Any idea what \u201chand shredded ass meat\u201d is? Does it sound like a delicious restaurant meal?<\/p>\n
If the answer\u2019s no, then a new dictionary may be your new best friend. \u201cEnjoy Culinary Delights: The English Translation of Chinese Menus\u201d was originally created in 2006 with the \u201cBeijing Speaks English\u201d campaign. The book was modified in the run up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and proved to be so successful that work has continued on it.<\/p>\n
The dictionary does exactly what it says: instead of providing the potentially inaccurate machine translation of a dish, it will tell you exactly what it is. So \u201chand shredded ass meat\u201d becomes \u201chand shredded donkey meat\u201d. Over 2,000 translations are provided (although this does mean you will miss out on gems such as \u201cTofu made by woman with freckles\u201d).<\/p>\n
Some of the dishes kept their original names, which people familiar with Chinese food may understand: jiaozi, baozi, mantou, tofu or wonton.<\/p>\n
Some more complicated dishes come with both Chinese pronunciations and explanations: \u201cfotiaoqiang\u201d (steamed abalone with shark\u2019s fin and fish maw in broth); \u201cyoutiao\u201d (deep-fried dough sticks); \u201clvdagunr\u201d (glutinous rice rolls stuffed with red bean paste), and \u201caiwowo\u201d (steamed rice cakes with sweet stuffing).<\/p>\n
Chen Lin, a 90-year-old retired English professor from Beijing Foreign Language University, was the chief consultant for the book.
\nHe told NBC News that about 20 other experts \u2013 like English teachers and professors, translators, expats who have lived in China for a long time, culinary experts and people from the media \u2013 helped develop the final version. (Source: NBC News<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n