When Chinese Restaurants Sensationalise Their Food Names, It's Deliciously Glorious
Nobody names their food like the Chinese. Get ready for some random action.
By Judith Yeoh — 18 Feb 2015, 11:06 AM — Updated over 9 years ago
BEFORE WE PROCEED, let's try something different. You need to hum the tune of Frozen's Do You Wanna Build A Snowman song in your head:
*Click on the sound icon at the bottom right of the video for sweet audio.
1. Do you wanna build some recognition? (go on, in the tune of the Snowman song!)
2. Come on, let's eat kai pei
Kai pei is (luxurious) chicken thigh. And yes, we're really keeping to the Snowman song! Scroll up to the top if you need to refresh that tune.
3. I never see you any-'maw'
WAIT, WHAT IS FISH MAW? Once and for all: it's an internal gas-filled organ found in most fish and some consider fish maw to be a luxury item. See it in its full glory:
4. Come spin fish balls
In case you're wondering, the Chinese characters on the menu say, "Profits pouring in from all sides (homemade fish ball)".
7. And now 'wall' not :(
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, also known as Buddha's Temptation, is a variety of shark fin soup in Fujian cuisine. Since its creation during the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912), the dish has been regarded as a Chinese delicacy known for its rich taste, usage of various high-quality ingredients and special manner of cooking.
What it really looks like:
A pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall: panax ginger, abalone, shark’s fin and fish maw
Image via herworldplus.com8. I wish you would gimme a fiveee!
No, you're not eating vegetables fried with precious gems on a chestful of gold coins. Just good ol' beans and stalks of green, but no, let's not settle for ordinary names! Let's make them sound so fine!
9. Do you want some balls of brilliance?
Now why didn't anyone think of this earlier? Brilliant level Asian.
11. Okay, sek sai...
The first two Chinese characters (白玉) mean 'jade', a common metaphor to describe someone's purity and kindness, while the rest of the characters are about the radish dish. Can you taste that sweet sensation yet?
