báijiǔ : 白酒 : a punishingly strong clear spirit
bāozi : 包子 : a steamed, stuffed bun
cāntīng : 餐厅 : canteen, dining hall
chǎofàn : 炒饭 : fried rice
chā shāo : 叉烧 : BBQ roasted pork, probably the single best way to eat pork in China, it is pretty Cantonese
chēnmiàn : 抻面 : refers to hand-pulled noodles
chòu dòufu : 臭豆腐 : stinky tofu, fermented tofu
cù : 醋 : vinegar
culantro : an herb (from Mexico and South America) that tastes similar to cilantro
dāngrán : 当然 : of course, obviously, DUH
dàsuàn : 大蒜 : garlic
dòufu : 豆腐 : tofu, or bean curd
gānbēi : 干杯 : bottoms up, finish every drop in your glass, chug
guōtiē : 锅贴 : pan-fried dumplings, potstickers
huājiāo : 花轿 : Sichuan tongue-numbing pepper, not related to the black or chili peppers. Also known as “flower pepper”
hún tún : 馄饨 : wontons
huǒguō : 火锅 : hot pot
jiācháng dòufu : 家常豆腐 : home-style tofu
jiāng : 姜 : ginger
jiānbǐng : 煎饼 : crêpe-like breakfast wrap made with an egg, fresh green herbs, chili sauce, bean curd preserve, and yóutiáo
jiǎozi : 饺子 : dumpling
jīn : 斤 : unit of measurement (weight), in mainland China, the 斤 has been rounded to 500g
kǎoyā : 烤鸭 : roast duck, delicious and succulent
kuàizi : 筷子 : chopsticks
làjiāo : 辣椒 : hot pepper, chili
liángcài : 凉菜 : “cold dishes,” served as appetizers to meals in Shanghai
lóngxiā : 龙虾 : lobster, “dragon shrimp”
lù : 路 : street
mántóu : 馒头 : steamed bun, sometimes eaten as is, or acts like a wrapper to a dumpling
mó sū ròu xiāng : 馍酥肉香 : “delicious meat biscuits,” the Chinese sandwich
niúròu miàn : 牛肉面 : beef noodle soup, a classic Asian soup
phở : a Vietnamese beef noodle soup
píjiǔ : 啤酒 : beer
qiēmiàn : 切面 : refers to cut noodles, made from a machine (not hand pulled)
qiézi : 茄子 : eggplant, also the word that people use when having their pictures taken (like Cheese!)
shànghǎirén : 上海人 : Shanghailanders, people of this great city
shàoxīngjiǔ : 绍兴酒 : rice wine, produced in Shaoxing area in Zhejiang Province; made of sticky rice and wheat
shēngjiān mántóu : 生煎馒头 : small, pan-fried dumplings usually filled with pork and gelatin (to create a soup within the dumpling)
shǒu là miàn : 手拉面 : fresh hand pulled noodle soup, typical of the Uyghur minority
shuǐjiǎo : 水饺 : boiled dumplings
suān cài : 酸菜 : pickled Chinese cabbage, sauerkraut
wàiguórén : 外国人 : foreigner, not a Chinese national, i.e. me
wèijīng : 味精 : MSG, monosodium glutamate; a.k.a the Chinese Spice of Life
xiā : 虾 : shrimp, prawn
xiǎochī : 小吃 : snack, a meal that the Shanghainese cannot skip
xiǎolóngbāo : 小龙包 : “little steamed baskets”, Classic Shanghai soup dumpling
yáng ròu chuàn : 羊肉串 : lamb kebabs, typically grilled on the street or found in Uyghur restaurants, Or outside MAO at 2 a.m.
yóutiáo : 油条 : fried bread stick, sometimes referred to as a Chinese cruller
yú : 鱼 : fish
yuán : 元 : Chinese currency (RMB). $1 ≈ 6.8元
zhōng shuǐ jiǎo : 水饺 : a Sichuan style dumpling, bathed in chili oil
zhūròu : 猪肉 : pork
