Background Information
China is commonly divided into eight regional cuisines, each with their own distinguishing ingredients and flavors. China’s southwestern cuisines are often characterized as spicy and numbing (a flavor closely associated with peppercorns). Southeastern costal regions are described as favoring sweetness, whereas northern regions such as Shandong province prefer fresh ingredients. However, many students who travel to China notice that these regional characterizations do not always hold true. Migrant restaurants, Western style restaurants, and many others paint a much more complicated picture of China’s culinary reality.
Dividing and Conquering the Cuisines of China (Vice)
Shanghai Warms Up To A New Cuisine Style: Chinese Food, American-Style (NPR)
A guide to traditional Chinese street food (The Journal)
中国各地菜系特点 Characteristics of Different Cuisines in China
Suggested Level
Context Information: Zolton is an American student, and 传祥 (Chuánxiáng) is a domestic Chinese student. They are discussing their favorite cuisines in China.
传祥: 我还，我还比较喜欢就是说我希望能吃到一些非常地道的北京菜。
Zolton: 对，可是我吃素所以——
传祥: 对对对。其实我吃过很多的北，我刚来北京旅游的时候我吃过很多北京菜但是不太不太合我胃口1。就是说我可能不太吃，不习惯。
Zolton: 嗯。
传祥: 所以说，但是唯一能接受的就是烤鸭 (laughing)。
Zolton: (laughing) 你可是你不常吃烤鸭，烤鸭是一个很特别的菜是不是？
传祥: 对对对。
Zolton: 就是节日的时候。
传祥: 不，也不一定就是说，怎么说呢？有时候你会吃腻。对，有时候。
Zolton: 吃腻是什么？
传祥: 吃腻就是说你吃太多了。
Zolton: 噢噢对。
传祥: 所以就会觉得很讨厌]因为烤鸭它不能老吃2。
Zolton: 嗯。
传祥: 我最喜欢吃的就是还是湖南菜跟粤菜广东菜就是。
Zolton: 所以我的附近有没有湖南餐馆儿？
传祥: 有，但是湖南菜它是以辣还有肉出名3。
Zolton: 嗯。
传祥: 什么东西都是基本上有肉的。
Zolton: (laughing)
传祥: 炒个菜青菜也是用猪油。
Zolton: 对。
传祥: 所以都是用动物油。
Zolton: 对。
传祥: 所以说虽然不健康但是会让这个菜很好吃。
Zolton: 对我去我告诉你我上一个星期也去这个4，我可能还没告诉你。
传祥: Mhmm。
Zolton: 有一个二十四个小时的广东的饭馆儿5。
传祥: Mhmm。
Zolton: 还有我去那儿可是它，我很想这个甜甜的小笼包。
传祥: 甜甜的小笼包？
Zolton: 对还有饺子所以我很喜欢吃。可是我去那个地方的时候他们告诉我以前有猪油6所以我吃不下。
传祥: 噢，里面有猪油。
Zolton: 对，所以我不吃可是看起来非常好!
传祥: (laughing)
Zolton: 还有在比如说你我可能以前告诉你这个地方是鼎泰丰是一个台湾的饭馆儿比较有名的。
传祥: 台湾儿?
Zolton: 台湾的。
传祥: 台湾，台湾——
Zolton: 的饭馆儿。可是我觉得他们的菜是上海菜。
传祥: (laughing)
Zolton: 可是对在那儿真的有非常好吃的这个甜甜的饺子，所以我们一次应该去7因为真的我觉得那个饭馆儿非常好吃。
传祥: 我吃，不我我我吃，不太习惯台，上海菜跟台湾菜吧。我想——
Zolton: 可是他们也有别的菜
传祥: 因为因为，对对对甜的食物我不喜欢吃。
Zolton: 哦真的吗？
传祥: 酸的食物我不喜欢吃。
Zolton: 嗯。
传祥: 然后因为我就不太喜欢吃这种这种这些东西我比较喜欢吃那种，怎么说呢？就不能有酸甜这两种口味 (laughing)？
Zolton: 我比较喜欢这种甜甜的。
传祥: 对对，因为你是素的嘛。
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1. 合X的胃口 (hé X的 wèikǒu) is a grammar pattern meaning ‘to be to someone’s taste’. Here, 传祥 is saying that Beijing food is not to his taste (he does not like Beijing food).
2. 老吃 (lǎo chī) means ‘to eat a lot of something’. It is less formal and can be heard in spoken conversation, especially in northern China. Here, 传祥 is saying you can’t eat too much roast duck.
3. 以X出名 (yǐ X chūmíng) is a grammar pattern meaning ‘to be famous for something’. Here, 传祥 is saying that 湖南 (húnán cài) ‘Hunan food’ is famous for its spiciness and meats.
4. Zolton probably stopped short of saying 去这个饭馆 (qù zhège fànguǎn) ‘go to this restaurant’.
5. Zolton is trying to say that it is a restaurant open 24/7. A clearer way to say this would be 二十四小时都开的广东饭馆 (èrshísì xiǎoshí dōu kāide guǎngdōng fànguǎn). 个 (gè) is not necessary.
6. Zolton is trying to say that the restaurant told him they used lard to cook their food in the past. While 传祥 probably understand his meaning, a clearer way to say this would be 以前里面有猪油 (yǐqián lǐmiàn yǒu zhūyóu) ‘(the food) had lard in it’. Zolton is a vegetarian, so he would not be able to eat those dishes.
7. This phrase should be ordered 我们应该去一次 (wǒmen yīnggāi qù yīcì) ‘we should go once’ or ‘we should go some time’ rather than 我们一次应该去.
Vocabulary
- 地道 (dìdào) Authentic
- 吃素 (chīsù) To be vegetarian
- 胃口 (wèikǒu) Appetite
- 习惯 (xíguàn) To grow accustomed to
- 唯一 (wéiyī) Only
- 接受 (jiēshòu) To accept
- 烤鸭 (kǎoyā) Roast duck
- 腻 (nì) Greasy; oily
- 讨厌 (táoyàn) To hate
- 湖南菜 (húnáncài) Hunan cuisine
- 广东菜 (guǎngdōngcài) Cantonese cuisine
- 出名 (chūmíng) Famous
- 基本上 (jīběnshang) Basically
- 猪油 (zhūyóu) Lard
- 动物油 (dòngwùyóu) Animal oil
- 健康 (jiànkāng) Healthy
- 小笼包 (xiǎolóngbāo) Steamed soup dumplings
- 鼎泰丰 (dǐngtàifēng) Ding Tai Feng (a famous food chain specializing in dumplings)
- 甜 (tián) Sweet
- 酸 (suān) Sour