Put down that frying pan and get out of your apartment's absurdly-narrow kitchenette. And don't even think of heading outside in this weather. You are in China and cooking for yourself is more expensive than ordering take-out anyway. You've got the restaurant's phone number right there on that card. All you need to do is overcome your fear of the woman who answers the phone and fends off your ting-bu-dong with shrieks of impatience.This podcast is like the parable of the man who teaches another man to fish. Except that we're teaching you how to order roast duck. So take a deep breath. Then listen to the podcast. Then pick up the phone and get yourself some cooked bird. When the hunger pangs subside you can put your savings into a Popup Chinese subscription so we have the cash to order some duck ourselves. Hunger is a two-way street.
maxiewawa
said on December 23, 2008
I think theres a mistake in this podcast... why would a person answering the phone not be able to hear the first thing that was said? Kinda strange, right? Also, why would someone answering the phone at a restaurant not be able to catch someone saying 点餐?
Hahaha maybe Im splitting hairs!
Anyone living in Shanghai will be familiar with Sherpas, the couriers for all things 外卖!
merrygrapple
said on December 23, 2008
It is sort of strange. Maybe she's deaf though, or just likes screwing with customers.I have a friend who used to talk sort of like that. He picked it up from his girlfriend, who was loud and abrasive. That would make a good lesson actually: "How not to sound like your girlfriend". You could devote the entire lesson to practicing masculine forms of tao3yan4. Sorely needed, and a genuine public service.
Echo
said on December 23, 2008
Hey guys,
Strange that I have this strange experience everytime when i take a Shanghai cab or order take out food in Beijing by telephone.
Shanghai taxi driver~~ no comments~~
Here's the dialogue we usually have--
me: 师傅您好，我去**大厦。
driver: 哪里？
me: **大厦。
driver: 是**路和**路的那个**大厦吗?
me: 好像是。
driver: 是徐家汇的**大厦吗？
me: 对，应该是。
--Silence till I get off.
For Beijing restaurants, I think they asked second time mostly because they don't expect people ordering 外卖. Usually people book seats by telephone. Most restaurants can deliver food, but they don't like to.
--Echo
echo@popupchinese.com
trevelyan
said on December 23, 2008
>> Most restaurants can deliver food, but they don't like to.ha ha Echo. I say make 'em work for money. Which reminds me that we need to get the 定餐卡 of the Xinjiang place north of NLGX....I remember Sherpas fondly too maxie. The service was pretty expensive, but it was nice to be able to get decent food shipped in. Used it a lot when I was working in a bit of a rundown neighborhood and the local offerings leaned more towards the filthy than the delicious.Beijing definitely has better 家常菜 than Shanghai on average, but we're spoiled because we live right on Guijie. That said, my vote for best delivery deal in town is Hutong Pizza. They deliver to us on Guijie for an extra 10 kuai, which is a great deal since it's at least a 10 minute ride by moped. We used to head over pretty regularly, but I don't think we've been back once since finding out they deliver.
archbishop_desmond_tutu
said on February 27, 2010
Hey,
I'm an 'absolute beginner' as they say, I was wondering in this podcast, what the difference between xiang3 and yao4 is in regards to wanting something? Are they inter-changeable?
Also, with the roast duck, do you only need to say 'ya1' instead of 'ya1rou4'?
Thanks guys, loving the lessons so far!
marco64
said on February 27, 2010
@archbishop,
As I understand it, 想 (xiang3) is softer than 要 (yao4). The difference is much like the difference between "I wish" and "I want" in English. 要 (yao4) is also used as a marker for the future tense. 我要去中国 could mean either "I want to go to China" or "I will go to China". This makes it a bit too forceful sometimes. Since 想 can also mean "to miss" or "to desire", you can the ambiguity by putting the two of them together: 我想要去中国.
I've never heard 鸭肉 (ya1rou4) incidentally. I think we just use 鸭 the same as with 鱼.
paglino9
said on February 27, 2010
@archbishop_desmond_tutu
For roast duck you can say 烤鸭 kǎoyā. You can order either a half duck, or a full one. Usually takes about an hour to cook it. Then a duck slicing specialist comes to the table, and shreds the duck in front of you. Fun times.
archbishop_desmond_tutu
said on March 1, 2010
Thanks!
LanZi
said on March 1, 2010
@archbishop
I agree with Marco. The reason why 要 is stronger is that it's originally from 需要（xu1yao4）, which means "to need". But 想 alone means "to think, to consider", thus softer.
Another diffenrence is the usage. When expressing the sense of "wanting something", 要 can be followed directly by a noun, while 想 needs an extra verb to indicate the action, in most cases of which, it is 要.
I want money.
我要钱。（wǒ yào qián.）
我想要钱。（wǒ xiǎng yào qián.）
hitheo2
said on February 24, 2012
i could not pick up the 'okay'. sound like au xiao. is it 嗯 or 啊? and xiao?
Echo
said on February 24, 2012
@hitheo2,It's 啊，行（a5，xing2）.--Echoecho@popupchinese.com
kay_kay1424
said on June 8, 2012
Echo, 我怎么说chicken fried rice? I always order that for take out but I never know how to say it. hehe.
amber
said on June 8, 2012
@kay_kay1424, I think it's 鸡肉炒饭.--Amberamber@popupchinese.com
kay_kay1424
said on June 9, 2012
谢谢你^^
nickewalsh
said on February 5, 2015
@Echo: As per Chinese food on Xmas Eve, your friend was right.That's a Jewish-American "tradition," evolved over generations of us not celebrating Xmas, but having most restaurants closed on that holiday. :) It's somewhat of an inside joke that we celebrate Xmas by going for Chinese food and catching a movie. :)
duke.villanueva
said on July 11, 2017
I love the write up to this lesson!!! Awesomeness!
