1. Some names of foods in Chinese are transliterations of their English counterparts. Examples in today’s lesson include:

沙拉
豆腐
布丁

2. Meals in traditional Chinese restaurants are usually served in the middle of the table on a revolving platter. Guests each have their own bowls, plates and chopsticks. Serving spoons and common chopsticks are used to pick and choose the foods they want to put on their plate. Rice is usually made available in a separate bucket, that is constantly refilled to make sure it is always plentiful.

3. Cold drinks are usually served at the end of the meal. During the meal, hot tea is usually made available.

4. Fortune cookies while commonly found in Western Chinese restaurants are rarely found in mainland China and Taiwan.