Day 12: Food and ordering
A practical day, and every order you place is a measure-word drill — 来两瓶啤酒, 我要一个这个. Yesterday's grammar, twelve times an hour.
Two things here are not in a phrasebook: ★ Chinese has two different words for "delicious" depending on whether you eat it or drink it (section 3), and ★ people genuinely argue about who pays (section 6) — losing that argument gracefully is a skill.
1. Ordering
| 服务员! | Waiter! | ★ you call out — see Day 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 菜单,谢谢。 | Menu, please | |
| 我要… | I'd like… | plain and fine |
| 我想要… | I'd like… | slightly softer |
| ★ 来一个… | "bring one…" | ★ what people actually say |
| 给我一杯水。 | Give me a glass of water | |
| 这个,谢谢。 | ★ This one, thanks (pointing) |
★ 来 lái literally means "come", and in a restaurant it means "bring me". 来两瓶啤酒 (two beers), 来一个这个 (one of these). It is short, natural and sounds far less like a textbook than 我要.
★ 这个,谢谢 is the whole skill. Point at the menu, at a photo, at the next table. You do not need the word for the dish.
| 你们要点什么? | What would you like to order? |
|---|---|
| 还要别的吗? | Anything else? |
| 不要了,谢谢。 | Nothing else, thanks |
| 有什么推荐? | What do you recommend? |
2. Food
| 米饭 mǐfàn | rice | 面条 miàntiáo | noodles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 饺子 jiǎozi | dumplings | 包子 bāozi | steamed buns | |
| 炒饭 chǎofàn | fried rice | 面包 miànbāo | bread | |
| 鸡肉 jīròu | chicken | 牛肉 niúròu | beef | |
| 猪肉 zhūròu | pork | 鱼 yú | fish | |
| 蔬菜 / 青菜 | vegetables | 鸡蛋 jīdàn | egg | |
| 汤 tāng | soup | 火锅 huǒguō | hotpot |
★ 肉 ròu = meat, and animal + 肉 gives you the meat: 鸡 (chicken) → 鸡肉, 牛 (cow) → 牛肉, 猪 (pig) → 猪肉, 羊 (sheep) → 羊肉. Three words for the price of one.
Drinks — 饮料
水 · 茶 · 咖啡 · 啤酒 (beer) · 可乐 (cola) · 果汁 (juice) · 牛奶 (milk) · 白酒 (baijiu — strong spirit)
3. ★★ 好吃 or 好喝?
### 好吃 hǎochī — delicious to EAT · 好喝 hǎohē — delicious to DRINK
★ English has one word. Chinese splits it by 吃 (eat) and 喝 (drink).
| 这个很好吃! | This is delicious (food) |
|---|---|
| 这个茶很好喝。 | This tea is lovely (drink) |
| ⚠️ | ❌ |
★ And the pattern extends: 好看 (good to look at — pretty), 好听 (good to hear — nice-sounding), 好玩 (fun). ★ 好 + a verb = "good to ~", and it is one of the most productive patterns in the language.
★ 太…了 — "too ~"
| 太贵了! | Too expensive! |
|---|---|
| 太辣了! | Too spicy! |
| 太咸了。 | Too salty |
| 太甜了。 | Too sweet |
| 太好了! | ★ Great! (this one is positive) |
⚠️ The 了 is compulsory — 太贵了, never just 太贵. They are a pair.
Other tastes
咸 (salty) · 甜 (sweet) · 酸 (sour) · 苦 (bitter) · 辣 (spicy) 饿了 (hungry) · 饱了 (full)
4. ★ Spice — the question you will need
Chinese regional food ranges from not spicy at all to genuinely dangerous, and "a little spicy" means different things in Sichuan and Shanghai.
| ★ 不要辣。 | No chilli, please |
|---|---|
| 微辣。 | Mildly spicy |
| 中辣 / 特辣 | medium / extra spicy |
| 我不能吃辣。 | ★ I can't eat spicy food |
| 这个辣不辣? | Is this spicy? |
★ 我不能吃辣 is stronger and more effective than 我不喜欢辣. Can't ends the discussion; don't like invites persuasion.
5. Paying
| ★ 服务员,买单! | Waiter, the bill! |
|---|---|
| 结账。 | The bill (equally common) |
| 一共多少钱? | How much altogether? |
| 可以刷卡吗? | Can I pay by card? |
| ★ 可以扫码吗? | Can I scan to pay? |
| 打包,谢谢。 | ★ To take away / box up the leftovers |
⚠️ ★ Cash and card are both increasingly rare — China runs on QR codes (WeChat Pay, Alipay). 扫码 (scan the code) is the default, and small shops may not take cards at all.
⚠️ ★ There is no tipping in mainland China. None. Leaving money on the table causes confusion.
6. ★★ Who pays — and how to lose gracefully
Splitting the bill is not the default. One person pays for everyone, and people genuinely compete for it — reaching for the bill, calling the waiter over first, sometimes paying secretly on the way to the toilet.
| ★ 我请客! wǒ qǐngkè | ★ My treat! |
|---|---|
| 我来吧。 | I'll get it |
| 下次我请你。 | ★ I'll get it next time — the graceful reply |
| AA制吧。 | Let's split it (literally "AA system") |
★ If someone insists on paying, let them, and say 下次我请你. Fighting too hard is awkward; accepting graciously and returning the favour is the whole system. The invitation to pay next time is what keeps the relationship going, and it is expected.
★ AA制 does exist, especially among young people and colleagues — but proposing it to an older person who invited you is a small misstep.
And 干杯
干杯! gānbēi — literally "dry the glass" — is the toast, and at a formal meal it can mean actually finishing the glass. ★ If you don't want to, 随意 suíyì ("as you like") is the polite hedge, and 我开车 (I'm driving) ends it entirely.
7. Dialogue
服务员: 你们几位?Alex: 两位。服务员: 这边请。要点什么?Alex: 有什么推荐?服务员: 我们的牛肉面很好吃。Alex: 好,来一碗。这个辣不辣?服务员: 有点儿辣。Alex: 那微辣,谢谢。我不太能吃辣。小明: 我要一个炒饭,再来两瓶啤酒。 (菜来了)小明: 干杯! — Alex: 干杯!Alex: 哇,真好吃! 这个茶也很好喝。小明: 服务员,买单!Alex: 我来吧。 — 小明: 不行,我请客!Alex: 那… 好吧。下次我请你。小明: 好! 剩下的打包吧。
★ 好吃 for the noodles, 好喝 for the tea — section 3, live.★ And the whole paying exchange runs exactly as section 6 describes: Alex offers, Xiaoming insists, ★ Alex accepts and promises next time.
8. Exercises
A. Order it.
- The menu. 2. Two beers. 3. This one. 4. A glass of water. 5. One bowl of noodles.
B. ★ 好吃 or 好喝?
- 这个面___ 2. 这个茶___ 3. 这个啤酒___ 4. 这个饺子___
C. ★ 好 + verb — what do these mean?
- 好看 2. 好听 3. 好玩 4. 好吃
D. 太…了.
- Too expensive! 2. Too spicy! 3. Too salty. 4. Great!
E. Spice.
- No chilli, please. 2. Is this spicy? 3. I can't eat spicy food. 4. Mildly spicy.
F. Paying — what do you say?
- Waiter, the bill! 2. Can I scan to pay? 3. My treat!
- Someone insisted on paying — what do you say? 5. Box up the leftovers.
G. ⚠️ True or false?
- You should tip 10%. 2. Splitting the bill is the norm.
- 好吃 works for drinks. 4. QR payment is the default. 5. 太贵 needs 了.
Answers
A. 1. 菜单,谢谢。 2. 来两瓶啤酒。 3. 这个,谢谢。 4. 给我一杯水。 5. 来一碗面。 B. 1. 好吃 2. 好喝 3. 好喝 4. 好吃 C. 1. good-looking 2. nice-sounding 3. fun 4. delicious D. 1. 太贵了! 2. 太辣了! 3. 太咸了。 4. 太好了! E. 1. 不要辣。 2. 这个辣不辣? 3. 我不能吃辣。 4. 微辣。 F. 1. 服务员,买单! 2. 可以扫码吗? 3. 我请客! 4. 下次我请你。 5. 打包,谢谢。 G. 1. F — no tipping 2. F — one person pays 3. F — 好喝 4. T 5. T
9. Today's 10 sentences (flashcards)
- 服务员! — Waiter!
- 菜单,谢谢。 — Menu, please
- 这个,谢谢。 — This one, thanks
- 来两瓶啤酒。 — Two beers, please
- 有什么推荐? — What do you recommend?
- 这个辣不辣? — Is this spicy?
- 我不能吃辣。 — I can't eat spicy food
- 真好吃! — Really delicious!
- 服务员,买单! — Waiter, the bill!
- 下次我请你。 — I'll get it next time
10. 📲 Upload to LangNote
Upload section 3 (好吃/好喝), section 6 (who pays) and section 9 → study language Chinese.
| Mission | What to do with it today |
|---|---|
| 🎧 Podcast | The dialogue — restaurant Chinese is fast and formulaic |
| ✍️ Dictation | Prices and measure words under pressure — Day 8 and 11 in the wild |
| 🗣 Shadowing | The whole dialogue, both roles |
| 🎭 Role-play | Today's key mission. Order a meal, ask about spice, argue about the bill and lose gracefully |
| 📖 Vocab | ★ 好吃 / 好喝 as a pair, and the 好 + verb family |
★ Order out loud at home tonight. Point at ten things and say 来一个… with the right measure word. Three minutes, and it drills Days 11 and 12 together.
Tomorrow: 喜欢 and 觉得 — liking things, and saying what you think.
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