First date dinner: Choosing dishes from the menu together

🇨🇳 In China it's normal to ask your companion or the waiter for a recommendation. On a date it also hands the other person a chance to take the lead.

💬 鸡丁 (jī dīng) means "diced chicken". 丁 "small cubes" shows up in other dish names too, like 肉丁 "diced meat".

💬 很 here doesn't really add "very". It's needed so the adjective 好吃 can stand as the sentence. For real emphasis, say 非常好吃 "extremely delicious".

💬 的 links a description to the noun after it: 这里的 + dish means "this place's dish". Swap it to say 北京的烤鸭 "Beijing's roast duck".

🇨🇳 Asking this before ordering is genuinely considerate, since many popular dishes, like Sichuan or Hunan food, can be very hot.

💬 一点 (yì diǎn) "a little" goes after the verb: 吃一点, 喝一点 "drink a little". 一 changes to (yì) before the third tone of 点.

💬 什么 "what" here means "anything" because the sentence is a 吗 question. Compare 你有什么事吗？ "Is there anything (you need)?"

🇨🇳 Cilantro is sprinkled on many Chinese dishes by default, and disliking it is common enough that restaurants expect the request.

💬 不吃 means "don't eat" as a habit or preference, not just right now. Swap in 我不吃辣 "I don't eat spicy food" or 我不吃肉 "I don't eat meat".

💬 都 "all" comes before the verb or adjective and refers back to the group before it. Another example: 我们都去 "we're all going".

🇨🇳 A typical shared meal balances a meat dish, a stir-fried green vegetable, and often a soup. Suggesting 青菜 shows you're thinking about the whole table.

💬 Put 怎么样 (zěn me yàng) after any suggestion to ask for agreement: 再要一个汤，怎么样？ "Shall we get a soup too?"

💬 Numbers need the counting word 个 before the noun: 三个菜, 两个人 "two people". 了 at the end signals "that's now enough".

🇨🇳 In most Chinese restaurants it's normal to call out 服务员 (fú wù yuán) loudly to get attention. It isn't considered rude.

💬 那 (nà) at the start means "in that case", linking to what was just agreed. For example, 那我们走吧 "then let's go".

💬 别 (bié) before a verb means "don't" for telling someone not to do something: 别走 "don't go", 别担心 "don't worry".

💬 不要 (bú yào) + a food is the standard way to ask a waiter to leave something out. 不 becomes (bú) before the falling tone of 要. Try 不要辣 "not spicy".

💬 哦 (o) at the end adds a friendly, gentle reminder tone, softening what could otherwise sound like an order.