第九课 王府井小吃街 Lesson Nine: Snacking on Wangfujing Street (2)

Stephy: Here land meets sea, as fried grasshoppers, with no hop left in them, lay pierced in straight rows next to unmoving starfish. The daring eat creamy-textured, or so it’s been claimed cow hearts and lamb testicles encased in sea mushrooms. 

Snakes are easy to pick out, and seahorses look like themselves, save for a bit gray, but other meats are harder to differentiate. With foreigners frequenting the street, many vendors have procured enough English terms to explain the mysterious red, white and pink masses.

(People are eating scorpions.)

Stephy: These guys – well, there’s no need asking what they are. Some find it thrilling or simply guaranteed freshness to choose which set of impaled scorpions gets thrown in the deep fryer. 

Vendor: 您要什么？
Customer: 我要这个！
Vendor: 这个？
Customer: 不是，我要这个。
Vendor: 要这个？
Customer: 对。

(Vendor fries scorpion.) 

Vendor: 味道怎么样？
Customer: 好吃！不过有点咸，外面很脆，里面很软。好吃！      

GRAPHIC FLASH: 外面很脆，里面很软。脆 crisp, 很 very, 外面outside, 外面很脆。The outside is very crisp. 软soft, 里面 inside, 里面很软。The inside is very soft. 外面很脆，里面很软。The outside is very crisp. The inside is very soft.

Stephy: If you’re having trouble deciding what to eat, just ask the experts themselves.    

Stephy: 您好，您能告诉我哪一个最好吃？
Vendor: 这个最好吃。
Stephy: 好，来一个吧。多少钱？
Vendor: 五块钱。
Stephy: 好。

GRAPHIC FLASH: 您能告诉我，哪一个是最好吃的吗？您 the polite form of  你, 能 can, 告诉 to tell, 我 I, 哪一个which one, 是 to be, 最好吃的 the most delicious, 您能告诉我，哪一个是最好吃的吗？Can you tell me which one is the most delicious?

(Stephy is snacking on fish balls.)

Stephy: Most snacks will set you back 10 to 15 yuan or 1 to 2 U.S. dollars.  Yum…worth it. But even if as you’re eating, you’re gonna be totally accosted by other inviting smells. If you begin to eyeball another’s acquisition…

Stephy: Excuse me, 你吃的这个叫什么名字？
Customer: 这叫煎饼。
Stephy: 煎饼，从哪里买的？
Customer: 在那一家。
Stephy: 好，谢谢。
Customer: 再见。