Wednesday, October 25, 2017

delicious tonics: lost in translation

I am staying in an AirBNB in Kunming, China in a few months. At first the hostess said if I didn't speak Chinese I couldn't stay there (1) because it may not be legal for foreigners and (2) because she couldn't communicate with me.

I suggested that we just use Google Translate and do our best because her house is gorgeous and right where I need to be. So she said OK let's try. Stacy and I will be the first foreign tourists in her place.

Daguan Park, Kunming, Yunnan, China

She just sent me an email about suggested things to do in Kunming. I told her I am interested in local food. I thought this was the best bit of the email.

Food Recommended: (1) bridge noodle (built new garden), taste hot. (2) pot rice noodle, Yunnan people every day to eat food, taste salty hot and sour. (3) tofu tofu, with halogen sauce is delicious. (4) steamer chicken, very delicious tonic Oh, looks like the first few can be built in the new garden to eat, the store's three fresh rice noodle is also good Oh. (5) cold bean powder, hot weather when eating a bowl is very appetizing. (6) fried potatoes, taste fragrant spicy, delicious to simply stop down. (7) papaya water, ice powder plus rose sugar, the entrance cool fragrance, Jieshu sharpener. (8) Dai flavor, Yunnan characteristics of food, to hot and sour appetizers, like hot and sour taste of the people will be super love (9) fungal food, to Yunnan is to eat the mountain, fungi and more to think, fresh Sweet taste must try Oh (10) roast beef (copper pot of beef), a hot pot, the landlord my favorite, do a good robe beef are halal, want to see the taste is good, just look at the line of people more Know it, taste salty spicy, beef cattle miscellaneous to half, with a small dish with the taste of beef soup cook, really delicious to fly up! (11) barbecue, evening at home to take a takeaway, Zhaotong small skewers, grilled fish, roasted eggplant, while watching TV side line string is also a good choice, you want to choose the characteristics of Yunnan package burning class.

Google Translate is always a fail, but I've never seen Chinese to English before. This is a new height of confusion. That said, I am ready to try all the "delicious tonics". Even badly translated, this girl clearly knows her food.

I can't wait. 非常感谢你