Rather than preparing a Christmas feast ourselves, many of us may have already made plans to dine at restaurants with friends and family. There’s no shame in sitting down at a restaurant on the holidays, but we don’t want to risk getting as red as Rudolf’s nose because we can’t order a single item off the menu! So to help you to order whatever you want with ease this holiday, here are some words and phrases for all your dining needs.

Food 食物 Shíwù

Vegetables 蔬菜 Shūcài

– Cabbage 白菜 Báicài
– Scallion/Green onion 葱 Cōng
– Onion 洋葱 Yángcōng
– Celery 芹菜 Qíncài
– Coriander 香菜 Xiāngcài
– Bamboo shoot 笋 Sǔn
– Mushroom 蘑菇 Mógū
– Tomato 西红柿/番茄 Xīhóngshì/ Fān qié
– Potato 土豆 Tǔdòu
– Corn 玉米 Yùmǐ
– Eggplant 茄子 Qiézi
– Cucumber 黄瓜 Huángguā
– Bean sprout 豆芽 Dòuyá
– Spinach 菠菜 Bōcài

Meat 肉 Ròu

– Pork 猪肉 Zhūròu
– Beef 牛肉 Niúròu
– Chicken 鸡肉 Jīròu
– Lamb 羊肉 Yángròu
– Ribs 排骨 Páigǔ
– Pork belly 五花肉 Wǔhuāròu
– Steak 牛排 Niúpái

Seafood 海鲜 Haixian

– Crab 螃蟹 Páng xiè
– Shrimp 虾 Xiā
– Fish 鱼 Yú
– Lobster 龙虾 Lobster
– Spicy Crawfish 麻辣小龙虾 Má là xiǎo lóng xiā

READ MORE: Mandarin Monday: Don’t Let a Menu Get Between You and Your Seafood

Famous Regional Dishes 有名的地方菜 Yǒumíng de dìfāngcài

– Peking duck 北京烤鸭 Beijing kǎoyā
– Shanghai small steamed buns 上海小笼包 Shànghǎi xiǎolóng bāo
– Xi’an hamburger 西安肉夹馍 Xī’ān ròujiámó
– Sichuan hotpot 四川火锅 Sìchuān huǒguō
– Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles 兰州拉面 Lánzhōu lāmiàn
– Hangzhou braised pork belly 杭州东坡肉 Hángzhōu dōng pō ròu
– Changsha-style stinky tofu 长沙臭豆腐 Chǎngshā chòu dòufu

READ MORE: Festive Feasting: Pamper The Family with These Christmas Dining Offers

Drinking 饮品 Yǐnpǐn

– Tea 茶 Chá
READ MORE: Mandarin Monday: Knowing the Types of Chinese Tea
READ MORE: Hold That Tea Bag! What You Need to Know Before Brewing Another Pot

– Red wine 红酒 Hóng pútáojiǔ
– White wine 白葡萄酒 Bái pútáojiǔ
– Beer 啤酒 Píjiǔ
– Juice 果汁 Guǒzhī
– Ice water 冰水 Bīngshuǐ
– Coca-Cola 可乐 Kělè
– Herbal tea 王老吉 Wánglǎojí

Phrases

Hi, what do you want to order?
你好，请问你要点什么？ Nǐhǎo，qǐngwèn nǐ xiǎng diǎn shénme？

I’d like to have __.
我想要__。 Wǒ xiǎngyào__.

Hi waiter, I’m a vegetarian, can you recommend some vegan food to me?
你好，服务员， 我是素食主义者，请问你能推荐我一些素食菜给我吗？ Nǐhǎo fúwùyuán, wǒshì sùshízhǔyìzhě, qǐngwèn nǐneng tuījiàn yìxiē sùshícài gěiwǒ ma?

I really like to eat steak!
我很喜欢吃牛排! Wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī niúpái!

Photos: Pixabay.com