how to Order Mandarin Chinese in a Restaurant

how to Order Mandarin Chinese in a Restaurant When you are visiting China or Taiwan, you will have lots of opportunities to sample the local cuisine. Since food is a national passion, there are restaurants and food stalls almost everywhere. There are many different types of food available, from the various regional dishes of China to Korean, Japanese, and Western. Fast food outlets are in all major cities, and there are also upscale restaurants specializing in Western food - Italian seems to be the most popular. Restaurant Customs When you enter a restaurant, you will be asked how many people are in your party and will be shown to a table. If an English menu is not available, and you dont read Chinese, you will have to ask for help, either from the waiter or a Chinese friend. Most restaurants are open only during meal times - 11:30 to 1:00 for lunch and 5:30 to 7:00 for dinner. Snacks are available almost any time at coffee houses, tea shops, and street vendors. Meals are eaten relatively quickly, and it is customary to leave the restaurant as soon as everyone is finished. Usually, one person will pay for the whole group, so be sure to take your turn in paying for the meal. Tipping is not common in either Taiwan or China, and you usually pay for the meal at the cash register. Here are some phrases to help you order food in a restaurant. English Pinyin Traditional Characters Simplified Characters How many people are there? QÇ ngwà ¨n jÄ « wà ¨i? è «â€¹Ã¥â€¢ Ã¥ ¹ ¾Ã¤ ½ ? è ¯ ·Ã©â€" ®Ã¥â€¡  Ã¤ ½ ? There are ___ people (in our party). ___ wà ¨i. ___ ä ½ Ã¯ ½ ¡ ___ ä ½ Ã¯ ½ ¡ Smoking or non-smoking? ChÃ… uyÄ n ma? æŠ ½Ã§â€¦â„¢Ã¥â€"Ž? æŠ ½Ã§Æ'Ÿå â€"? Are you ready to order? KÄ›yÇ  diÇŽn ci le ma? Ã¥  ¯Ã¤ » ¥Ã© »Å¾Ã¨ Å"ä ºâ€ Ã¥â€"Ž? Ã¥  ¯Ã¤ » ¥Ã§â€š ¹Ã¨ Å"ä ºâ€ Ã¥ â€"? Yes, we are ready to order. WÇ’men yo diÇŽn ci. 我們è ¦ Ã© »Å¾Ã¨ Å"ï ½ ¡ 我ä » ¬Ã¨ ¦ Ã§â€š ¹Ã¨ Å"ï ½ ¡ Not yet, please give us a few more minutes. Hi mà ©i. Zi dÄ›ng yÄ «xi. é‚„æ ²â€™. å† Ã§ ­â€°Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¤ ¸â€¹Ã¯ ½ ¡ è ¿ËœÃ¦ ² ¡. å† Ã§ ­â€°Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¤ ¸â€¹Ã¯ ½ ¡ I would like .... WÇ’ yo ... . 我è ¦ ... 我è ¦ ... . I will have this. WÇ’ yo zhà ¨gà ¨. 我è ¦ Ã©â‚¬â„¢Ã¥â‚¬â€¹Ã¯ ½ ¡ 我è ¦ Ã¨ ¿â„¢Ã¤ ¸ ªÃ¯ ½ ¡ That is for me. Shà ¬ wÇ’de. æ˜ ¯Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¯ ½ ¡ æ˜ ¯Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¯ ½ ¡ This is not what I ordered. Zhà ¨ bà ºshà ¬ wÇ’ diÇŽn de. 這ä ¸ Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã© »Å¾Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¯ ½ ¡ è ¿â„¢Ã¤ ¸ Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã§â€š ¹Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¯ ½ ¡ Please bring us some.... QÇ ng zi gÄ›i wÇ’men ... . è «â€¹Ã¥â€  Ã§ µ ¦Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥â‚¬â€˜...ï ½ ¡ è ¯ ·Ã¥â€  Ã§ »â„¢Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¤ » ¬...ï ½ ¡ Could I have the bill? QÇ ng gÄ›i wÇ’ zhngdÄ n. è «â€¹Ã§ µ ¦Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥ ¸ ³Ã¥â€" ®Ã¯ ½ ¡ è ¯ ·Ã§ »â„¢Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥ ¸ Ã¥ â€¢Ã¯ ½ ¡ How much is it? DuÃ… shÇŽo qin? Ã¥ ¤Å¡Ã¥ °â€˜Ã©Å' ¢? Ã¥ ¤Å¡Ã¥ °â€˜Ã©â€™ ±? Can I pay by credit card? WÇ’ kÄ›yÇ  yà ²ng xà ¬nyà ²ngkÇŽ ma? 我å  ¯Ã¤ » ¥Ã§â€ ¨Ã¤ ¿ ¡Ã§â€ ¨Ã¥  ¡Ã¥â€"Ž? 我å  ¯Ã¤ » ¥Ã§â€ ¨Ã¤ ¿ ¡Ã§â€ ¨Ã¥  ¡Ã¥ â€"? The bill is not right. ZhngdÄ n bà ¹duà ¬. Ã¥ ¸ ³Ã¥â€" ®Ã¤ ¸ Ã¥ ° Ã¯ ½ ¡ Ã¥ ¸ Ã¥ â€¢Ã¤ ¸ Ã¥ ¯ ¹Ã¯ ½ ¡