It happens to the best of us. Even if your home or office is strategically located in the heart of Sichuan street, surrounded by a hundred different Chinese restaurants with upwards of a hundred different dishes each, there will come a point when your stomach rebels and your heart starts pining for simpler fare. Or maybe you'd kill for Chinese food but the only restaurant that delivers is the Korean one down the street.

Almost miraculously, this lesson is useful in either situation. If you're totally new to mandarin, join us as we introduce the four tones, cover some basic words and phrases you can start using right away, and learn how to steer your fellow diners towards the kind of food you want to eat.
 said on
October 23, 2009
I'm increasingly fond of Korean food. There were a lot of new Korean restaurants in the Beijing university district the last time I visited last year. A huge change from my first trip there in the late 1990s. Amazing changes really.

 said on
October 23, 2009
@jim,

A lot of Korean restaurants around Wu Dao Kou in Beijing are quite good.However, it is not that lucky to be inside the 2nd ring road.We only have a kind of Korean fast food, which called 汉拿山 near by.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
October 23, 2009
@Echo,@jim,

exactly! it seems I'm really lucky to live in Wudaokou, and eat any kind of Korean food.

now in Huaqingjiayuan, there is a pretty good fried chicken store. I highly recommend you have a try.

I will check the restaurant's name and leave it here next time...
 said on
October 23, 2009
I was in Seoul about 3 weekends ago, and I must say that the food was the best part. Oddly enough what I vividly remember is that the entire city smelled like waffles. Better smelling like waffles than smell like Chou Dofu, which is the case for some places in China (Henan, I'm looking at you..)

It seemed like I was eating Kimchee for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while I was there. Afterwards I would wash it all down with a cold bottle of Cass beer.

There is something called bi bim bop which is a mixture of rice, vegetables and egg served in a stone pot. Quite delicious, and you want to order it just so you can say the name.

 said on
October 26, 2009
I guess 美国菜 would be hamburgers. There are no Korean restaurants in Fort Collins, CO. Speaking of Fort Collins...

Does anyone know how to say or write "balloon boy" in Chinese. Since I and "balloon boy" and his family live in the same city, I thought I should get this important media event translated.

How many ways are there to say stupid in Chinese?
 said on
October 26, 2009
@luolin,

Balloon boy is 热气球男孩 :) We don't actually have a special word for it though, but if you say that,I think people who have read the news would know what you refer to.

For stupid? Many many ways :)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
November 7, 2009
Do you have chinese lessons for speaking Spanish people? I´m from Mexico and it woud be easier for me to learn chinese. Nevertheless, I appreciate your kidness. Thank you very much!
 said on
November 7, 2009
@elcaduceo - sadly, not not. this is something that we'd like to be able to do in the future though. If and when we launch support for other languages, we'll announce it in our monthly newsletter.
 said on
November 7, 2009
@elcaduceo,

Sorry, we don't have a site especially for Spanish speakers yet. I want to send you my warm welcome to Popup Chinese though. 欢迎你!

If you have any Chinese questions, please feel free to write to me.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
 said on
December 21, 2009
Would it be preferrable to use 咱们吃什么 because it includes the speaker?
 said on
December 21, 2009
@pradhanarvind,

Yes, using "咱们" is more colloquial.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com