Sarah and Zhang Ming look at a Chinese menu. Zhang Ming explains different dishes like meat, vegetables, and noodles. Sarah feels excited but asks for help choosing.
看菜单点菜
王伟和莎拉走进一家餐厅。服务员阿姨陈给他们菜单。菜单上有饺子和包子的图片。莎拉觉得菜单很有意思，但是她不认识很多字。张明是莎拉的中国同学，他坐在旁边。他一边看菜单，一边给莎拉解释。
张明说：“菜单上有肉菜和菜菜。肉菜比如炒牛肉，菜菜比如炒青菜。还有汤，比如煮的鸡蛋汤。米饭和面条是主食。”莎拉看着很多菜的照片，她觉得很开心。但是她不知道点什么菜好。
莎拉问张明：“哪个菜好吃？这个饺子比那个包子贵吗？”张明笑着说：“饺子是蒸的，包子也是蒸的。饺子比包子小，但是都很好吃。你可以点炒饭和煮的面条。”厨师李走过来，他推荐今天的菜。
阿姨陈问：“你们想喝什么？我们有茶、咖啡和开水。”莎拉要了茶，张明要了开水。然后他们点了炒饭、煮面条和蒸饺子。莎拉很高兴，因为她学会了看菜单。张明说下次可以试试别的菜。
kàn cài dān diǎn cài
wáng wěi hé shā lā zǒu jìn yī jiā cān tīng fú wù yuán ā yí chén gěi tā men cài dān cài dān shàng yǒu jiǎo zi hé bāo zi de tú piàn shā lā jué de cài dān hěn yǒu yì si dàn shì tā bú rèn shi hěn duō zì zhāng míng shì shā lā de zhōng guó tóng xué tā zuò zài páng biān tā yī biān kàn cài dān yī biān gěi shā lā jiě shì
zhāng míng shuō cài dān shàng yǒu ròu cài hé cài cài ròu cài bǐ rú chǎo niú ròu cài cài bǐ rú chǎo qīng cài hái yǒu tāng bǐ rú zhǔ de jī dàn tāng mǐ fàn hé miàn tiáo shì zhǔ shí shā lā kàn zhe hěn duō cài de zhào piàn tā jué de hěn kāi xīn dàn shì tā bù zhī dào diǎn shén me cài hǎo
shā lā wèn zhāng míng nǎ ge cài hǎo chī zhè ge jiǎo zi bǐ nà ge bāo zi guì ma zhāng míng xiào zhe shuō jiǎo zi shì zhēng de bāo zi yě shì zhēng de jiǎo zi bǐ bāo zi xiǎo dàn shì dōu hěn hǎo chī nǐ kě yǐ diǎn chǎo fàn hé zhǔ de miàn tiáo chú shī lǐ zǒu guò lái tā tuī jiàn jīn tiān de cài
ā yí chén wèn nǐ men xiǎng hē shén me wǒ men yǒu chá kā fēi hé kāi shuǐ shā lā yào le chá zhāng míng yào le kāi shuǐ rán hòu tā men diǎn le chǎo fàn zhǔ miàn tiáo hé zhēng jiǎo zi shā lā hěn gāo xìng yīn wèi tā xué huì le kàn cài dān zhāng míng shuō xià cì kě yǐ shì shì bié de cài
Reading the Menu to Order
Wang Wei and Sarah walk into a restaurant. Waitress Auntie Chen gives them the menu. The menu has pictures of dumplings and steamed buns. Sarah finds the menu interesting, but she doesn’t recognize many characters. Zhang Ming is Sarah’s Chinese classmate, and he sits beside her. He looks at the menu while explaining it to Sarah.
Zhang Ming says, “The menu has meat dishes and vegetable dishes. Meat dishes like stir-fried beef, vegetable dishes like stir-fried greens. There are also soups, like boiled egg soup. Rice and noodles are the main staples.” Sarah looks at the many photos of dishes and feels very happy. But she doesn’t know what to order.
Sarah asks Zhang Ming, “Which dish is tasty? Are these dumplings more expensive than those steamed buns?” Zhang Ming smiles and says, “Dumplings are steamed, and steamed buns are also steamed. Dumplings are smaller than steamed buns, but both are delicious. You can order fried rice and boiled noodles.” Chef Li walks over and recommends today’s specials.
Auntie Chen asks, “What would you like to drink? We have tea, coffee, and boiled water.” Sarah orders tea, and Zhang Ming orders boiled water. Then they order fried rice, boiled noodles, and steamed dumplings. Sarah is very happy because she learned how to read the menu. Zhang Ming says they can try other dishes next time.
Help
Use audio before and after reading.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 开水 | kāi shuǐ | boiled water |
| 茶 | chá | tea |
| 咖啡 | kā fēi | coffee |
| 米饭 | mǐ fàn | rice (cooked) |
| 面条 | miàn tiáo | noodles |
| 饺子 | jiǎo zi | dumplings |
| 包子 | bāo zi | steamed stuffed bun |
| 炒 | chǎo | to stir-fry |
| 煮 | zhǔ | to boil |
| 蒸 | zhēng | to steam |
一边…一边…
Used to describe doing two actions at the same time.
Example: He eats while watching TV.
张明一边看菜单，一边给莎拉解释。
比
Used to make comparisons between two things.
Example: This apple is bigger than that one.
饺子比包子小。
点菜
To order dishes (from a menu).
主食
Staple food (like rice or noodles).
Chinese Menu Categories
Chinese menus are often divided into clear sections like meat dishes (肉菜), vegetable dishes (素菜), soups (汤), and staple foods (主食) such as rice and noodles. Pictures are common to help customers, especially foreigners, understand the dishes.
- 谁和莎拉一起看菜单？ (答案)
- 菜单上有什么图片？ (答案)
- 张明说什么菜是主食？ (答案)
- 莎拉问饺子比包子贵吗？ (答案)
- 阿姨陈问他们想喝什么？ (答案)
- 他们最后点了什么菜？ (答案)
- 莎拉觉得菜单怎么样？
A. 没意思 B. 很难 C. 很有意思 (答案) - 张明一边做什么，一边解释？
A. 吃饭 B. 看菜单 C. 喝水 (答案) - 肉菜的例子是什么？
A. 炒青菜 B. 炒牛肉 C. 米饭 (答案)
- 饺子是怎么做的？
A. 炒的 B. 煮的 C. 蒸的 (答案) - 莎拉要喝什么？
A. 咖啡 B. 茶 C. 开水 (答案) - 谁推荐今天的菜？
A. 王伟 B. 厨师李 C. 阿姨陈 (答案)
- 王伟给莎拉解释菜单。 (答案)
- 菜单上只有字，没有图片。 (答案)
- 汤是主食。 (答案)
- 饺子比包子大。 (答案)
- 他们点了炒饭和煮面条。 (答案)
- 莎拉学会了看菜单。 (答案)
Describe entering the restaurant and getting the menu.
Keywords: 餐厅 菜单 图片
Explain what Zhang Ming taught Sarah about the menu sections.
Keywords: 肉菜 菜菜 主食
Talk about what they ordered to eat and drink.
Keywords: 点菜 茶 开水