Get ready to slurp your way to better Chinese!
In my latest video, I'm taking you to a real Lanzhou Lamian (兰州拉面) restaurant and chat with the owner himself.
Apart from seeing some amazing hand-pulled noodles in action, you'll also...- Practice your listening skills: Immerse yourself in authentic Mandarin conversation.
- Expand your vocabulary: Learn new words related to Chinese food and culture.
- Discover the secrets of a unique cuisine: Get a taste of this flavorful regional specialty.
So grab your chopsticks (figuratively, for now!) and watch the full interview here:
Interview Dialogue Breakdown (Useful Mandarin Phrases and Chinese Language Tips )
dàjiā hǎo! wǒ shì Angel.
大家好！我是Angel。
Hello everyone! I am Angel.
jīntiān wǒ yào hé dàjiā yīqǐ fēnxiǎng yīxià
今天我要和大家一起分享一下
Today I want to share with you all
wǒ yīzhí yǐlái dōu ài chī de lánzhōu lāmiàn.
我一直以来都爱吃的兰州拉面。
the Lanzhou ramen I have always loved.
zǒu ba!
走吧！
Let's go!
nǐ hǎo! lǎobǎn nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?
你好！老板你是哪里人？
Hello! Boss, where are you from?
wǒ shì láizì dàměi qīnghǎi de.
我是来自大美青海的。
I am from the beautiful Qinghai.
nà wǒ tīngshuō xīběi yǒu sānbǎo.
那我听说西北有三宝。
I heard there are three treasures in the Northwest.
nà xīběi de sānbǎo dàodǐ zhǐ de shì shénme ne?
那西北的三宝到底指的是什么呢？
So, what exactly are the three treasures of the Northwest?
wǒmen xīběi de shì bù shì nàgè tèchǎn?
我们西北的是不是那个特产？
Are the three treasures the three specialties of the Northwest?
xīběi zhǔyào shì lánzhōu lāmiàn,
西北主要是兰州拉面，
The main ones in the Northwest are Lanzhou ramen,
hái yǒu dàpánjī,
还有大盘鸡，
and big plate chicken,
hái yǒu nàgè ròujiāmó,
还有那个肉夹馍，
and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger),
hái yǒu luànqībāzāo de, děngděng děng hěnduō de a!
还有乱七八糟的，等等等很多的啊！
and many other miscellaneous things!
zhǔyào shì zhè sān zhǒng.
主要是这三种。
The main ones are these three.
hěn hǎo chī!
很好吃！
They are very delicious!
zhè sān dào cài dōu tèbié yǒu tèsè.
这三道菜都特别有特色。
These three dishes are very distinctive.
shì ma?
是吗？
Really?
ránhòu ne, wǒ tèbié xǐhuān chī
然后呢，我特别喜欢吃
And I especially like eating
nǐmen jiā de nàgè lánzhōu lāmiàn.
你们家的那个兰州拉面。
your Lanzhou ramen.
shì a!
是啊！
Yes!
nà nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ a jièshào yīxià
那你可以给我啊介绍一下
Can you introduce to me
zhè yī dào lánzhōu lāmiàn shì zěnme yàng zuò de ma?
这一道兰州拉面是怎么样做的吗？
how this Lanzhou ramen is made?
zhège lánzhōu lāmiàn shì zěnme zuò?
这个兰州拉面是怎么做？
How is this Lanzhou ramen made?
jiùshì shuō wǒmen shǒugōng zuò de.
就是说我们手工做的。
We make it by hand.
jiùshì shuō shì xiàn zuò de.
就是说是现做的。
It is freshly made.
dōu shì xīnxiān de a!
都是新鲜的啊！
It's all fresh!
zhǔyào shì
主要是
The main ingredients are
miànfěn a, niúròu a, niúgǔ a jiùshì zhèxiē.
面粉啊，牛肉啊，牛骨啊就是这些。
flour, beef, beef bones.
tāng shì jiùshì áo qǐlái de.
汤是就是熬起来的。
The broth is boiled.
miàn shì wǒmen zìjǐ shǒugōng zuò de.
面是我们自己手工做的。
The noodles are handmade by us.
jiùshì nǐ gǎnjué jiùshì hěn hǎo chī, shì ba?
就是你感觉就是很好吃，是吧？
You think it is delicious, right?
shì, tèbié hǎo chī!
是，特别好吃！
Yes, it is especially delicious!
jiùshì nàgè miàntiáo hěn yǒu hěn yǒu nàgè tánxìng
就是那个面条很有很有那个弹性
The noodles are very elastic
hěn yǒu rènxìng
很有韧性
and chewy.
ránhòu nàgè tāngliào tèbié de qīngxiāng.
然后那个汤料特别的清香。
And the broth is especially fragrant.
nà zhège tāngliào shì zěnme yàng zuò de?
那这个汤料是怎么样做的？
How is the broth made?
zhège tāngliào jiùshì zhǔyào wèntí jiùshì,
这个汤料就是主要问题就是，
The main thing about the broth is,
wǒmen de jiùshì niúggǔ,
我们的就是牛骨，
we use beef bones,
niúròu, niúyóu hái yǒu fàng diǎn nàgè shēngjiāng.
牛肉，牛油还有放点那个生姜。
Beef, beef fat, and a bit of ginger.
jiùshì zhè méiyǒu luànqībāzāo de.
就是这没有乱七八糟的。
That's all, nothing else.
jiùshì nà yàng áo qǐlái de a.
就是那样熬起来的啊。
It's boiled like that.
suǒyǐ tèbié xiāng.
所以特别香。
So it's especially fragrant.
jiùshì a!
就是啊！
Yes!
wǒmen zhège jiùshì tāng shí jiùshì chún tiānrán de.
我们这个就是汤食就是纯天然的。
Our broth is completely natural.
méiyǒu tiānjiājì a,
没有添加剂啊，
No additives,
luànqībāzāo de, jiùshì zhèyàng de.
乱七八糟的，就是这样的。
no artificial ingredients, just like this.
hǎo! hái yǒu, lǎobǎn
好！还有，老板
Okay! Also, boss,
nǐ zuì xǐhuān chī de yī dào cài shì shénme?
你最喜欢吃的一道菜是什么？
what is your favorite dish?
wǒ zuì xǐhuān chī de wǒmen jiāxiāng de jiùshì shuō shì,
我最喜欢吃的我们家乡的就是说是，
My favorite dish from my hometown is,
wǒmen jiào tǔdòu,
我们叫土豆，
we call it potato,
nǐmen jiào shì mǎlíngshǔ, shì ba?
你们叫是马铃薯，是吧？
you call it potato, right?
dōu kěyǐ.
都可以。
Both are fine.
jiùshì zhège tǔdòu shāo niúròu.
就是这个土豆烧牛肉。
It's this potato stew with beef.
wǒmen zuì xǐhuān jiùshì tǔdòu shāo niúròu.
我们最喜欢就是土豆烧牛肉。
Our favorite is potato stew with beef.
nà měi yī cì
那每一次
Every time
dāng nǐ chī zhè dào
当你吃这道
you eat this
tǔdòu shāo niúròu zhè dào cài de shíhòu
土豆烧牛肉这道菜的时候
potato stew with beef,
nǐ huì yǒu shénme gǎnshòu?
你会有什么感受？
what do you feel?
āi! kěndìng yǒu gǎnshòu a!
哎！肯定有感受啊！
Ah! Of course, there are feelings!
chǎo chǎo yī pán tǔdòu lái,
炒炒一盘土豆来，
Stir-fry a plate of potatoes,
chǎo guòlái yǐhòu,
炒过来以后，
after frying,
xià yīgè
下一个
next,
wǒmen de qīnghǎi nàgè bái mántou de shíhòu,
我们的青海那个白馒头的时候，
when I eat it with our Qinghai white buns,
xiǎngqǐ wǒ de zhège shì dà měi qīnghǎi.
想起我的这个是大美青海。
I think of my beautiful Qinghai.
xiǎngqǐ wǒ de jiāxiāng.
想起我的家乡。
I think of my hometown.
jiùshì xiǎoshíhòu wǒmen jiù bǎ nàgè tǔdòu
就是小时候我们就把那个土豆
When I was little, we used to take those potatoes
wǒmen zìjǐ yǒu zhòng qǐlái de.
我们自己有种起来的。
we grew them ourselves.
wǒmen zìjǐ yào shōu shíhòu wǒmen zìjǐ yào shōu
我们自己要收时候我们自己要收
We would harvest them ourselves when it was time to harvest
wǎng tǔ lǐmiàn jiùshì shōu de.
往土里面就是收的。
We harvested them from the soil.
yě shì wǒmen de céngjīng wǒmen yǒu
也是我们的曾经我们有
We also used to
wǒmen zìjǐ yě qù zhòng de.
我们自己也去种的。
plant them ourselves.
nà wǒ xiǎng wèn yīxià zài nǐmen nàbiān dehuà ne,
那我想问一下在你们那边的话呢，
So I want to ask, in your area,
dōu shuō pǔtōnghuà ma?
都说普通话吗？
do you all speak Mandarin?
háishì shuō nǐmen de jiāxiāng huà?
还是说你们的家乡话？
Or do you speak your local dialect?
nàbiān shuō de shì,
那边说的是，
There, we speak,
bǐfāng shuō wǒmen zài lǎojiā de shíhòu,
比方说我们在老家的时候，
for example, when we are at home,
jiù shuō wǒmen qīnghǎi de tǔhuà.
就说我们青海的土话。
we speak the Qinghai dialect.
nǐmen yě nǐmen wàidìrén jiù tīng bù dǒng.
你们也你们外地人就听不懂。
You outsiders wouldn't understand it.
wǒ yě shì tīng bù dǒng. shì ba?
我也是听不懂。是吧？
I wouldn't understand either. Right?
nà nǐ kěbù kěyǐ jiāo dàjiā shuō yījù qīnghǎi huà?
那你可不可以教大家说一句青海话？
Can you teach us a phrase in Qinghai dialect?
jiùshì "dàjiā hǎo! nǐ hǎo!"
就是"大家好！你好！"
Like, "Hello everyone! Hi!"
"nǐmen hǎo! " wǒmen jiāxiāng huà shì zhèyàng shuō de:
"你们好！" 我们家乡话是这样说的：
"Hello!" In our dialect, we say it like this:
nǐmen hǎo de sā!
你们好的撒！
Nimen hao de sa!
nǐmen hǎo de sā!
你们好的撒！
Nimen hao de sa!
wǒmen yě jiù pǔtōnghuà fānyì chūlái nǐmen hǎo!
我们也就普通话翻译出来你们好！
It's translated into Mandarin as "Hello!"
shì zhège yìsi.
是这个意思。
That's what it means.
zài lái yībiàn, hěn hǎotīng a, zhè huà.
再来一遍，很好听啊，这话。
Say it again, it's very pleasant to hear.
nǐmen hǎo de sā!
你们好的撒！
Nimen hao de sa!
hǎoxiàng chànggē.
好像唱歌。
It's like singing.
dōu gēn nàgè pǔtōnghuà chàbùduō.
都跟那个普通话差不多。
It's almost like Mandarin.
jiùshì wǒmen zhè lǎo tǔhuà.
就是我们这老土话。
It's just our old dialect.
nà zěnme shuō "xièxiè" ne?
那怎么说"谢谢"呢？
How do you say "thank you"?
"xièxiè" zěnme shuō?
"谢谢" 怎么说？
How do you say "thank you"?
"xièxiè" hǎoxiàng gēn zhège pǔtōnghuà yīyàng.
"谢谢" 好像跟这个普通话一样。
"Thank you" seems to be the same as in Mandarin.
xièxiè nǐ!
谢谢你！
Thank you!
yīyàng!
一样！
The same!
shì zhèyàng, bǐjiào tǒngyī de.
是这样，比较统一的。
It's like this, quite uniform.
gēn nàgè pǔtōnghuà jiù chàbùduō.
跟那个普通话就差不多。
It's almost the same as in Mandarin.
hěn hǎo!
很好！
Very good!
āi, jiùshì!
哎，就是！
Yes, exactly!
rán hòu nǐ gāngcái shuō dào nǐmen,
然后你刚才说到你们，
And then you mentioned,
jiùshì nǐmen nàbiān de qīngzhēn cài de yī zhǒng tèsè,
就是你们那边的清真菜的一种特色，
one of the characteristics of your local halal food,
shì yǒu shé me tèdiǎn?
是有什么特点？
what are its features?
nǐmen zhège a,
你们这个啊，
For you all,
hái yào dài yī gè báimàozi,
还要戴一个白帽子，
you also wear a white hat,
zhèyàngzi.
这样子。
like this.
jiùshì báimàozi shì wǒmen shǎoshù mínzú ma.
就是白帽子是我们少数民族嘛。
The white hat is for our minority group.
wǒmen yīsīlán jiào de jiùshì shuō shì yī gè biāozhì.
我们伊斯兰教的就是说是一个标志。
In Islam, it's a symbol.
méiyǒu shénme shuōfǎ.
没有什么说法。
There's no specific saying.
zhǔyào shì yī gè biāozhì. dài gè báimàozi bǐjiào,
主要是一个标志。戴个白帽子比较，
It's mainly a symbol. Wearing a white hat is more,
wǒmen zuò shēngyì de rén lái shuō shì
我们做生意的人来说是
for us business people,
gānjìng yīdiǎn.
干净一点。
more hygienic.
rénjiā kèrén lái yī gè hǎokàn.
人家客人来一个好看。
When customers come, it looks nice.
zhǔyào shì zhège yuányīn.
主要是这个原因。
That's the main reason.
zhēn méiyǒu bié de yuányīn.
真没有别的原因。
There's really no other reason.
nánshēng shì dài yī gè báimàozi.
男生是戴一个白帽子。
Men wear a white hat.
nà nǚshēng tā dài yī gè hēi de màozi.
那女生她戴一个黑的帽子。
Women wear a black hat.
zhè shì yǒu shé me ne?
这是有什么呢？
What's the reason for this?
zhè shì tóujīn.
这是头巾。
That's a headscarf.
nǚrén jiùshì dài de shì tóujīn.
女人就是戴的是头巾。
Women wear headscarves.
tā de yìsi shì,
它的意思是，
It means,
jiùshì shuō bǎ wǒmen de nǚháizi jié le hūn yǐhòu,
就是说把我们的女孩子结了婚以后，
that after our women get married,
bǎ zhège tóufa chuān xiàqù gǎo jìnqù.
把这个头发穿下去搞进去。
they cover their hair.
zhè shì wǒmen de yīsīlán jiào de,
这是我们的伊斯兰教的，
This is part of our Islamic faith,
gùdìng de,
固定的，
a fixed rule,
bùnéng fàng chūlái.
不能放出来。
their hair can't be shown.
gēn nǐ bùnéng bùnéng gēn nǐmen yīyàng de.
跟你不能不能跟你们一样的。
It can't be like how you do it.
jiùshì jié le hūn zhīhòu, jiù dài yī gè tóujīn,
就是结了婚之后，就戴一个头巾，
So after getting married, they wear a headscarf,
tóufa jiù bù kěyǐ wàilòu.
头发就不可以外露。
the hair cannot be exposed.
jiùshì bùnéng wàilòu le, āi duì!
就是不能外露了，哎对！
It can't be exposed, exactly!
xièxiè! xué dào hěnduō dōngxi.
谢谢！学到很多东西。
Thank you! I learned a lot.
jiùshì jiùshì jiùshì.
就是就是就是。
Yes, yes, yes.
nà jiē xiàlái nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒmen biǎoyǎn yī duàn,
那接下来你可以给我们表演一段，
Next, can you perform for us,
jiùshì yī zuò lāmiàn de biǎoyǎn ma?
就是一做拉面的表演吗？
a demonstration of making pulled noodles?
kěyǐ kěyǐ kěyǐ!
可以可以可以！
Yes, yes, yes!
nà wǒmen diǎn liǎng gè cài.
那我们点两个菜。
Then we'll order two dishes.
nàgè... è...
那个...呃...
Uh...that...
jīdàn lāmiàn. xíng, jīdàn lāmiàn.
鸡蛋拉面。行，鸡蛋拉面。
Egg pulled noodles. Okay, egg pulled noodles.
zài diǎn yīgè niúròu lāmiàn.
再点一个牛肉拉面。
Also order a beef pulled noodles.
niúròu lāmiàn, liǎng gè lāmiàn.
牛肉拉面，两个拉面。
Beef pulled noodles, two pulled noodles.
hǎo.
好。
Okay.
kěyǐ kěyǐ kěyǐ kěyǐ.
可以可以可以可以。
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
wǒ gěi nǐ qīnshǒu zuò.
我给你亲手做。
I'll personally make it for you.
hǎo!
好！
Great!
shì bù shì a? hǎo!
是不是啊？好！
Right? Okay!
nà nǐ yībiān zuò wǒmen yībiān pāi.
那你一边做我们一边拍。
You make it while we film.
xíng OK OK OK OK xíng xíng xíng
行OK OK OK OK行行行
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.
wǒmen lái kàn yīxià wǒmen de chúshī,
我们来看一下我们的厨师，
Let's take a look at our chef,
zěnme yàng zuò zhège lánzhōu lāmiàn?
怎么样做这个兰州拉面？
how they make Lanzhou pulled noodles?
fēicháng de qīdài, fēicháng de xīngfèn!
非常地期待，非常地兴奋！
Very much looking forward to it, very excited!
zhè yīcì kěyǐ pāi dào pāi dào zěnme yàng qù zuò de.
这一次可以拍到拍到怎么样去做的。
This time I can film how it's done.
měi yīcì dōu shì zài wàimiàn kàn.
每一次都是在外面看。
Every time I just watch from outside.
jiùshì shuō wǒmen jiùshì lánzhōu lāmiàn,
就是说我们就是兰州拉面，
So we have Lanzhou pulled noodles,
zhǔyào yuányīn zhège lǐmiàn fàng diǎn yánbā.
主要原因这个里面放点盐巴。
the main reason is to add some salt.
yánbā de yuányīn shì,
盐巴的原因是，
The reason for the salt is,
jiùshì shuō miàn de nàgè jīn dù bǐjiào dà yīdiǎn.
就是说面的那个筋度比较大一点。
to make the dough more elastic.
jiùshì fàng de shì lāmiàn jī.
就是放的是拉面机。
It's because of the pulled noodle machine.
fàng zhège dehuà lāmiàn bǐjiào lā dé
放这个的话拉面比较拉得
With this, the pulled noodles are
bǐjiào qīngsōng yīdiǎn, shì ba a?
比较轻松一点，是吧啊？
more easily pulled, right?
zhège méiyǒu de qítā de.
这个没有的其他的。
This doesn't have anything else.
zhège miànfěn shì jiùshì shuō ǒudòu lì.
这个面粉是就是说藕豆粒。
This flour is made from lotus root.
xiànzài jiùshì bǎ zhège miàntuán bǎ tā róu jūnyún, shì ba?
现在就是把这个面团把它揉均匀，是吧？
Now we just need to knead this dough until it's evenly mixed, right?
āi, duì!
哎，对！
Yes, right!
jūnyún, yào bùrán dehuà
均匀，要不然的话
Evenly, otherwise
lāle nǐ shuō nǐ gēn nàgè tóufa yīyàng de,
拉了你说你跟那个头发一样的，
if it's not mixed well, then when you pull it, it's like pulling hair,
nǐ jiù lā bù dàole.
你就拉不到了。
you won't be able to pull it.
róu yīxià, ránhòu bàn yīxià,
揉一下，然后拌一下，
Knead it a bit, then mix it,
jiùshì zhège de.
就是这样的。
like this.
tài bàngle! hěn shóuxi, hěn shóuliàn.
太棒了！很熟悉，很熟练。
Great! Very familiar, very skilled.
jiùshì.
就是。
Exactly.
wā!
哇！
Wow!
wǒmen de zhège jiùshì lánzhōu lāmiàn,
我们的这个就是兰州拉面，
Our Lanzhou pulled noodles,
jiùshì shuō shì yī jiàn páizi le.
就是说是一件牌子了。
have become a brand.
xiànzài chéngle páizi le.
现在成了牌子了。
Now it has become a brand.
zhǔyào yuányīn shì rénjiā kèrén,
主要原因是人家客人，
The main reason is that customers,
gùkè lái zhèlǐ yī kàn.
顾客来这里一看。
when customers come here and see it,
ā! nǐmen de wèishēng tèbié tèbié hǎo.
啊！你们的卫生特别特别好。
Ah! Your hygiene is very very good.
yīnwèi wǒmen jiùshì jiǎngjiu wèishēng,
因为我们就是讲究卫生，
Because we pay attention to cleanliness,
gānjìng!
干净！
clean!
shuí dōu xǐhuān yǒu gānjìngle, shì bu shì?
谁都喜欢有干净了，是不是？
Everyone likes cleanliness, right?
duì!
对！
Right!
duì qítā de nàge zāng hū hū de,
对其他的那个脏乎乎的，
Compared to other dirty ones,
nàge shuí dōu jiù bù yuànyì chī.
那个谁都就不愿意吃。
no one wants to eat there.
shuí dōu bù xǐhuān chī ba, shì bu shì?
谁都不喜欢吃吧，是不是？
No one likes to eat there, right?
wǒmen jiùshì xiànzuò de jiùshì hǎochī.
我们就是现做的就是好吃。
We make it fresh, so it's delicious.
gānjìng xīnxiān.
干净新鲜。
Clean and fresh.
gānjìng. duì
干净。对
Clean. Yes.
wǒmen bùguǎn wǒmen zìjǐ chī yě suàn,
我们不管我们自己吃也算，
We take care of ourselves when we eat,
nǐmen kèrén lái chī yě bà.
你们客人来吃也罢。
and when customers come to eat as well.
wǒmen yě měi cì lái shōu qǐlái gān gān jìng jìng de.
我们也每次来收起来干干净净的。
Every time we clean up very cleanly.
zhǐjiǎ yě dǎ de duǎn duǎn de, méiyǒu qítā de nàge.
指甲也打的短短的，没有其他的那个。
We also keep our nails short, without anything else.
shì bu shì?
是不是？
Isn't it?
duì!
对！
Yes!
tóufa yě bùnéng nàme cháng.
头发也不能那么长。
Hair also can't be too long.
yīnggāi yǔnxǔ wǒmen de nàge wéiqún,
应该允许我们的那个围裙，
We should wear an apron,
dài gè báimàozi.
戴个白帽子。
and wear a white hat.
rénjiā kèrén jìnlái yī kàn nǐ, tèbié tèbié hǎokàn.
人家顾客进来一看你，特别特别好看。
When customers come in and see you, it looks especially nice.
duì!
对！
Yes!
jiùshì zhège yuányīn.
就是这个原因。
That's the reason.
ránhòu nǐmen lāmiàn yě shì xiànchǎng jiù zuò,
然后你们拉面也是现场就做，
And your noodles are made on-site as well,
fēicháng de xīnxiān.
非常地新鲜。
very fresh.
jiùshì.
就是。
Exactly.
āi! měitiān nǐ jiù bǐfāng shuō shì nǐ mài bàn bāomiàn
哎！每天你就比方说是你卖半包面
Ah! Every day, for example, if you sell half a bag of flour,
nǐ huó bàn bāomiàn,
你和半包面，
and you mix half a bag of flour.
mài yī bāomiàn jiù huó yī bāomiàn.
一包面就和一包面。
then you sell one bag of flour and you mix one bag of flour.
yītiān yītiān jiù wánle.
一天一天就完了。
Every day it's done.
dì'èr tiān nǐ jiù yòu gǎo,
第二天你就又搞，
The next day you do it again,
méiyǒu qítā de.
没有其他的。
there's nothing else.
zhīdào zhège jiàgé bùcuò.
知道这个价格不错。
Knowing this price is not bad.
wǒmen qīnghǎihuà yě gěi nǐ xué yīdiǎn.
我们青海话也给你学一点。
We'll also teach you a bit of Qinghai dialect.
Qīnghǎihuà zhège "lánzhōu lāmiàn" zěnme shuō?
青海话这个"兰州拉面"怎么说？
How do you say "Lanzhou pulled noodles" in Qinghai dialect?
zěnme shuō?
怎么说？
How do you say?
lāmiàn yī wǎn.
拉面一碗。
A bowl of pulled noodles.
zhè shì shuō lāmiàn yī wǎn.
这是说拉面一碗。
This is saying "a bowl of pulled noodles."
āi, wǒmen lǎotǔhuà
哎，我们老土话
Ah, our local dialect
lāmiàn yī wǎn
拉面一碗
A bowl of pulled noodles.
jiùshì hěn yǒu jīqíng a, nǐmen nà biān dehuà.
就是很有激情啊，你们那边的话。
It's very passionate, your dialect.
nà nǐmen dōu huì jiǎng hànyǔ ma?
那你们都会讲汉语吗？
Do you all speak Mandarin?
pǔtōnghuà ma?
普通话吗？
Standard Mandarin Chinese?
háishì hòulái zìjǐ xué de?
还是后来自己学的？
Or did you learn it later?
jiù kěyǐ jiǎng a!
就可以讲啊！
Yes, we can all speak it!
ēn, dōu huì jiǎng, shì ba?
嗯，都会讲，是吧？
Yes, we can all speak it, right?
dànshì wǒmen méi dúguo shū.
但是我们没读过书。
But we never went to school.
yǐqián xiǎoshíhou jiùshì fàng yáng.
以前小时候就是放羊。
We used to herd sheep when we were young.
shānpō lǐmiàn qù fàng yáng.
山坡里面去放羊。
We'd take them to graze in the hills.
zhòng diǎn nàge màizi a,
种点那个麦子啊，
We'd plant some wheat,
zhòng diǎn nàge dàdòu a,
种点那个大豆啊，
plant some soybeans,
zhòng diǎn tǔdòu a,
种点土豆啊，
plant some potatoes,
shì zhèyàng de,
是这样的，
things like that.
fàng yáng, méi shénme nàge shá ya.
放羊，没什么那个啥呀。
Herding sheep, there wasn't much else.
zuò shēngyi de jiùshì shuō shì méiyǒu jiùshì néngnài.
做生意的就是说是没有就是能耐。
In business, if you don't have the ability, you won't succeed.
yīnwèi shénme ne?
因为什么呢？
Why is that?
wǒmen jiù wénhuà zhīshí tài luòhòule.
我们就文化知识太落后了。
Because our cultural knowledge is too backward.
nà biān jiùshì bù dúshū.
那边就是不读书。
People there just don't read books.
jiùshì zhèyàng de.
就是这样的。
That's how it is.
xiànzài shì bǎ zhège shuǐ jiārè ma? háishì?
现在是把这个水加热吗？还是？
Are you heating up the water now? Or?
xiànzài yào jiù bǎ jiārè.
现在要就把加热。
Now you just need to heat it up.
guō kāile yǐhòu, xià jìnqù jiùshì miàn pí jìn.
锅开了以后，下进去就是面皮进。
Once the pot is boiling, then the dough goes in.
ēn, děng yīxià jiù fàng xiàqù jiù zhǔ.
嗯，等一下就放下去就煮。
Yeah, then you put it in and cook it.
yī tàng jiù shóu.
一烫就熟。
As soon as it's boiled, it's cooked.
nà nǐ měitiān ne, zuò zhège lāmiàn a,
那你每天呃，做这个拉面啊，
So, when you make these noodles every day,
zhège shǒubì de lìliang,
这个手臂的力量，
all that arm strength,
huì bùhuì liàn de hěn yǒu jīròu?
会不会练得很有肌肉？
Doesn't it build up muscles?
kěyǐ a!
可以啊！
Yes!
bǐjiào chīfàn yě chī de duō yīdiǎn.
比较吃饭也吃得多一点。
You eat a bit more than usual.
jiùshì duànliàn de yě bǐjiào shūfú yīdiǎn.
就是锻炼的也比较舒服一点。
But it's also a more comfortable exercise.
bùyòng qù jiànshēnfáng le, shì ba？
不用去健身房了，是吧？
Don't need to go to the gym, right?
bùyòng qùle.
不用去了。
Don't need to go.
shēngyi hǎo shíhou, měitiān yě zhèyàng.
生意好时候，每天也这样。
When business is good, it's like this every day.
shēntǐ hǎo, zhèyàngzi.
身体好，这样子。
It keeps you healthy.
duì！chàbuduō yě jiù chàbuduō
对！差不多也就差不多
Right! It's about... about...
shíqī bā niánle,
十七八年了，
It's been about seventeen or eighteen years
wǒ gǎo zhège miàn.
我搞这个面。
since I started making these noodles.
shíqī bā niánle.
十七八年了。
It's been seventeen or eighteen years.
nà nǐ hěn xiǎo jiù kāishǐ?
那你很小就开始？
So, did you start when you were very young?
shí jǐ nián qián wǒ zài háishì gǎo zhège.
十几年前我在还是搞这个。
About a dozen years ago, I was already doing this.
jiù zài zhèngzhōu zhèbiān háishì kāi lāmiàn.
就在郑州这边还是开拉面。
I opened a noodle shop here in Zhengzhou.
jiùshì nàge sūn qiān xuéyuàn.
就是那个孙迁学院。
At the Sun Qian College.
nàge shítáng wǒ lái kāi de.
那个食堂我来开的。
I opened that canteen.
nǐ kāi de.
你开的。
You opened it.
yǐqián, wǒmen qián shí jǐ nián qián de
以前，我们前十几年前
Before, about a dozen years ago,
guǎngdōng rén jiù bù xǐhuān chī miàn.
广东人就不喜欢吃面。
people from Guangdong didn't like to eat noodles.
bù chī miàn, wǒmen shēngyi yě zuò bùxiàqù.
不吃面，我们生意也做不下去。
Without noodle customers, our business couldn't survive.
háishì měinián jiù zhuǎn dào zhèbiān nàbiān zhèbiān nàbiān
还是每年就转到这边那边这边那边
So every year, we moved from here to there and back.
xiànzài dehuà,
现在的话，
Nowadays,
mànmàn guǎngdōng rén yě xǐhuān chīle.
慢慢广东人也喜欢吃了。
gradually even people from Guangdong started liking it.
xǐhuān chī.
喜欢吃。
They like it.
āi, jiùshì zhèyàng.
哎，就是这样。
Yeah, that's how it is.
wǒ yīzhí yǐlái dōu xǐhuān chī zhège lāmiàn.
我一直以来都喜欢吃这个拉面。
I've always loved eating these noodles.
wǒmen zhège lánzhōu lāmiàn de jiùshì zhège páizi,
我们这个兰州拉面的就是这个牌子，
Our Lanzhou noodles, it's this brand,
tāmen rènzhèngle yǐjīng.
他们认证了已经。
They're certified.
zuò de zěnme yàng? chī de zěnme yàng?
做得怎么样？吃得怎么样？
How's it made? How does it taste?
jiùshì zhèyàng de.
就是这样的。
It's like this.
nà nǐ shì yī kāishǐ shì zěnme yàng qù xuéhuì
那你是一开始是怎么样去学会
So, in the beginning, how did you learn
zuò zhège lāmiàn de?
做这个拉面的？
to make these noodles?
yī kāishǐ shì wǒ zìjǐ jiā kāi yī jiā.
一开始是我自己家开一家。
At first, I opened my own shop.
jiùshì zhèyàng de.
就是这样的。
That's how it is.
ránhòu nǐ jiù gēn nǐ bàba xué ma?
然后你就跟你爸爸学吗？
So did you learn from your father?
āi, duì! wǒmen qīnghǎi huàlóng,
哎，对！我们青海化隆，
Yes, indeed! In Qinghai, Hualong,
xiànzài jiùshì kāile yī jiā jiùshì zhèyàng de miànguǎn.
现在就是开了一家就是这样的面馆。
I opened a noodle restaurant just like this one.
suǒyǐ shuō shì wǒ zìjǐ lái de, gǎo de.
所有说是我自己来的，搞的。
So it's all me, I did it.
nǐ kàn!
你看！
Look!
bǎ yīgè miàntuán xiànzài jiù bǎ tā biànchéng miàntiáo le.
把一个面团现在就把它变成面条了。
The dough has been turned into noodles now.
nǐ kàn, hěn lìhài!
你看，很厉害！
Look, very skillful!
xià guō le!
下锅了！
It's in the pot now!
nǐmen zhè zhǒng zuò lāmiàn shì
你们这种做拉面是
Is this method of making noodles
yīdài chuán yīdài？
是一代传一代？
passed down from generation to generation?
zhèyàngzi zuò de?
这样子做的？
Is it made like this?
duì duì duì!
对对对！
Yes, yes, yes!
wǒmen jiùshì yīgè qīnghǎi huàlóng xiàn.
我们就是一个青海化隆县。
We're from Hualong County, Qinghai.
Huálóng shì yīgè Huálóng Huízú Zìzhìxiàn
化隆是一个化隆回族自治县
Hualong is an autonomous county for the Hui people.
yǒu, chàbuduō yǒu sānshí duō wàn de yīgè xiǎo xiànchéng.
有，差不多有30多万的一个小县城。
It has, more or less, a little over 300,000 residents in a small town.
bèifēn de
辈份的
The generation.
qībāshí de rén huízú,
七八十的人回族，
People in their seventies or eighties are Hui,
hái yǒu hànzú,
还有汉族，
and there are Han people too,
hái yǒu zàngzú, hái yǒu shālāzú.
还有藏族，还有沙拉族。
There are also Tibetans and Sala people.
chàbuduō yǒu wǒmen nàge xiànchéng yǒu
差不多有我们那个县城有
There are almost ten different ethnic groups in our county.
chàbuduō yǒu shí duō gè mínzú.
差不多有十多个民族。
There are nearly a dozen ethnic groups.
yīgè shì jīdàn de, yīgè niúròu de?
一个是鸡蛋的，一个牛肉的？
One is with eggs, and the other with beef
duì! yīgè jīdàn, yīgè shì niúròu.
对！一个鸡蛋，一个是牛肉。
Yes! One with eggs, one with beef.
jiùshì yǒudiǎn zhǔ de tài làn le.
就是有点煮得太烂了。
It's just a bit overcooked.
jiùshì hěn báo ma.
就是很薄嘛。
It's very thin.
yìbān dehuà, wǒmen yǐwéi shì yòng jīqì qiè de.
一般的话，我们以为是用机器切的。
Usually, we thought it was cut with a machine.
qíshí nǐmen shì shǒu qiè de.
其实你们是手切的。
Actually, you hand-cut it.
xiànzài jiùshì qiè nàge niúròu.
现在就是切那个牛肉。
Now we're cutting the beef.
nà niúròu dehuà zài lāmiàn lǐmiàn nàge wèidào,
那牛肉的话在拉面里面那个味道，
The flavor of the beef in the noodles,
jiùshì hěn zhòngyào de, hěn xiāng.
就是很重要的，很香。
It's very important, very fragrant.
nà nǐmen měitiān ā cóng zǎoshang jǐ diǎn kāishì kāiyè?
那你们每天啊从早上几点开始开业？
So what time do you open every day?
bā diǎn kāishǐ.
八点开始。
We start at 8 am.
ránhòu? zuò dào wǎnshàng jǐ diǎn?
然后？做到晚上几点？
And? Until what time do you work until in the evening?
jiǔ diǎn bàn shí diǎn.
九点半十点。
Until 9:30 pm or 10 pm.
jiǔ diǎn bàn shí diǎn.
九点半十点。
9:30 pm or 10 pm.
hái bǐjiào zǎole.
还比较早了。
It's still relatively early.
zhè wǒ zuò de miàn, nǐ kàn jiù zhème hǎo.
这我做的面，你看就这么好。
Look how good this noodle I made is.
gēn nàge tóufa yīmóyīyàng de. duì a duì duì
跟那个头发一模一样的。对啊对对
Exactly like that hair. Yeah, right.
duì duì duì!
对对对！
Yes, yes, yes!
gēn tóufa yīyàng xì.
跟头发一样细。
As thin as hair.
shì bùshì? lā de zhèyàng.
是不是？拉得这样。
Isn't it? Pulled like this.
gēn nàge tóufa yīmóyīyàngle, nǐ kàn.
跟那个头发一模一样了，你看。
Exactly like that hair, you see.
hěn hǎo!
很好！
Very good!
hǎole, lāmiàn hǎole.
好了，拉面好了。
Okay, the noodles are ready.
hǎo, xièxiè, xièxiè! wǒmen zuò zhèr zhèlǐ.
好，谢谢，谢谢！我们坐这儿，这里。
Okay, thank you, thank you! We'll sit here.
zhè shì jīdàn de.
这是鸡蛋的。
This is the egg one.
xièxiè!
谢谢！
Thank you!
jīdàn lāmiàn, gāngcái wǒmen diǎn de.
鸡蛋拉面，刚才我们点的。
Egg noodles, what we ordered just now.
hái yǒu zhè yī wǎng shì niúròu lāmiàn.
还有这一碗是牛肉拉面。
And this bowl is beef noodles.
jiùshì tāmen xīběi nàbian,
就是他们西北那边，
It's from their northwest region,
zuì yǒu tèsè de zhèzhǒng lāmiàn.
最有特色的这种拉面。
the most distinctive kind of noodles.
tèbié hǎochī.
特别好吃。
Especially delicious.
tèsè de lāmiàn.
特色的拉面。
Specialty noodles.
hǎo!
好！
Good!
chī de zěnmeyàng?
吃得怎么样？
How's the food?
hǎochī ba?
好吃吧？
Delicious, right?
hěn hǎochī.
很好吃。
Delicious.
zhège miàn hěn hěn yǒu tánxìng, hěn rèn.
这个面很很有弹性，很韧。
These noodles are very chewy and resilient.
zhè shì hǎo hǎo dà de yī wǎng lāmiàn.
这是好好大的一碗拉面。
This is a really big bowl of noodles.
hǎo dà!
好大！
So big!
néng chī ma? nǐ?
能吃吗？你？
Can you eat it? You?
néng chī!
能吃！
I can eat!
wǒ jiùshì měi yīcì,
我就是每一次，
Every time,
měi yīcì dōu chī de tèbié bǎo.
每一次都吃的特别饱。
I eat until I'm really full.
jiùshì hěn hěn dà wǎn,
就是很很大碗，
It's a really big bowl,
yòu dàwǎn yòu hǎochī, yòu piányi yòu hǎochī.
又大碗又好吃，又便宜又好吃。
Big bowls, delicious, inexpensive, and delicious.
wǒmen juéde tèbié xiāng.
我们觉得特别香。
We think it's especially fragrant.
zhèzhǒng shì,
这种是，
This type is,
shǔyú shì dàwǎn háishì xiǎo wǎn?
属于是大碗还是小碗？
Is this considered a big bowl or a small bowl?
dàwǎn
大碗
Big bowl.
jiùshì hěn bǎo, měi yīcì dōu chī de hěn bǎo.
就是很饱，每一次都吃得很饱。
It's very filling, every time we eat until we're full.
yòu dàwǎn yòu hǎochī piányi yòu hǎochī.
又大碗又好吃又便宜。
Big bowls, delicious and inexpensive.
wǒmen juéde tèbié hǎochī.
我们觉得特别好吃。
We think it's especially delicious.
ránhòu nǐmen de de nàge càidān ne,
然后你们的的那个菜单呢，
And then your menu,
jiùshì hěnduō xuǎnzé.
就是很多选择。
has a lot of options.
yǒushíhòu wǒmen dōu hěn nán diǎn,
有时候我们都很难点，
Sometimes it's hard for us to choose,
tài duō xuǎnzé.
太多选择。
there are too many options.
zhè shàngmiàn dōu yǒu, nǐ kàn.
这上面都有，你看。
They're all listed here, look.
zhè shàngmiàn dōu yǒu.
这上面都有。
They're all listed here.
zhèbiān shì tāng lèi de.
这边是汤类的。
This side is soups.
nàbiān shì fěn.
那边是粉。
That side is noodles.
suān là fěn de, jīdàn xì fěn, jīdàn tāng fěn de,
酸辣粉的，鸡蛋细粉，鸡蛋汤粉的，
There's sour and spicy noodles, egg noodles, egg soup noodles,
chǎo fěn de, niúròu fěnsī tāng dōu zài nàlǐ.
炒粉的，牛肉粉丝汤都在那里。
stir-fried noodles, beef vermicelli soup, they're all there.
nà shì gàijiāo fàn, zhèlǐ shì gàijiāo miàn.
那是盖浇饭，这里是盖浇面。
That's rice with toppings, and here's noodles with toppings.
nàge shì chǎo cài.
那个是炒菜。
That one is stir-fried dishes.
duì !
对!
Right!
wǒmen zuótiān xiàwǔ guòlái de shíhou,
我们昨天下午过来的时候，
When we came over yesterday afternoon,
chī le, dì yī cì chī zhège niúròu gān jiǎo.
吃了，第一次吃这个牛肉干饺。
we ate, it was the first time we had these beef dumplings.
ránhòu gēn wǒmen zhèbiān
然后跟我们这边
And compared to here,
jiù shì Guǎngdōng de bù yīyàng de,
就是广东的不一样的，
they're different from the ones in Guangdong,
zhège jiǎozi.
这个饺子。
these dumplings.
wǒmen de zhè jiǎozi shì niúròu hé dàsuàn xiàn de.
我们的这饺子是牛肉和大蒜馅的。
Our dumplings are filled with beef and garlic.
duì!
对！
Right!
méiyǒu qítā de.
没有其他的。
Nothing else.
duì, gǎnjué jiùshì hěn hěn hěn qīngxiāng.
对，感觉就是很很很清香。
Right, it just feels very, very, very refreshing.
jiù hěn hěn jiǎndān de nà zhǒng wèidào.
就很很简单的那种味道。
It's just a very simple taste.
zài wǒmen zhè chīfàn dehuà,
在我们这吃饭的话，
When we eat here,
quánbù dōu yào fàngxīn jiù xíngle.
全部都要放心就行了。
we can trust everything is clean.
shénme cài a, shénme dōu shì wǒ qīnzì xǐ de,
什么菜啊，什么都是我亲自洗的，
Whatever dish, everything is washed by me personally,
ránhòu gāngānjìngjìng de méiyǒu rènhé zāng de.
然后干干净净的没有任何脏的。
and it's all clean without any dirt.
duì duì duì, hěn hǎo!
对对对，很好！
Right, right, very good!
ránhòu wǒmen jiù juédé nàge jiǎozi hěn tèbié,
然后我们就觉得那个饺子很特别，
And we just feel those dumplings are special,
nàge wèidào hěn hǎochī.
那个味道很好吃。
they taste very good.
zuótiān shì dì yīcì.
昨天是第一次。
Yesterday was the first time.
cài ya, nàxiē wǒ dōu hǎo xǐ hǎojǐcì,
菜呀，那些我都好洗好几次，
As for the dishes, I wash them several times,
ránhòu xǐ de gāngānjìngjìng de,
然后洗得干干净净的，
and wash them until they're squeaky clean,
ránhòu bùguǎn shì shénme, wǒ dōu zuò de hěn gānjìng de.
然后不管是什么，我都做得很干净的。
and whatever it is, I make sure it's very clean.
nà nǐ měitiān jiù hěn mángle.
那你每天就很忙了。
So you're busy every day.
yǒushíhou rén duō dehuà, hái kěyǐ.
有时候人多的话，还可以。
Sometimes when there are many people, it's still manageable.
rén shǎo dehuà, yě bù tài máng.
人少的话，也不太忙。
When there are fewer people, it's not too busy either.
jiù nàge lǐmiàn de jiǎozi de, nàge ròu yě shì hěn tán de.
就那个里面的饺子的，那个肉也是很弹的。
Regarding the dumplings inside, the meat is also very elastic.
wǒ jiù juédé hěn tánxìng.
我就觉得很弹性。
I feel it's very elastic.
gēn...
跟...
Compared to...
duì, niúròu hěn tán de.
对，牛肉很弹的。
Right, beef is very elastic.
gēn wǒmen píngshí...
跟我们平时...
Compared to what we usually...
niúròu tán de yuányīn, nǐmen háishì bù zhīdào.
牛肉弹的原因，你们还是不知道。
The reason why the beef is elastic, you still don't know.
yǒu tán de nà shì jiùshì chúntiānrán de.
有弹的那是就是纯天然的。
The elastic ones are natural.
chī cǎo de, nàge tán.
吃草的，那个弹。
Those that eat grass, that's elastic.
yǒu chī guò nàge chī nàge sìliào de,
有吃过那个吃那个饲料的，
Have you ever eaten those fed with that feed,
chī tiānjiājì de nàge, niánhúhú de yī chī.
吃添加剂的那个，黏糊糊的一吃。
those with additives, sticky when chewed.
jiáo dōu bùyòng, jiù xiàqùle.
嚼都不用，就下去了。
You don't even need to chew, it just goes down.
duì! wǒ jiù juéde wàimiàn yǒushíhou...
对！我就觉得外面有时候...
Right! Sometimes I feel like on the outside...
méiyǒu gǎnjué ròu de wèi er, shìbùshì?
没有感觉肉的味儿，是不是？
There's no meaty taste, right?
duì, méi ròu de wèidào, hái hěn nián ma.
对，没肉的味道，还很黏嘛。
Yes, there's no meaty taste, and it's very sticky.
hěn nián! zhèzhǒng shì cuì hěn tán de.
很黏！这种是脆，很弹的。
Very sticky! This kind is crispy and elastic.
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