Latest / Learn Cantonese with Fexingo / Cantonese Kitchen Utensils & Prep Basics
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Cantonese with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. We are so happy to be here with you again. Lucas: Today we are going back to the kitchen. Last episode we talked about boiling and steaming. Luna: Yes. But before we cook, we need to prepare the food. That is what we are doing today. Lucas: Exactly. We need some tools. The most important tool for prep is this. Luna: Is it a knife? Lucas: Not yet. First you need a place to put the food. It is called a cutting board. Luna: Oh right. In English we say cutting board. What is it in Cantonese? Lucas: It is very simple. Listen closely. Lucas: 砧板。砧板。 Luna: Let me try. Jyun ban? No... Lucas: Close. Try again. Listen. Lucas: 砧板。砧板。 Luna: Ah! Jyun ban. Like 'jyun' but softer. And 'ban' like a banana without the a. Lucas: Perfect. You nailed it. Jyun ban. Cutting board. Luna: I love that word. It sounds sturdy. Lucas: It is. Without a good jyun ban, you cannot do your prep work safely. Luna: So if I have vegetables on the table, I should move them to the jyun ban first. Lucas: Yes. Because you are going to chop them. The action is called 'chop vegetables'. Luna: Chop vegetables. Is that just 'cut'? Or is there a specific word? Lucas: There is a specific word for chopping or slicing on a board. Lucas: 切菜。切菜。 Luna: Let me repeat. Tait choy. Tait choy. Lucas: Good. Tait means cut or slice. Choy means vegetables or greens. Luna: Tait choy. Okay. So I put the carrots on the jyun ban, and I start tait choy. Lucas: Exactly. But be careful. Knives are sharp. Luna: I know. I always worry about my fingers. Lucas: There is a common phrase people use to warn each other. Lucas: 唔好切到手。唔好切到手。 Luna: Wait. Do not cut hand? That sounds direct. Lucas: It is direct. It is useful. Listen to the rhythm. Lucas: M4 hou2 tait3 dou2 sau2. M4 hou2 tait3 dou2 sau2. Luna: M4 hou2 tait3 dou2 sau2. Don't cut the hand. Lucas: Yes. If you are cooking with someone else, you can say this to them. Luna: Or they can say it to you. 'Watch out!' Lucas: Right. Safety first. Now, imagine you do not have a jyun ban at home. Luna: Oh no. What would I do? Lucas: You would need to go to the store. Here is how you ask. Lucas: 邊度有賣砧板？邊度有賣砧板？ Luna: Bin douh yau mai jyun ban? Where is there sell cutting board? Lucas: Spot on. Bin douh means where. Yau means have. Mai means sell. Luna: Where have sell cutting board. Very logical. Lucas: Yes. And if you go to a shop, they might show you different materials. Luna: Like plastic? Or metal? Lucas: Plastic is common. But many people prefer wood for traditional cooking. Lucas: If you want a wooden one, you can specify that. Lucas: 木頭嘅。木頭嘅。 Luna: Muk tau ge. Muk tau ge. Lucas: Muk tau means wood. Ge is a particle that describes the noun. Luna: Wooden one. Okay. So I can say 'I want the wooden cutting board'. Lucas: You can combine it. 'I want the wooden cutting board' is very clear. Luna: This is so helpful. I feel ready to cook now. Lucas: Me too. Let's review the words quickly. Luna: Cutting board. Lucas: 砧板。 Luna: Chop vegetables. Lucas: 切菜。 Luna: Don't cut your hand. Lucas: 唔好切到手。 Luna: Where is there a selling cutting board? Lucas: 邊度有賣砧板？ Luna: Wooden. Lucas: 木頭嘅。 Luna: Great practice. Before we go, I have a small request. Lucas: What is it? Luna: If Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language, please consider supporting us. Lucas: We deliberately do not run ads on these episodes. It keeps the learning clean. Luna: Listener support is what makes that possible. You can help at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Thank you for keeping this ad-free space alive. It means a lot. Luna: Now back to the kitchen. Are you hungry? Lucas: A little. I think I will make some salad. Luna: Good choice. Just remember your jyun ban. Lucas: And don't cut your hand. Remember that phrase? Luna: M4 hou2 tait3 dou2 sau2. Always. Lucas: Perfect. Practice these phrases until we chat again. Luna: Stay safe, stay hungry, and see you next time. Lucas: Bye for now.