Intermediate - How to Eat a Hairy Crab (C1807)

A: 服务员,有大闸蟹吗?
fúwùyuán, yǒu dàzháxiè ma?
Waiter, do you serve hairy crabs?
B: 有。
yǒu.
Yes.
A: 要正宗的阳澄湖大闸蟹。
yào zhèngzōng de Yángchénghú dàzháxiè.
We want authentic ones from Yangcheng Lake.
B: 都是正宗的。
dōu shì zhèngzōng de.
They're all authentic.
A: 那好,来五只雌的,五只雄的。要清蒸的。
nà hǎo, lái wǔ zhī cí de, wǔ zhī xióng de. yào qīngzhēng de.
Great. We'll have five females and five males. We'd like them steamed.
B: 先生,你们的大闸蟹好了。
xiānsheng, nǐmen de dàzháxiè hǎo le.
Sir, your hairy crabs are ready.
A: 来来来,吃蟹吃蟹!
lái lái lái, chī xiè chī xiè!
Here, here. Have some crab!
C: 那个,我没吃过,不知道怎么吃。
nàge, wǒ méi chī guo, bù zhīdào zěnme chī.
I've never had it before. I don't know how to eat it.
A: 哦,很简单。我教你。先把它的腿和钳子掰下来。然后把蟹盖掰下来。
ò, hěn jiǎndān. wǒ jiāo nǐ. xiān bǎ tā de tuǐ hé qiánzi bāi xiàlai. ránhòu bǎ xiè gài bāi xiàlai.
Oh, it's really simple. I'll teach you. First break off its legs and claws, then pull off its shell.
C: 哦,蟹盖里面的东西可以吃吗?
ò, xiè gài lǐmiàn de dōngxi kěyǐ chī ma?
Oh, you can eat the stuff in the shell?
A: 可以,这是蟹黄,最有营养了。
kěyǐ, zhè shì xièhuáng, zuì yǒu yíngyǎng le.
Yep. This is crab roe. It's the most nutritious part.
C: 我听说有一个部分不能吃。
wǒ tīngshuō yǒu yī ge bùfen bù néng chī.
I've heard there's one part that you can't eat.
A: 它的肺很寒,不能吃。就是这些,白白的,一条一条的,都要拔掉。其它的都可以吃。
tā de fèi hěn hán, bù néng chī. jiùshì zhèxiē, bái bái de, yī tiáo yī tiáo de, dōu yào bá diào. qítā de dōu kěyǐ chī.
Its lungs are very "cooling." You can't eat them. It's these white strips. They all need to be pulled out. Everything else you can eat.
C: 哇,它的肉好鲜啊。
wā, tā de ròu hǎo xiān a.
Wow, the meat is really delicious!
A: 沾点醋更好吃!
zhān diǎn cù gèng hǎochī!
Dip it in vinegar and it's even better!

Key Vocabulary

大闸蟹 dàzháxiè hairy crab
正宗 zhèngzōng authentic
阳澄湖 Yángchénghú Yangcheng Lake
zhī [measure word]
female
xióng male
清蒸 qīngzhēng to steam in clear broth
xiè crab
简单 jiǎndān simple
to take
tuǐ leg
钳子 qiánzi claw
bāi to break
下来 xiàlai to come down
gài shell
蟹黄 xièhuáng crab roe
zuì most
营养 yíngyǎng nutritious
部分 bùfen part
fèi lung
hán cooling (Chinese food therapy)
tiáo [measure word]
to pull up
diào to cast away
xiān delicious
zhān to dip
vinegar

Supplementary Vocabulary

螃蟹 pángxiè crab
蟹膏 xiègāo crab sperm
描述 miáoshù to describe
一般性 yībānxìng common quality
味精 wèijīng MSG
黄酒 huángjiǔ yellow rice wine

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