Not everyone has the vast experience that The Chinese Quest has when it comes to dining out at Chinese restaurants.  Experience does have it rewards. When you sound like you know what you’re doing, and you know what you want, you tend to get not only better service, but kitchen doors will open up to Chinese foods that you won’t find on the menu.

How do you get the good stuff?  Order like a Boss!

Don’t know how to “order like a Boss”?  Or, order like a native.  The Chinese Quest is going to teach you.  This stuff is pure gold, I tell you.  You can thank us later… And at the end of the article, I will tell you how.

Please give me the menu.  .  Then we open the menu, and close the menu, and ask…

Can you recommend some dishes?    Yes, we want the real deal!  Give us your best…

Which dish is good?    Or…

What is your specialty?    And we say…

I’ll have that.  

When the Dumpling King graces us with his presence, this is what he says…

I like Chinese dumplings very much.  

Mee V. Stoogas makes a special request…

I don’t like beef.    Well, technically speaking, it’s not that he doesn’t like beef, he just chooses not to eat red meat.  But, this expression gets his point across.

Occasionally we will spy something on another table that catches our fancy, and we ask…

What is this dish called? 

One thing you’ll never hear us say…

I’m on a diet.  

Ordering Food

You’ll sound like a real Boss, when you order Chinese food by name:

Fried rice – 

Steamed dumplings – 

Dim sum – 

Shrimp – 

Beef –  (again, just not for Mee V. Stoogas)

Chicken – 

Pork – 

Vegetables –  (You know how much we love Chinese vegetables!)

Something to Drink

We don’t always drink beer when we eat, but when we do, we prefer Tsingtao…

A bottle of beer, please.  

And when it’s served we say all together, in five part harmony…

Bottoms Up (Toast)!  

When enough is enough (and when, of course, we HAVE to get a shot for our Twitter feed)…

Where is the restroom (toilet)?  

And at the end of the night…

The check, please.  

Should you get stumped with some of these pronunciations, may we suggest that you print out a copy of this article, and bring it with you.  Then you can point to what you’re trying to say.  With practice, and grace, and the help of your server, in no time you’ll have the pronunciations down pat, and you’ll be speaking and ordering not only like a native, but you’ll be speaking and ordering like a Boss.  And other restaurant patrons will give you all the proper due respect that you now so richly deserve!

How to Thank Us

As a thank you for us turning you on to these insider secrets, please share this post with all of your friends and family.  And they too, can order like a Boss!

Xièxie 谢谢!

Humbly submitted for your consumption,

—Mee Magnum  (“Chop!  Chop!”)