Every now and then someone writes us asking for the "hottest hotpot in Beijing", which is actually one of the easiest questions to answer: if you're a glutton for punishment go to Guijie and check out a restaurant called Kong Liang (孔亮). This restaurant is across the street from Little Sheep and its hot broth tastes like nothing so much as molten rock, so if you're looking to impress someone or simply want to end it all, this is your best bet.

And a note of warning... today's Chinese podcast is towards the upper-end of our difficulty spectrum when it comes to elementary lessons. If you're new to Chinese you'll have trouble understanding everything the first time around: our dialogue pushes forward at native speed and has a lot of colloquial expressions. That said, the sentences themselves are fairly short, so once you know what is going on, you should find it easy to follow along.
Elementary
 said on
July 27, 2011
Hi Guys,

Quick note -- Echo and I are out of the country so we don't have the vocab or sentences recorded for this lesson, and won't have them recorded for any of the others until we're back in Beijing on August 5th.

At that point we'll be re-recording these and generating the fixes for all of the lessons missing them over the last few months. Thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience and all.

祝好,

--david
Xiao Hu
 said on
July 27, 2011
当我去吃火锅的时候服务员总理所当然地问客户，“你要多辣的锅”？

我总有意的回答，“特辣！”

大吃一惊而总要先认真地确定好我真实的想吃“特辣锅”再照我说的来做然后帮我点超辣锅的服务员说，“嗯，先生我觉得您先点中辣的，好不好。”

我回答“不好，特辣的”。

不好意思直接开口批评我的选择的服务员委婉的建议，“嗯，那我先帮你点中辣的，如果您还是觉得不够辣的话，我们可以再加点辣椒，行不行？”

死板的我，坚持到底，说，“不行，我就是要点特辣的，你不想帮我点的话，就算啦！”

左右为难的服务员渐渐放弃自己的意见而帮我点我想要的“特辣”的火锅。

菜都上了，锅都开了，我猛地一大口又一大口的吃我最爱的特辣老火锅。边喝点雪花边吃各种各样的菜，连猪脑都吃！吃得很爽啊！

第二天上课倒好我肚子疼得要死了！大汗淋漓的我感觉就好像一分钟如一年！就好像死神寻找他的新目标是一样一样的!

我心想，“不听老人言，吃亏在眼前也！”

结果，当我叫学生一起练习口语的时候老师就偷偷摸摸的离开教室。我的目的地是什么呢？我估计大家都知道吧！

虽然吃辣辣的火锅的事情那么可怕的可是再过了一两天对辣菜上瘾的我又会出去吃火锅时服务员又会被我大声的骂,"不行！我就是要吃特辣的！怎么怎么的！" 更何况第二天偷偷摸摸地离开教室的事情又要发生嘞.

自己什么时候才能受教训？这个问题我也一直摸不着头脑！

Xiao Hu
 said on
August 3, 2011
@David and Echo,

So you guys are back in Beijing? How was the flight back? Are you suffering from reverse culture shock? I'm sure there have been GREAT changes that have taken place.

哈哈，当我还在美国的时候，我经常问问最近回国的中国人，“回家乡怎么样？”他们总会回答，“变化很大！”这四个字。
wldavis
 said on
August 3, 2011
Differnces in air quality and potable water from the tap -- can take some getting used to. "What? I don't have to boil this first?"
trevelyan
 said on
August 4, 2011
@Xiao Hu,

Sorry for not getting back to you faster. We're actually flying back to Beijing tomorrow afternoon (arriving on the 5th). Will be interesting to see how Beijing has changed in the past eight months, but - to be honest - we're both looking forward to having some real Chinese food for a change.

--dave

huyilin
 said on
August 5, 2011
This question does not relate to this lesson, but: What exactly is the difference between 一概 and 一律? I keep getting them confused... Thank you
Xiao Hu
 said on
August 5, 2011
As a foreigner who can eat spicy like there's no tomorrow, this lesson is near and dear to my heart. While we're on the subject of 变态辣, Here's a 变态辣 experience I'll never forget!

辣菜大王

我爱吃辣的东西，我特别喜欢吃中国的四川菜。这在老外中是少见的怪事。所以，有很多人叫我"辣菜大王"，尤其是我的舅舅。

有一次，我去舅舅家吃饭，舅妈给我们做墨西哥菜。墨西哥菜本来就辣，舅舅看到我还把很多很辣的辣酱往菜上撒，便好奇地问我："这个菜你还嫌不够辣吗？"

我回答说："我吃得比这个还要辣。"

舅舅听后，便去楼下拿来一根青椒，对我说："如果你真的是辣菜大王，就应该能吃得下这根青椒。"

我先尝了一下，觉得没问题，便将整根青椒一口气吃了下去。看见舅舅那目瞪口呆的样子，我又带着傻笑自我吹嘘："怎么样？是不是辣菜大王？"舅舅连连点头说："是，是，是辣菜大王！"

接着，我便对我的表弟表妹们模仿起美国总统尼克松和里根来；我的表演惟妙惟肖，把他们笑死了。

突然，我的表弟问我：" 小虎，你不高兴了吗？"

我说："没有的事，我很高兴啊。为什么这样问？"

表弟说："但是你的脸为什么那样红？而且还在流眼泪，好像在哭一样？"

表妹也附和说道："是啊，你的脸特别红，而且满脸是汗。你去照一下镜子吧。"

我跑到卫生间一看，我的脸真的好红好红，而且眼泪汪汪，汗流不止。但是，我并没有什么特别的感觉呀。

回到客厅，表弟表妹说："哎呀，是不是那个辣椒把你辣死了呢？"

我说："没的事，我没有什么特别感觉呀。"

他们说："既然没事，那么我们继续玩吧。"

玩着玩着，我觉得有点喘不上气来，胸中好像有一座火山，胃里直冒火；嘴也干得像戈壁沙漠，脑子里只有一个念头：冰水！冰水！

我跑去打开冰箱拿水喝，一连喝了两瓶冰水，嘴里仍然觉得又干又辣。这时，表弟递给我一些面包，说："面包可以去辣，吃了也许就没事了。"

我把他给我的面一条包全吃了，但仍不见效。

另一个表弟递给我一瓶盐，说："吃点盐吧，听说盐可以止辣。"

吃了一瓶盐我更觉得口渴，只想喝水，喝呀，喝呀，不停地喝水......！

这时，舅舅哈哈大笑，走到我的面前说："你不是辣菜大王吗？你不是说过不论多辣你都能够承受吗？看来，你还是有点吹牛哦！哈哈！"

还好我没有像故事里面的老外一吃变态辣的东西就被辣死了！

我最喜欢的经典段落是，“上帝让他安息吧！”

Xiao Hu
 said on
August 5, 2011
@Dave,

It's funny because when I came back to the mainland after my trip to Hong Kong, the first thing I could think of was getting some "real" Chinese food. The food in Hong Kong is so expensive that it was either Yoshinoya or 叉烧肉套饭 every day for every meal.

Wait, one day I splurged and got some bread from 7/11.

Have a safe trip back to Beijing!

一路顺风。别收木头一角！;)
richard
 said on
August 5, 2011
@xiao hu, in a previous comment i did want to wish Dave/Echo 'have a safe trip back to Beijing' in mandarin . Echo made a correction from a set phrase i try to use. is using a idiom like you did 'yilushenfeng' the simpleast and kouyu way to express this. but it does not convey the exact meaning

is a effort needed to memorize/use common idioms as soon as possible or are they reserve for gaojiyuyan speakers?
Echo
 said on
August 6, 2011
@huyilin,

The difference between 一概 and 一律 are:

一律 has the meaning that everything is the same, for instance :千篇一律 (meaning whatever following the same pattern）, you can not use 一概 there.

Another difference is 一律 can be an adjective sometimes, while 一概 is only an adverb. However, I think people don't really use 一律 as an adjective in the real life, so you can ignore this one.

@Xiao Hu,

什么是“别收木头一角”呀？另外你的“辣菜大王”的故事把我笑死了！！

@richard,

Idioms like yi1lu4ping2an1 or yi1lu4shun4feng1 is the most common way Chinese people say in this circumstance, not just for gao1ji2 yu3yan2 speakers :)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
Xiao Hu
 said on
August 7, 2011
@Echo,

那天我舅舅真让我太倒霉了！那天以后的两三天我的肚子一直痛得要死了。

他笑我以后跟我舅妈说，“他把那个青椒吃得像糖果一样开心！他好像没想到那个青椒会这么厉害！”

你说，我舅舅坏不坏？
trevelyan
 said on
August 8, 2011
@Xiao Hu,

"It's funny because when I came back to the mainland after my trip to Hong Kong, the first thing I could think of was getting some "real" Chinese food. The food in Hong Kong is so expensive that it was either Yoshinoya or 叉烧肉套饭 every day for every meal."

Agree, agree, agree... although the smaller noodle shops in Kowloon aren't bad. That said, the real budget-killer is housing. If you're looking for a decent hotel that isn't expensive the next time around try this one. The rooms are small but clean and air-conditioned and safe and run around HK300 per night. A lot less stressful than staying at Chungking Mansions, etc.:

Sea Rich Guest House (海富宾馆)

A5~A6 2/F United Mansion 37G Jordan Road Kowloon, Hong Kong

(852) 2332 0498

My first trip to HK would have been in 2004 or so, and I remember walking past a burning oil drum on my way back into China and thinking that Shenzhen resembled nothing so much like a scene from Escape from New York....

--dave
Echo
 said on
August 8, 2011
@Xiao Hu,

哈哈哈，“吃得像糖果一样开心”，太逗了！

我一回到北京就特别想吃辣的，但是一下子吃太多了又不舒服，很纠结。

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
Brendan
 said on
August 8, 2011
@trevelyan - You were talking about Popup Latin a while ago, right? Shenzhen would be an ideal candidate for a lesson entitled "Podex Mundi." (My Latin is probably wrong there.)

(Updated with correct spelling. My bad.)
Echo
 said on
August 8, 2011
@Brendan,

I can't believe you got his name wrong....

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
Xiao Hu
 said on
August 10, 2011
@Echo,

真好笑！我舅舅老是说我是喜欢讲经典段落和和口头禅的，可见讲经典段落的毕竟是他！好出乎意外的事喽！
Xiao Hu
 said on
August 15, 2011
@Trevelyan,

Thanks for the info, the next time I go to HK, I'll be sure to try and hang out in Kowloon as much as possible. My first trip to Honk Kong and Shenzhen was in 2010, I didn't like HK as much as Shenzhen because it had such a different feel than the mainland, it seemed too westernized. My friend who used to like in Shenzhen said he LOVED going there every month to get a red stamp, to him it was a vacation from China and Chinese culture, for example in HK there are actually copious amounts of actual 马桶's and not 蹲便器's.

The second time I went to HK I enjoyed it more, yet still prefer the mainland. When I go back I DO want to explore it more thoroughly, do you or Nicole have any suggestions as to fun and interesting things to do there?
Echo
 said on
August 16, 2011
@Xiao Hu,

I really like those 鱼蛋 in Hong Kong :) I really like Hong Kong before, but now nowhere can compare with Chile, hehe.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
Xiao Hu
 said on
August 18, 2011
@Echo,

我很好奇，智利这个国家的魅力有多大？为什么你在智利这段时间这么令人难忘的呢？连香港都比不上智利呀！那你最令人难忘的经历是什么？难道就是收智利总统轻轻的亲的事吧？
Echo
 said on
August 18, 2011
@Xiao Hu,

哈哈，跟总统没什么关系。你要是想听智利的好，我能说三天三夜......城市井然有序，环境优美，人民友善，生活节奏适中，交通方便......你可以想象一下，在这个冬天不冷夏天不热，没有蚊虫，一年四季繁花盛开，清爽的微风吹拂的国家，夜晚和三五好友一起喝几杯又便宜又美味的葡萄酒，抬头就可以看到窗外白雪覆盖的雪山......你说这样的地方能不难忘吗？智利让我感觉更像是在故乡。

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
Xiao Hu
 said on
August 21, 2011
@Echo,

听起来好爽啊！那我可能迟早要本身去看看吧。那，我想问一下，中国有没有一个跟智利不相上下的地方？

Echo
 said on
August 21, 2011
@Xiao Hu,

"我可能迟早要本身去看看"——应该是“我可能迟早要自己去看看”。

我觉得没有～

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
Xiao Hu
 said on
August 21, 2011
@Echo,

谢谢你的纠正。我觉得在这上下文里面说，“如果有机会的话我也会亲自去看看吧”，这句话也合适，是吧？

看来这次智利的旅行给你的印象好深刻哦。那我由不得问，要是有机会的话，你会离开中国而移民到智利吗？还是对你来说智利永远只是一个观光的好地方，但你不想住在那里？（这是英语里面的，“a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there”这句经典段落的直译，不知道这种翻译合不合适？）
Echo
 said on
August 22, 2011
@Xiao Hu,

“亲自”也可以。

我确实非常喜欢智利，也喜欢长住在那里，那里非常让我有归属感，不过我也想去不同的地方多走走看看，至于长远的计划，现在还没有打算呢 :)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
Xiao Hu
 said on
August 25, 2011
@echo,

我发现大多数的中国人的心情和你差不多，可能是中国人口超多的原因吧。中国人都说想多看点地方，多点走走看看。哈哈，我也是啊！中国的所有的城市和，有自然风光的地方，还有名胜古迹我都想亲自逛！人生太短了所以要多点享受嘛。
pefferie
 said on
March 20, 2012
"... some people out there in our nation don't have that ..." Finally I know where that came from. Woo-hoo!
duke.villanueva
 said on
March 31, 2016
Hahaha! I laughed out loud listening to this! I just burst out laughing in the office with my earphones on! I've been in Chongqing, the city (or maybe the entire municipality) with purportedly 30,000 hotpot shops (according to my source, this is based on real data), for almost four years. And, as Brendan said, this isn't far from the truth!

I can't believe in my three years or so of listening to Popup Chinese I missed this episode. Not done, yet, I'll go listen to the rest of the podcast... =-D

I damn love Popup Chinese!