China Chat

The word of the day is mushrooms 蘑菇 mo gu. Jiajia and Chris talk about their favorite mushrooms, explore the different varieties, and sing the praises of the chicken stew in Snow Village in Heilongjiang. 

Tomato sauce 番茄酱fan qie jiang is a must-have for a proper pizza in Chris’ mind, but she didn’t miss it at all on their durian pizza. Jiajia talks about one of his favorite English words, bark. Chris yells at Jiajia for trying to distract her at the hospital. Chris has to apologize. Again.

Cheese 干酪 gan lao, is the word of the day. Chris thanks Jiajia for curing her shin splints and apologizes for not taking his nightly restless leg woes more seriously. 

The word of the day is garlic 大蒜 da suan. Chris and Jiajia talk about the best way (in their opinion) to peel garlic and Chris drools over smashed cucumber and garlic. 

The word of the day is pizza 披萨 pi sa. Jiajia and Chris share their memories of pizzas past and the delight of durian pizza. Jiajia cries a little bit over cold baozi. 

The word of the day is camera 照相机 zhao xiang ji. Jiajia asks Chris what it was like to have a dinosaur as a pet as she recalls lugging around cameras with actual film in them. JiaJia’s baby photos are adorable.

The word of the day is cellphone 手机 shou ji.  But that’s not the only word you can use. Jiajia shares about his experience with cellphones and we discuss the difference between living and dead languages. Meanwhile, Tommy loudly chews on a beef bone while Lucky scowls at her. 

The word of the day is computer 电脑 dian nao. How far we’ve come from the early days of word processors and floppy discs. It’s a brave, new world.

Television 电视dian shi, is the word of the day. Chris and Jiajia talk about television in the olden days and how it’s changed. Jiajia cooks up some youpi loofa for Chris to eat. Delicious! 

The word of the day is movie电影 dian ying. Chris and Jiajia reminisce about their movie childhood memories and Lucky the cat makes a cameo appearance.

The phrase of the day is Let’s go eat, 我门去吃饭吧, women qu chi fan ba. Jiajia and Chris obsess over water chestnuts, Charlie and Lucky make a brief appearance and a big thank you to Eileen who taught Jiajia how to make his spoken Chinese super cute! 

The word of the day is restaurant, 餐厅, can ting. Chris and Jiajia reminisce about holiday meals and decide to host a family dinner during Spring Festival.

The word of the day is elevator,电梯, dian ti. Chris dreamt about elevators all night for some reason, but of course she can’t remember any of the details. 

The phrase of the day is annoyed to death, 烦死了, fan si le. Jiajia beat Chris like a drum playing backgammon and she was severely annoyed! Still thinking about it! [发怒]

The word of the day is married, 结婚了, jie hun le. Since everyone has a vacation week, lots of people are getting married! Congratulations to everyone!

I’m full!  吃饱了！ chi bao le! Jiajia feels better after eating his meat mooncake, Chris starts drooling thinking of all the delicious treats awaiting them, and Jiajia manages to remain focused the entire episode! 

I’m hungry! 我饿了! wo e le! A very good phrase to know when you’re on the go. Chris talks about memories of her mother, who adored liver, Jiajia gives some cooking tips, and Lucky the cat turns on the fan! 

It’s raining! 下雨了. Xia yu le. That’s the phrase of the day because it is indeed raining. Chris recounts her visits to see the doctor after chugging water (typical), and Jiajia shares some childhood memories.

Hair. 头发. Tou fa. That’s the word of the day. Chris tickles her own feet, Jiajia agrees to not give Lucky any fish bones, and Jiajia and Chris decide to stay close to home for Golden Week. 

Happy Mid Autumn Festival! 中秋节快乐 “zhong qiu jie kuai le”! That’s the phrase of the day. Jiajia and Chris talk about this year’s Mooncake Festival, and Jiajia explains how he brushes his feet. 

Today’s word is”toilet“ 厕所 “ce suo”. When you need one, you really need one. Just say that word and someone will come to your rescue. Jiajia has a hard time focusing and Tommy provides an unwanted musical interlude.

Today’s phrase is “wait a moment” 等一下 “deng yi xia”. That’s what Jiajia hears Chris say anytime they go anywhere. But that’s not nearly as maddening as when Chris hits the elevator button with her elbow. 

Today’s words are “left” and “right”. 左边，右边 “zuobian”, “youbian”. Jiajia and Chris reminisce about their landlord in Harbin, talk about their experience during the pandemic, and  Jiajia justifies Tommy’s bald haircut. 

Today’s phrase is: “Autumn has come” 秋天来了 “qiutian lai le”. Jiajia catches 2 big, stinky fish and makes a new friend. Chris gives some more background on the author Hugh Lofting, author of the “Doctor Doolittle” books.

JiaJia’s birthday was filled with cardboard cake and fishing! Today’s phrase is “Happy Birthday to You” 祝你生日快乐 “zhu ni shengri kuaile”. Chris talks about Hugh Lofting and “Dr. Doolittle”. She adores that book.