Posted on: Xinjiang Delicacies

Hamigua do not have the netted skin that defines true canteloupe. I prefer Hami melon as a translation.

Posted on: Funny Rice

玉米、 'jade rice' corn

小米、 'small rice' millet

We have a dish in Sichuan called 鸡米芽菜 - chicken rice 'yacai' (yacai a kind of preserved vegetable). But there's no actual rice; the 米 means that the chicken has been cut very small, into the size of kernels.

Posted on: Hungry Traveler: Taiwan

They are all distinct dishes native of their region, just all happen to have the same name. Kind of like what is called 烧饼 in Chengdu is a completely different animal from the 烧饼 of the northeast.

Taiwanese 牛肉面 is noodles and soup. I like it with tendon.

Posted on: Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

It's higher on the thread : )

Posted on: Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

@bababardwan no, there is not supposed to be cabbage or onion in 鱼香. 鱼香 means 'cooked with the same seasonings you would use for fish', it doesn't include fish.

鱼香 is a signature Sichuan flavour. Here we 鱼香 all kinds of things; 鱼香 茄子 (eggplant)  is probably the most famous with 鱼香肉丝 coming a close second. 鱼香豆腐 (tofu), 鱼香油菜 (rape), etc. 

Posted on: Big Bed

When I was getting sheets/bedding for my place, it was 单人 for a single bed、 双人 for a double、 and 大双 for a 'large double'. 大双 probably corresponds to queen size; it's not as big as king size. They also had measurements in cm. (And it was cheaper to get bedding custom made than buying sets.)

Posted on: Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

My experience is the same for  冷菜 vs 凉菜; this lesson is the first I've ever seen 冷菜. But seriously, how consistent are the categories on English menus? Learners need to start somewhere. (My frame of reference is Sichuan.)

I think 卤排骨 (stewed ribs) is more of a drinking dish than 糖醋排骨. In Chengdu, during the summer people have 冷淡杯 in the evenings - a collection of cold dishes to eat with beer or other drinks;卤排骨 often show up with a little pile of 麻辣 (numbing and spicy) pepper to eat with them.

Posted on: Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

@mikeinewshot yes, a big menu is often a sign of lower quality but there are lots of other factors - size of kitchen and number of kitchen staff, storage facilities, how busy the restaurant is. I think Chinese restaurants that do mostly steamed, stir fried, and deep fried dishes can get away with a more extensive menu because these cooking methods are very efficient. One of my favourite homestyle Chinese places has an enormous menu, and I've never had a bad dish from them.

Another good menu category is the 特色菜, house specialties.

Posted on: Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs

Have a quibble with the translation of 鱼香肉丝. It should NEVER have cabbage; green onions are acceptable on top but onions are not an integral part of the dish. (Many restaurants will use onions and cabbage as a cheap way to stretch stir fried dishes; I would be pretty upset to get an order of 鱼香肉丝 containing cabbage!) What is important is the 木耳 、black fungus.

鱼香 could be translated directly as 'fish fragrance'; most people familiar with Chinese food know what this means - a tangy, sweet, funky mix of  ginger, garlic, bean paste, vinegar, and sugar. It's the seasonings usually used for fish (hence '鱼香') applied to other ingredients.

Posted on: Pain and Suffering 伤心, 难受，郁闷 ,不爽，难过

Hakka style 伤心粉 (seasoned cold bean starch noodles) is really popular in Chengdu. The Chinglish signs on the 伤心粉 shops say something like 'hakka the sad face powder'.