哥带你出去见识一下儿。

小杰：那让他快点儿带我去吧。

表姐：别急，我给他打个电话。

（打电话）哦，好的，我知道了。

小杰：表哥说什么？

表姐：他明天从学校回来就带你去，可能还有他的一个同学和你们一起去。

小杰：你不和我们去吗？

表姐：我明天晚上要加班，你们好好玩儿吧，多吃点儿。

（在火锅店门口）

刘勇：这是我的表妹。

小杰：你好，我叫小杰。

女同学：你好！

（进饭店）

服务员：请问，要什么锅底？

刘勇：你吃辣的吗？

小杰：不吃，受不了。

刘勇：那我们来个鸳鸯锅底吧。

小杰：鸳鸯是一种鸟吧？

刘勇：在这里鸳鸯锅底的意思就是一个锅里装两种锅底，中间分开。

女同学：锅底不一样涮出的肉味道也不同。

刘勇：这里的羊肉特别好，没有膻味，咱们尝尝？。

女：要点儿羊肉、牛肉，再要点儿青菜。

刘勇：豆腐、粉丝、白菜、两盘羊肉、牛肉。

服务员：请问，三位要用什么调料？

女：你们这有什么调料？

服务员：香油、麻酱、海鲜的。

女：三碗香油的吧。

（火锅端上来了）

小杰：啊，一半白，一半红，真好看。

刘：锅都开了，咱们往里放吧。

女同学：肉变色了，熟了，快夹吧，趁热吃好吃。

小杰：热呼呼的真好吃。
 

Translation

Having hotpot

Cousin: Ok, I will contact you next time.

Xiao Jie: Auntie, who are you talking to?

Cousin: Oh, a friend of mine. We have just been out together for hotpot.

Xiao Jie: Hotpot? What’s that? Is it like a pot on fire and you pick food from the fire?

Cousin: What? That doesn’t make any sense. Your cousin should take you to have a look.

Xiao Jie: Well, tell him to hurry up and take me.

Cousin: Hang on a second，I’ll give him a call.

（makes call）Oh, OK, I got it.

Xiao Jie: What did he say?

Cousin: He’ll come and pick you up tomorrow. Maybe one of his school friends will go with you.

Xiao Jie: Aren’t you coming with us?

Cousin: I have to work overtime tonight. You guys have fun，eat lots.

（in front of the hotpot restaurant）

Liu Yong: This is my cousin.

Xiao Jie: Hello! I’m Xiao Jie.

Classmate: Hello！

（they walk in the restaurant）

waiter: Which soup base would you like?

Liu Yong: Do you like spicy food?

Xiao Jie: No，I can’t take it.

Liu Yong: Then we’ll get the Yuanyang soup base.

Xiao Jie: Isn’t Yuanyang a type of bird?

Liu Yong: Here, Yuanyang soup base means two bases in one pot，but divided in the middle.

Classmate: The meat tastes different depending on which soup base you cook it in.

Liu Yong: The lamb here is really good, there’s none of that strong lamb taste. How about we try some? .

Classmate: We’ll get some lamb, some beef, and some vegetables.

Liu Yong: （says to waiter）Tofu, vermicelli, Chinese cabbage, two plates of lamb and two plates of beef.

waiter: Which sauce would the three of you like?

Classmate: What sauces do you have?

Waiter: Sesame oil, sesame paste and seafood sauce.

Classmate: Three bowls of sesame oil.

（the hotpot is brought to the table）

Xiao Jie: Wow，it’s half white and half red. It looks great.

Liu: The pot is boiling. Let’s start putting stuff in.

Classmate: The meat’s changed colour. That means it’s cooked. Quick, the meat tastes good while it’s hot!

Xiao Jie: This is piping hot and yummy!
 

Bookmarks

1）受不了 can’t handle or can’t bear something

（例）坐24个小时的火车，小孩子可受不了。

Little children can't bear taking a train for 24 hours.

（例）我受不了这么冷的天气。

I can't bear such cold weather.

2）趁（着）take advantage of an opportunity

（例）他趁我不注意，把我的包拿走了。

He took advantage of when I wasn't looking to take my bag away.

（例）趁着在中国旅游的机会，他认识了很多中国朋友。

He took advantage of his travels in China to meet many Chinese friends.

Sign Posts

Hot Pot

If you visit Beijing, especially outside of the hot summer months, you really should try 火锅. Some people call this hot pot, others call it a chafing dish or Chinese fondue.

火锅 literally means fire pot. 是不是锅里有火 Is there fire in the pot? Well, there has to be some kind of heat source, but there are many different styles of hotpot. Old fashioned Beijing hotpot is a round donut shaped pot surrounding a small charcoal fire. So the charcoal fire is in the round belly of the pot, surrounded by a ring of boiling broth.

Nowadays, gas and electric heat are also used. They’re more convenient, and less polluting.

Some restaurants now use a smaller size of hotpot, so that each person can have their own pot. These are usually just small, flat bottomed dishes heated by a can of fuel that can be ignited with a candle. This is closer to western style fondue, although the ingredients are the same as traditional Beijing hot pot.

It's fun to cook your own meal this way, and there is a huge variety of ingredients that you can try. Just make sure you don't eat any of the dishes raw, and sterilize your chopsticks in the pot too.

Substitution and Extension

1）哪儿跟哪儿呀 nonsense

（例）哪儿跟哪儿呀，这是我妹妹，不是我的女朋友。

What are you talking about? This is my sister, not my girlfriend.