Ordering Vegetarian at a Chinese Restaurant
IntermediateRestaurant
A vegetarian customer explains their dietary restrictions to a waiter and asks which dishes can be prepared without meat or fish sauce.
M
MeiW
WeiM
你好，我想问一下，你们这儿有没有素菜？
nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng wèn yíxià, nǐmen zhèr yǒu méiyǒu sùcài?
Hello, I'd like to ask—do you have any vegetarian dishes here?
W
有的，我们有好几道素菜。请问您是不吃肉吗？
yǒu de, wǒmen yǒu hǎojǐ dào sùcài. qǐngwèn nín shì bù chī ròu ma?
Yes, we have quite a few vegetarian dishes. May I ask, do you not eat meat?
M
对，我吃全素，肉、鸡、鱼我都不吃。
duì, wǒ chī quánsù, ròu, jī, yú wǒ dōu bù chī.
Right, I'm a strict vegetarian—I don't eat any meat, chicken, or fish.
W
明白了。那鸡蛋和牛奶您能吃吗？
míngbái le. nà jīdàn hé niúnǎi nín néng chī ma?
I see. In that case, can you eat eggs and milk?
M
鸡蛋和牛奶都可以，不过我还有一个问题。
jīdàn hé niúnǎi dōu kěyǐ, búguò wǒ hái yǒu yí gè wèntí.
Eggs and milk are both fine, but I have one more question.
W
您请说。
nín qǐng shuō.
Please, go ahead.
M
有些素菜会放鱼露或者蚝油，哪些菜是不放这些的呢？
yǒuxiē sùcài huì fàng yúlù huòzhě háoyóu, nǎxiē cài shì bù fàng zhèxiē de ne?
Some vegetarian dishes use fish sauce or oyster sauce—which dishes are made without those?
W
您考虑得真周到。我们的干煸豆角和清炒时蔬都是纯素的，不放鱼露，也不放蚝油。
nín kǎolǜ de zhēn zhōudào. wǒmen de gānbiān dòujiǎo hé qīngchǎo shíshū dōu shì chúnsù de, bù fàng yúlù, yě bù fàng háoyóu.
You've thought of everything. Our dry-fried green beans and stir-fried seasonal vegetables are both purely vegetarian—no fish sauce and no oyster sauce.
M
太好了！那麻婆豆腐呢？里面是不是有肉末？
tài hǎo le! nà mápó dòufu ne? lǐmiàn shì bú shì yǒu ròumò?
Great! And what about the mapo tofu? Does it have ground meat in it?
W
一般是有的，不过我可以让厨房专门给您做一份不放肉末的。
yìbān shì yǒu de, búguò wǒ kěyǐ ràng chúfáng zhuānmén gěi nín zuò yí fèn bù fàng ròumò de.
Usually it does, but I can ask the kitchen to make you a special portion without ground meat.
M
那太感谢了！那我就点这三个菜，再来一碗米饭吧。
nà tài gǎnxiè le! nà wǒ jiù diǎn zhè sān gè cài, zài lái yì wǎn mǐfàn ba.
Thank you so much! Then I'll order these three dishes, plus a bowl of rice.
W
好的，您稍等，菜马上就来。
hǎo de, nín shāo děng, cài mǎshàng jiù lái.
Sure, please wait a moment—your food will be right out.