Dim sum
Small dishes with tea, in baskets and plates: siu mai (open-topped pork dumplings with a dot of roe), har gow (translucent shrimp dumplings), char siu buns, rice noodle rolls and many more.
Life in Mainland China
Guangdong: a Chinese conversation with pinyin and English
The Pearl River Delta, the home of Cantonese food and language.
The conversation
Speakers: Xiaoyu and Jiahao.
- Xiaoyu
十点钟了，我们在这个茶楼里坐了整整两个小时。
It's already ten, and we've been sitting here in this teahouse for a solid two hours.
- Jiahao
俩人在那儿干嘛呢？
What have you two been up to over there?
- Xiaoyu
叹早茶呀！一盅两件，热热闹闹能吃一上午。
Enjoying morning tea! A pot of tea and a couple of dim sum dishes, and you can easily spend the whole morning chatting away.
- Jiahao
那你最喜欢哪样？
So which one's your favorite?
- Xiaoyu
虾饺、烧卖配肠粉，根本选不过来，你可别逼我。
Har gow, siu mai, and rice noodle rolls—there's just too many to choose from, don't make me pick.
- Jiahao
那考考你，叉烧是怎么烤出来的？
Let's test you then: how is char siu roasted?
- 挂在叉子上明火烤熟 Roast it over an open flame on a fork
- 放在小笼里大火蒸透 Steam it thoroughly in a small bamboo steamer over high heat
- 搁砂锅里面慢慢焖烂 Simmer it slowly in a clay pot until tender
Answer
挂在叉子上明火烤熟 Roast it over an open flame on a fork
- Xiaoyu
用叉子架着烤，边缘焦红带甜，我都想钻盘子里去了。
It's roasted on forks, with edges that are charred red and sweet, and honestly I just want to dive right into the plate.
- Jiahao
烧鹅吃上了没？
Have you had any roast goose yet?
- Xiaoyu
皮烤得又脆又亮，我刚才拿筷子敲了好半天。
The skin's roasted so crispy and glossy, I was just tapping it with my chopsticks for ages.
- Jiahao
你的粤语学的怎么样了？
How's your Cantonese coming along?
- Xiaoyu
省内外几千万人都说粤语，我现在已经学会说多谢了。
Tens of millions of people across the province and beyond speak Cantonese, and I've already learned to say thanks.
- Jiahao
比我还多会一句。
That's one more phrase than I know.
- Xiaoyu
隔壁桌的阿姨已经收留我了，我可能不打算回去了。
The auntie at the next table has basically adopted me, so I might just not go back.
Words in the conversation
不过howeverHSK 2过来to come overHSK 2刚才just nowHSK 2筷子chopsticksHSK 2怎么样how is itHSK 2已经alreadyHSK 2可能possibleHSK 2打算to planHSK 2整整a full (whole span of time)HSK 3根本fundamentallyHSK 3千万countlessHSK 3热闹livelyHSK 4盘子a plateHSK 4阿姨auntie (a friendly older woman)HSK 4叉子fork (utensil)HSK 5隔壁next doorHSK 5边缘edgeHSK 6内外inside and outHSK 6学会to learn (to do)HSK 6
Notes
- Kind
- Province
- Capital
- Guangzhou
- Region
- South China
The Pearl River Delta, the home of Cantonese food and language.
Known for
- Dim sum: a morning of tea and small dishes in a busy teahouse
- Char siu: barbecued pork with a sticky, red-edged glaze
- Roast goose with crisp, glassy skin
- Cantonese, spoken by tens of millions in the province and beyond
Its dish
Dishes in the conversation
Char siu
Strips of pork marinated in honey, soy and five-spice and roasted on forks until the edges char red and sticky. Served sliced over rice or tucked into buns.