下 馆 子

Eating in a Chinese restaurant

Situation

A is a British student having his/her lunch in a popular Chinese restaurant before catching a train.

B is a waiter in a Chinese restaurant.

Tasks for B, a waiter in a Chinese restaurant

Make the conversation as realistic as possible by greeting each other at the beginning and by using small talk. Try to anticipate the flow of the conversation by looking at the following prompts.

1. Greet A and tell him/her that you will find a seat for him/her in a minute. After a little while, ask A to sit by the window, and tell him/her that you will bring him/her a menu (菜单 càidān N) immediately. Give him/her the menu.
2. Bring A his/her dishes and chopsticks. Tell A that his/her dishes are all there. Tell him/her not to worry: you will give him/her bill (账单 zhàngdān N) as soon as s/he finishes eating.
3. Apologise to A for giving him/her a pair of dirty chopsticks, and bring him/her another pair. After A has finished his/her meal, give him/her the bill.
4. Tell A that he/she had large portions (份 fèn or 盘 pán MW), so that is the right amount (数字 shùzi N) of money.
5. Tell A that you have to ask the manager to deal with (解决 jiĕjué V) the problem. Ask him/her to wait. After a little while you come back to A. Tell A that the manager will let A pay for small portions.