If you’re sick of doing the old point and grunt routine when you’re at your local jianbing vendor in China, why not take a few minutes to learn some Mandarin that will help you look like a pro. It’s time. It really is. Do it for World Jianbing Day (April 30 from 2019 ’til eternity).
First off, let’s take a look at some of the jianbing ingredients that are usually present in the standard jianbing.
Standard Jianbing Ingredients in China
葱 cōng – scallions
香菜 xiāng cài – cilantro/coriander
甜面酱 tián miàn jiàng – sweet bean sauce
辣椒 là jiāo – chili paste
薄脆 báo cuì – fried wonton skin
鸡蛋 jī dàn – (chicken) egg
Optional Jianbing Ingredients
香肠 -xiāng cháng – “sausage”
鸡肉 jī ròu – chicken
生菜 -shēng cài – lettuce
油条 yóu tiáo – Chinese crueler (fried dough)
Useful Verbs For Ordering Jianbing
要加 yào jiā- want to add
不要 bu yào – don’t want
多加 duōj jiā – add extra
少放 shǎo fàng – add just a little…
Now, Let’s Order a Jianbing
师傅，拿一个煎饼 Shīfu, ná yi ge jiānbing.
Mrs/Ms, I’d like one jiānbing.
师傅，拿一个煎饼 Shīfu, nái yi ge jiānbing.
Mrs/Ms, I’d like a jiānbing.”
Counting on one Hand in China
Making Phrases With Verb + Ingredient
不要辣椒bù yào làjiāo – I don’t want chili
要加鸡肉 yào jiā jīròu – I want to add chicken
Hand Over the Money (6-15 RMB/$1-2 – 2019 prices）
多少钱? Duō shǎo qián? – How much is it?
谢谢 xièxiè – Thanks
Congratulations, you did it! If you’ve been wanting to improve your Chinese, we always encourage starting with food vocabulary and menus as a starting point – after all, you have to eat three times a day, and the language experts encourage learning material that you’re interested in. Food, language, BINGO!
If you’re looking for the best jianbing in China, join us on a Shanghai Street Eats Breakfast food tour or Beijing Hutong Breakfast culinary adventure, where we sample jianbing and loads of other traditional Chinese street snacks. Or check out our handy online jianbing locator.
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