Chinese 101

I thought that it would be nice for me to record some of the words that I learnt from China from my stay here in Beijing. Without these words, I probably wouldn't have had such a good time as I did.

1. 打车 - means to take a taxi. You probably don't want to use this in Singapore. 2 reasons: One is that it'll probably hurt a ton, Second is that you probably be caught by the 公安。

2. 公安 - You guessed it, it means the police. Mentioning 警察 here wouldn't have such a great effect than if you mention 公安. Not to be mistaken with 保安, security guards (even though sometimes i feel they wear almost the same uniform).

3. 扯 - it means "to retreat" literally. But in Beijing, you use this when you want the service staff to clear the table for you. E.g. 服务员，帮忙把碟子扯一扯，谢谢! This is a must-have unless you want the table to be full of plates and bowls...

4. 服务员 - means Service Staff in restaurants. Say it with force and gusto when you need service... say it like you would when you propose a toast or when you YAM SENG... or else no one will service you. Trust me, it is more effective than "excuse me" or "could you help me?"

5. 土豆 - ask 10 singaporeans and 11 will tell you this means peanuts. No guys, this means Potato. They have a dish called "清炒土豆丝"。 I was so excited to see how sliced peanuts looked like... can you imagine? What about 土豆泥？ Mashed peanuts?

I think that is enough for today class. One last note before I go... remember to add ”儿" to the end of of sentence. Sometimes I 打车 to school and here is how the conversation always go:

Me: 你好！北大东门...
Taxi Uncle: Huh? 哪儿？不会去！
Me: 北大东门...东门...
Taxi Uncle: 不会去！
Me: 那好儿呗...就到北大东门儿吧...
Taxi Uncle: 那儿我会去啊。早点说嘛...
Me: ...

下儿一儿次儿再儿见儿，Bye儿 Bye儿!