Chinese-American Problems (aka Jok Sing Problems)

I'm not sure but I guess I'm about 30% fluent in Cantonese.  I can help strangers with directions, speak to my old lady Aunties, M-I-L but could never watch a full Chinese TV show or conduct/attend a business meeting.  But when it comes to restaurant Cantonese, I'm 90% fluent!!!!  Can order my favorite dishes, ask questions, get a new napkin, ask if the crabs are fresh and other basics.

Sometimes when I place a take-out order, I write out phonetically what I want, so I don't forget.  Except for those annoying times when you don't know how to order because you don't know how to say the name of the dish.  "You know, the chicken with crispy skin" or the "fish pot with foo jok on the bottom"?

A HA!  That's where my cousin Teung comes in.  How many times have I texted you to say "how do you say this?  How do you say that?  Then the real hero of the story Mrs. Cousin comes in-THANK YOU!  She always knows what I mean.  So when I say "its like ja gee gai" but more garlicky with crispy skin and its something like "herng gwat" or we had it with Auntie So & So they always know what I mean.  No, its not bok jom gai or bok wong gai... you know, we had it at 16 Mott and it has a lot of 5 spice powder flavor..............OH Shern Herng Gai.  Our process of elimination continues.

Like when I didn't know how to say lamb chops.. something yerng pah.  When you go to a restaurant you can point and act out but if you order take out you are sunk.  and we must eat.  So our jok sing problems go on 😛😐😋

this was a special nor mai fon with lobster

Above pix is our typical order:  shern herng gai, ging dao pai guat (every jok sing boys' dream), fu pay gern, gnaw nom bow, fu yer ong choy.

Have you ever heard of the Fung Brothers?  Jake said they were famous years ago.  They promoted this new restaurant which had naw mai fon gai yik and started singing a song about naw mai fon gai yik ♯𝄠𝄤𝄹.  Now I can't stop singing that song in  my head (who sings about chicken wings?) + REALLY really want to go there and eat it!  Who wants to come with me?