Please help: Ordering coffee

How about “Double shot of espresso over ice. No milk, no sugar”?

Seriously. They should be able to understand at least that much English, if that’s what they’re trained to serve at, say, Starbucks or Dante.

Or use simpler language: “Double espresso. With ice. No milk. No sugar.”

At some places they don’t even understand “nongsuo” but if you tell them “meishi, buyao jia shui” (americano, don’t add water) they get it.

Do they know the term Latte (lah tay)? I bet they do? And if so why not just use espresso. Some terms are better expressed a certain way. Like Latte and espresso.

Teach the taiwanesers some engrish why dont cha.

Yes, Tommy, they know the term latte, but transliterated as na2tie3, and also as latte if properly trained. I think most staff know espresso as nong2suo1 ka1fei1.

They understand the terms… its more the manner by which I would like my coffee they are completely thrown off.

No sugar? No milk? With milk? (I usually do take it with) Over ice? TWO espressos in a XIAO cup? What?
Its the order that trips me and the baristas up. Not the terms.

It was sounding like this (before I made the thread):
“Ni hao! Wo yao … 2 er shots of espresso over ice… no milk. Bu niunai. No sugar. Uh… I don’t know how to say sugar… Uh… No sugar.”
Barista mumbles something
“Yea. Ok. So, two shots Es-Presso. Ice. Xiao beizi.”
Barista questions the two shots of espresso in small cup.
“Yes, two. Er. In a small cup. Xiaobeizi. Ice. Not hot. Bu re. Leng.” (then I learned leng is not the appropriate term here for cold)
Barista mumbles again. Shows me a little thing of liquid sugar whateverthefuckthatshitisomg.
“No. Wo mei … you? uh… I don’t want it. Wo bu yao. No sugar.”

As the conversation above illustrates, this difficulty is in no way the fault of the barista. I simply cannot speak Chinese.

Hi Lili. I’m just off the boat like you, so my Chinese acquisition is about at the same stage. If leng’s the wrong word for cold I’ve been ordering cold water wrongly! I thought it was leng leng or something like that. It seems to help to repeat words.
I’m wondering if it could be your NYC style that’s flustering the staff? I find it really helps to go in with a big smile, speak slowly, laugh at how terrible my Chinese is and be really grateful at their attempts to understand me. Then everyone has a good time. Do you go in the same place? Once they’ve mastered your order you could ask them how to say it.

Usually with foods, you ask for “bing” (ice/iced), not “leng” (cold). “Leng” would be the word you’d use to complain that something isn’t “re”.

My problem in Taiwan is that I don’t drink coffee, but I do like a good iced chai latte (available in fine Starbuck’s everywhere but in Taiwan, it seems). The few places that do have iced chai lattes (or tea latte of any kind) on the menu, I’ve always ended up being served coffee, because the girls all assume that “latte” means “coffee”.

I’ve been to a few places that had a pretty decent Iced Tea Latte. If I get to meet you when you head over here, I promise to buy you one. No Starbucks for me though.

[quote=“Petrichor”]Hi Lili. I’m just off the boat like you, so my Chinese acquisition is about at the same stage. If leng’s the wrong word for cold I’ve been ordering cold water wrongly! I thought it was leng leng or something like that. It seems to help to repeat words.
I’m wondering if it could be your NYC style that’s flustering the staff? I find it really helps to go in with a big smile, speak slowly, laugh at how terrible my Chinese is and be really grateful at their attempts to understand me. Then everyone has a good time. Do you go in the same place? Once they’ve mastered your order you could ask them how to say it.[/quote]

Yep, because usually they give you “kai” water -which is supposed to be at room temperaturre but most of the time is tongue-scalding hot.

Ruel of thumb: try English first. When they panic, simple Chinese. If nothing works, then sign language/pointing/mime. Sure, you want to practice your Chinese, but we had a saying among the Latinos for those situations: you order what you want and eat what you get.

[quote=“Icon”]
Ruel of thumb: try English first. When they panic, simple Chinese. If nothing works, then sign language/pointing/mime. Sure, you want to practice your Chinese, but we had a saying among the Latinos for those situations: you order what you want and eat what you get.[/quote]
Ain’t that the truth.

[quote=“Icon”]
Yep, because usually they give you “kai” water -which is supposed to be at room temperaturre but most of the time is tongue-scalding hot. [/quote]

“Kai” water doesn’t imply room temperature.
kai1 = to boil (among numerous other meanings)
kai1shui3 = boiled water OR boiling water
bing1 kai1shui3 = cold boiled water (i.e., ice water that won’t give you CKS’ revenge)

Just think of “kaishui” as drinking water. It can come in any temperature.