Of food, dinners and restaurants Of food, dinners and restaurants Van eten, diners en restaurants 食物、晚餐和餐馆

Hi everyone, this is Owen and this is my podcast for Friday 15th January, 2016. First, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year and all the best for 2016. I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas holiday and a good start to the new year. I'm back in Kunming now after a short and fun visit to Beijing. I went there to celebrate Christmas and to catch up with [1] some friends. Fui lá para festejar o Natal e para pôr a conversa em dia com [1] alguns amigos. Lots of people have left, though, since I was last in Beijing. No entanto, desde a última vez que estive em Pequim, muitas pessoas foram-se embora. Only a couple of my expat [2] friends are still living there. Only a couple of my expat [2] friends are still living there. Apenas alguns dos meus amigos expatriados [2] continuam a viver lá. The reason so many have left is the air pollution. It was particularly bad around Christmas. Era particularmente mau na altura do Natal. I'd forgotten how awful the air smells and tastes. Tinha-me esquecido de como o ar cheira e sabe mal. Apart from that, it was great to be back. Walking around my old neighbourhood, I noticed a few things that have changed but most of it was just how I left it.

Today I'll be talking about food. First, I'll tell you about a dinner party at my house and then about my culinary [3] adventures in Beijing.

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So, the other week, I invited some Chinese friends over for dinner. So, the other week, I invited some Chinese friends over for dinner. Por isso, na outra semana, convidei uns amigos chineses para jantar. It was my turn to cook some Western food for them. Era a minha vez de cozinhar comida ocidental para eles. I always get a bit nervous when I have to cook for Chinese people. I find them quite picky [4] when it comes to food. Considero-os bastante exigentes [4] no que diz respeito à alimentação. A lot of them only eat Chinese food and they don't know much about European food. So I had to think very carefully about what I should cook for them. I decided to buy lots of booze [5] just in case. Decidi comprar muita bebida [5] para o caso de ser necessário. I thought, if I they have enough to drink, they'll be happy with whatever I offer them to eat. They like to eat a lot, so I had to make sure I prepared enough food. They like to eat a lot, so I had to make sure I prepared enough food. I also wanted to give them a real experience, so I prepared three courses. Também queria dar-lhes uma experiência real, por isso preparei três pratos. The first course was more like finger food. O primeiro prato era mais um petisco. I prepared hummus with homemade pitta bread, guacamole and bruschetta. Preparei húmus com pão pitta caseiro, guacamole e bruschetta. I also made them strong mojitos to drink. Também lhes preparei mojitos fortes para beber. We were sitting in the living room and it was all going well. Estávamos sentados na sala de estar e estava tudo a correr bem. They loved the mojitos and seemed to be enjoying the food. They especially liked the fresh bread and before long all the food was gone. Gostaram especialmente do pão fresco e em pouco tempo toda a comida desapareceu. I then stood up and asked them to sit at the dinner table for the main course. Levantei-me então e pedi-lhes que se sentassem à mesa para o prato principal. They all looked at me in shock and asked: ‘What do you mean, main course? They all looked at me in shock and asked: ‘What do you mean, main course? ' They all thought that had been the whole dinner. Todos pensaram que tinha sido o jantar inteiro. Now, I was a little worried they were full [6]. Agora, estava um pouco preocupado com o facto de estarem cheios [6]. The main course was spaghetti puttanesca. Most Chinese like strong flavours and I thought puttanesca with black olives, capers and anchovies would be something they would like. We opened a bottle of red wine to have with the pasta. They were having some problems using a fork and also I noticed they were chewing [7] a lot. Eles estavam a ter alguns problemas em usar um garfo e também reparei que estavam a mastigar [7] muito. I kept thinking: ‘Why are they chewing so much? It's just spaghetti. ' I realised then that it was too dry for them. Only one of them wanted dessert. I guess they were full at least. I guess they were full at least. The dinner taught me a few lessons. First, Chinese have a large appetite when it comes to Chinese food but not when it comes to Western food. Second, always make a soup. Em segundo lugar, fazer sempre uma sopa. And third, just invite them to a Chinese restaurant next time. E, em terceiro lugar, convidem-nos para um restaurante chinês da próxima vez.

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In Beijing I was very happy to see my old housemate Claude. He's French but he's been in Beijing for many years and he recently opened a restaurant there, where they serve a variety of different European food. It's located in the old part of Beijing, in the centre of the city. It's located in the old part of Beijing, in the centre of the city. Over Christmas the restaurant was offering a special dinner. No Natal, o restaurante estava a oferecer um jantar especial. A couple of friends and I decided to go there on Christmas Eve. Um casal de amigos e eu decidimos ir lá na véspera de Natal. The restaurant was fully booked over Christmas, so naturally Claude was a little nervous. O restaurante estava completamente cheio durante o Natal, pelo que o Claude estava naturalmente um pouco nervoso. On Christmas Eve he was also expecting a group of journalists and food bloggers which added to the pressure [8]. Na véspera de Natal, estava também à espera de um grupo de jornalistas e bloguistas de gastronomia, o que aumentou a pressão [8]. Just before people started arriving he got a phone call from the restaurant's landlord [9]. Pouco antes de as pessoas começarem a chegar, recebeu um telefonema do senhorio do restaurante [9]. The landlord wanted a table for a group of his friends. Claude explained that the restaurant was fully booked because it was Christmas Eve and that he was sorry but he didn't have a table available. Claude explained that the restaurant was fully booked because it was Christmas Eve and that he was sorry but he didn't have a table available. The landlord, however, didn't stop insisting [10]. He said his friends just wanted to come for a drink, they didn't want to eat. Claude, of course, wants to keep him happy, not just because he's the landlord but because he apparently has links to the local mafia. Claude reluctantly [11] decided to give them a table on the second floor of the restaurant. The second floor is still under construction, so it's not officially open yet. Claude knew they were going to be loud, so he thought at least on the second floor they won't disturb [12] anyone. Claude knew they were going to be loud, so he thought at least on the second floor they won't disturb [12] anyone. O Claude sabia que iam ser barulhentos, por isso pensou que, pelo menos no segundo andar, não iriam incomodar [12] ninguém. Little did he know. Mal sabia ele. When six rather drunk middle-aged Chinese arrived, Claude quickly showed them upstairs. Quando chegaram seis chineses de meia-idade, um pouco bêbados, Claude levou-os rapidamente para cima. They ordered a bottle of vodka and tequila and before long they were making a lot of noise. Claude kept rushing upstairs to ask them to be quiet and to have a drink with them as is the custom here. O Claude não parava de subir as escadas para lhes pedir que se calassem e para tomar uma bebida com eles, como é costume aqui. Downstairs everything was going smoothly [13]. No andar de baixo, tudo estava a correr bem [13]. There were lots of Christmas decorations, Frank Sinatra was singing Christmas songs in the background and everyone was enjoying their Christmas Eve dinner. Havia muitas decorações de Natal, Frank Sinatra cantava canções de Natal ao fundo e toda a gente estava a desfrutar do seu jantar de véspera de Natal. Then all of a sudden there was a very loud noise. Depois, de repente, ouviu-se um barulho muito forte. We all turned our heads towards the stairs and watched as one very drunk Chinese man came crashing down the stairs and landed face down on the floor next to a big table of people enjoying their dinner. We all turned our heads towards the stairs and watched as one very drunk Chinese man came crashing down the stairs and landed face down on the floor next to a big table of people enjoying their dinner. Todos virámos a cabeça para as escadas e vimos um chinês muito bêbado cair pelas escadas abaixo e aterrar de cara no chão, junto a uma grande mesa de pessoas que estavam a jantar. It suddenly went very quiet in the restaurant. De repente, o restaurante ficou muito silencioso. The Chinese man groaned [14] loudly, passed out [15] and started snoring [16]. O chinês gemeu [14] alto, desmaiou [15] e começou a ressonar [16]. Claude and the waitresses quickly rushed over to see if he was ok. Two of the other men came down the stairs, saw their friend lying on the floor, laughed at him and then went back upstairs. The bartender called an ambulance but before it got there, the Chinese man woke up, shouted at everyone that he was ok and then vomited [17] all over the floor. The bartender called an ambulance but before it got there, the Chinese man woke up, shouted at everyone that he was ok and then vomited [17] all over the floor. O empregado do bar chamou uma ambulância mas, antes que esta chegasse, o chinês acordou, gritou a toda a gente que estava bem e vomitou [17] no chão. Claude was in shock and very angry but immediately apologised to all his guests for the disturbance. The staff quickly cleaned up and carried the drunken man outside for some fresh air. The ambulance still hadn't found the restaurant at this point and the funniest part of the whole scene to me was that the hospital then called to ask whether we still needed an ambulance. The drunken man seemed to be ok and Claude was so angry, he told the hospital not to bother. The drunken man seemed to be ok and Claude was so angry, he told the hospital not to bother. What a great night! Not only was the food fantastic, we also got to enjoy a bit of unforgettable drunken behaviour. Não só a comida era fantástica, como também pudemos desfrutar de um comportamento de embriaguez inesquecível.

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As I'm sure I have told you before, Beijing is a great place for eating out. It's something I miss a lot. É algo de que sinto muita falta. These days there is some very good non-Chinese food available. Atualmente, há muito boa comida não chinesa disponível. But it's the Chinese food in Beijing that I miss. You can find every type of Chinese cuisine and it's all just delicious. I was excited about going back to one of my favourite spots in Beijing. It's a tiny little family-run restaurant in the hutongs. It's a tiny little family-run restaurant in the hutongs. É um pequeno restaurante familiar nos hutongs. Hutongs are the narrow streets that make up the old part of Beijing. Os hutongs são as ruas estreitas que constituem a parte antiga de Pequim. The restaurant is very close to where I used to live and it was on my way to work. O restaurante fica muito perto do sítio onde eu vivia e ficava a caminho do trabalho. If I ever felt a little hungry on my way home, this is where I would go. The menu is very simple. Basically all they serve are steamed dumplings, soups and a few simple stir-fried dishes. Basicamente, tudo o que servem são bolinhos de massa cozidos a vapor, sopas e alguns pratos simples fritos. The best Chinese comfort food [18] there is. A melhor comida chinesa de conforto [18] que existe. So I couldn't wait to go back to order my favourite dishes: some steamed pork and leek dumplings and a plate of chao bing. Por isso, mal podia esperar para voltar e pedir os meus pratos preferidos: uns bolinhos de carne de porco e alho francês cozidos a vapor e um prato de chao bing. To make chao bing they make a very thick pancake which they then cut into thin strips [19]. To make chao bing they make a very thick pancake which they then cut into thin strips [19]. Para fazer chao bing faz-se uma panqueca muito grossa que depois se corta em tiras finas [19]. After that they stir-fry them with some cabbage and egg. So simple yet so delicious. Tão simples e tão delicioso. When I walked into the restaurant I was happy to see that the same family was managing the place. It all looked the same, nothing had changed, the same tables and stools, the same old wooden counter where you can watch them making dumplings, the same bottles of vinegar and soy sauce on all the tables. It felt good to be back. I ordered my food. I sat down and prepared a little bowl with Chinese vinegar and chilli sauce for my dumplings. I sat down and prepared a little bowl with Chinese vinegar and chilli sauce for my dumplings. Sentei-me e preparei uma pequena tigela com vinagre chinês e molho de malagueta para os meus bolinhos. And then finally my food arrived. And what a disappointment it was! E que desilusão! The chao bing was much too oily and salty and the dumplings tasted very different. O chao bing era demasiado oleoso e salgado e os bolinhos tinham um sabor muito diferente. I think they put some strange spices inside. To be honest I wish I had never gone back. Para ser sincero, gostava de nunca ter regressado. It completely ruined all my good memories of the place.

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That's all from me for today. Thank you very much for listening. You can listen to all our podcasts by visiting our website www.podclub.ch or by downloading our app. You can also download our vocabulary trainer to help you learn new words. You can also download our vocabulary trainer to help you learn new words. Gerry will be back in two weeks. And my next podcast will be on February the 12th. Until then, goodbye!

Glossaire: Owen in China [1] to catch up with so. : to see so. you haven't seen in a long time

[2] expat: short for expatriate: so. who lives in a foreign country

[3] culinary: related to food

[4] picky: hard to please

[5] booze: alcohol

[6] full: here: not wanting to eat more after eating a lot [6] full: here: not wanting to eat more after eating a lot

[7] to chew: to use your teeth to bite food in your mouth

[8] pressure: here: stress

[9] landlord: a person who rents out land or a building

[10] to insist: to not accept ‘no' as an answer

[11] reluctantly: hesitantly

[12] to disturb: here: to interrupt somebody's peace

[13] smoothly : without any problems

[14] to groan: here: to make a deep sound because of pain [14] to groan: here: to make a deep sound because of pain

[15] to pass out: to become unconscious

[16] to snore: to make a sound while asleep

[17] to vomit: to be sick, to throw up, to puke

[18] comfort food: food that makes you feel happy and at home

[19] strip: here: a long and thin piece