As we begin celebrations for the Lunar New Year tomorrow, I got around to discussing various Chinese foods with friends. When I Google the names, I tend to type in the pinyin of the dish, since it’s easier than switching to my Chinese keyboard. My friend noticed that the “Liang Pi” dish I was showing her translated to “cold skin”.
Liang = 凉=cold. Pi = 皮 = skin. Dang, that’s really unfortunate. What was an otherwise refreshing, spicy, and well-balanced appetizer of cucumbers, various toppings, noodles, and spices, now brings to mind images of corpses in morgues.
Then I realized there are loads of other Chinese dishes out there that also don’t translate well to English. In my mind, because I always thought of them in Chinese, I never thought of what they sound like in English.
Please note, the list of foods are not necessarily the traditional “New Year Foods” but are still delicious.
- Liangpi 凉皮
Translation: Cold skin. Pi is “skin” but could also be used for “leather”, which really doesn’t help either. I’ll just move on now.
Actuality: Cold noodles, cucumber, hot sauce, various toppings
2. Mayi Shangshu 蚂蚁上树
Translation: Ants Climbing on Tree
Actuality: Spicy ground pork cooked with glass noodles
3. Mao Er Duo 猫耳朵
Translation: Cat Ears
Actuality: Noodles shaped like triangles or cat ears, used in soups or stir fries
4. Fuqi Feipian 夫妻肺片
Translation: Husband Wife Lung Pieces
Actuality: Cold appetizer of thinly sliced beef and beef offal, sometimes beef heart, tongue and tripe in a spicy sauce, usually including Sichuan pepper.
5. Hongyou Chaoshou 红油抄手
Translation: Red Oil Copy Hands
Actuality: Pork Wontons in Chili Oil
6. Shi Zi Tou 狮子头
Translation: Lion’s Head
Actuality: Huge soft pork meatballs
7. Gou Bu Li 狗不理
Translation: Dog Doesn’t Care
Actuality: Tianjin chain of stuffed steamed buns
8. Guoqiao Mixian 过桥米线
Translation: Cross Bridge Noodles
Actuality: One of my favorite food stories, these are noodles from Yunan Province where the soup broth is kept warm by the layer of oil on top and the other ingredients are kept separately to not get mushy. A woman came up with this cozy noodle dish to bring to her husband, who was studying for his imperial exams.
I’m sure there are others I haven’t thought of, since there are so many nuances in Chinese (leading to these epic fails). Now, it’s time to eat lots of food, count my cash, and get ready for the Year of the Tiger!