The Chinese conversation is between a father and a son. The father is taking over as the chef of the house for the day. The son is skeptical about the father’s cooking skills since he has never seen him cook at home. Learn important Chinese conversational phrases from the dialogue.
Chinese Conversation
约翰：妈，晚餐吃什么？噢，爸，怎么是你在厨房。
爸：妈妈不在。她去参加同学会了。
约翰： 太好了！爸，今晚我们叫外卖吃。我要吃比萨。
爸：你想的美。你妈妈出去之前已经交代好让我下厨。
约翰：爸，你煮饭？？你会吗？我从来没看过你煮东西。别班门弄斧了。
爸：你也太小看我了吧。我以前可是烹饪冠军。
约翰：那是什么时候的事啊？
爸：很久以前的事了。我和你妈拍拖的时候经常下厨，她也喜欢吃我煮的东西。
约翰：那你今晚煮什么呢？我好期待。
爸：你喜欢的咕噜肉和芙蓉蛋。
约翰： 爸，晚饭好了吗？我饿得可以吃下一头牛了。
爸：马上好。你快去准备碗筷。
约翰：哇，看来挺好吃的。
爸：我们动筷吧。
约翰：爸，咕噜肉怎么是咸的，而芙蓉蛋是甜的呢？
爸：怎么可能。让我尝尝。看来我把糖和盐搞错了。还是别吃了，我们叫外卖吧。
约翰：爸，别不开心。卖相还是不错的。
Chinese Conversation in English
John: Mom, what’s for dinner? Oh, Dad, why are you in the kitchen?
Dad: Mom’s not here. She went to attend a class reunion.
John: Great! Dad, let’s order takeout tonight. I want pizza.
Dad: Wishful thinking. Your mom instructed me to cook before she left.
John: Dad, you cook?? Can you? I’ve never seen you cook anything. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Dad: You underestimate me. I used to be a cooking champion.
John: What?? When was that?
Dad: A long time ago. When your mom and I were dating, I often cooked, and she liked what I made.
John: What are you cooking tonight then? I’m excited.
Dad: Your favorite sweet and sour pork and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
John: Dad, is dinner ready? I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow.
Dad: Almost ready. Go prepare the bowls and chopsticks.
John: Wow, it looks really delicious.
Dad: Let’s start eating.
John: Dad, why is the sweet and sour pork salty, while the scrambled eggs are sweet?
Dad: How is that possible? Let me taste. Looks like I mixed up the sugar and salt. We’d better not eat it, let’s order takeout instead.
John: Dad, don’t be upset. The appearance is not bad.
Notes
想的美
The Chinese term “想的美” (xiǎng de měi) literally means “think beautiful”. The actual meaning In English is “in your dream” or “you wish”. It’s used to describe a situation where someone’s expectations or desires are unrealistic or unlikely to be fulfilled.
Other ways of saying are 做梦去吧 (lit: go dream) / 想都别想 (lit: don’t even think) / 门儿都没有 (Lit: no door) / 没门儿. (lit: no door).
交代
“交代” (jiāo dài) in Chinese can have several meanings depending on the context.
1. To explain
你这样不告而别，我很难向你父母交代。
You leaving without saying goodbye makes it hard for me to explain to your parents.
2. To handover
你离职之前必须把手头上的工作交代给小李。
Before you resign, you must hand over the work at hand to Xiao Li.
3. To instruct
妈妈出门前交代我要看好弟妹。
Mom instructed me to take care of my younger siblings before she went out
小看
This Chinese term literally means “small look”. It means “to underestimate” someone or “to look down upon someone.” It refers to the act of not giving someone enough credit or recognition, often resulting in underestimating their abilities, skills, or importance.
你别小看他，他虽然很年轻，但已经是公司的总裁。
You should not underestimate him. Although he is very young, he is already the president of the company.
卖相
“卖相” (mài xiàng) is a colloquial term. It refers to the appearance or presentation of something, especially food or goods. It describes how attractive or appealing something looks, particularly in terms of its visual appearance.
皮蛋的卖相虽然不怎么样，但是非常美味。
Although the appearance of century egg is not great, it is very delicious.
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