| English menu?? | |
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| May 11, 2007 04:38 |   |
 | Hi friends, Are you often confused with the only Chinese menu when you enter a restaurant in China? Is it common to provide an English menu in chinese restaurants? If you can not read the complex Chinese words on the menu, what should you do? Just curious.............. ^.& |
| May 11, 2007 05:20 | #1 |
| Lots of restaurants have colour photos of the dishes in the menu although this is sometimes a 'lucky dip' as even photos can be unclear Another option is the many small stalls in food courts which offer a lot of pick and point dishes. I now have a short list of a few dishes that I can order out. Or choose street food where you can also pick and point. |
| May 11, 2007 07:08 | #2 |
| Great question, Evening Truth is that in the larger cities in China, most restaurants have pictures on their menus. Currently, I am living in a rural town in northeast Yunnan Province and none of the restaurants have pictures. It is impossible to order from a menu that is only characters, so I learned the "magic words", or phrase, in Chinese: "Nimen zheli de zhao pai cai shi shenme"? Which translates into "What are the specialties in your restaurant"? This is usually the best way to taste some delicious Chinese food. Every other place where I have lived has had at least one McDonald's and one KFC restaurant. When I am not with a Chinese-speaking friend, I'd usually resort to going there (at least I knew what I was ordering : ) ). Now, deep into rural China, it seems even my PuTongHua won't help me find answers. So, now I have a short list of some of my favorite dishes. If the waitress can understand my pronounciation, I usually have a good plate of Chow Mian or Chow Fan. Local dialect weighs heavily on being able to order from a Chinese menu. In Yunnan Province they serve some excellent mashed potatoes, if they understand the words, "Lao nai yang yu", in Weixin, to order some noodles, I request, "Mi Xian". Which isn't close to Wuhanese "Sa Mian". But the meal is the same thing! Summed up, as a foreigner, you'd better have Chinese friends to dine with, or you'll end up living eating "junk food" or not know what you're eating at all. __WINDENERGY__ |
| May 12, 2007 21:03 | #3 |
| Clever Windenergy!! |
| May 13, 2007 03:19 | #4 |
| I dont think there should be a menu in different languages after all it is Chinese restaurant in China but I do think that to increase their customer base they could do images of all the meals. If they make the menu in English as well what do you do if a Frenchman comes in? add French to the menu? the following week an Italian arrives, what then? Just stick to Chinese and images. |
| May 13, 2007 22:51 | #5 |
| Look around and see what other's have. That always help me when ordering dishes. |
| Jun 10, 2007 01:41 | #6 |
| there is this unspoken agreement around the world that english is the universal language, and it is very important to know that most french, italian and most every body speak and undestand english as a second language. if not french man or italian need to learn some english as the chinese people are learning too, chinese people are the great example, they are learning english faster than me chinese. i admire Mr windenergy approach. |
| Jun 10, 2007 11:23 | #7 |
| Where no English speaking--- I try to understand them with my body language , I wish to see the foods or only to say -- kan kan? Then I ordered them my wants. |
| Jun 11, 2007 02:57 | #8 |
| Thanks for sharing your experience guys! Yes pictures would be a great help, while I think finding a local partner who is interested in food and fluent in English will be much more convenient. I hope some day, Chinese characters will be added to menus in foreign countries, no matter what the original language is....... : ) |
| Jun 11, 2007 05:22 | #9 |
| here in Australia in most Chinese establishments the foods are numbered and we order by number |
| Jun 11, 2007 20:43 | #10 |
| Order by number. That is a good idea. Easy and convenient. |
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