Really, I think it's very important to know the amount of spicyness in your meals; 微辣 (Wēi là - Light Spicy/Mild), 中辣 (Zhōng là - Medium Spicy)， and for the adventurous... 重辣 (Zhòng là - Heavy Spice/Kills small animals). I believe these are three very common terms that I've picked up as a newbie here in China to help control the amount of heat the chef decides to try to kill you with.
I personally like spicy food, really spicy! So if I make a mistake between 重 and 中 which can sound very similar to a person new to the Chinese language, I'm ok and can still enjoy my food. If your tonality is a still in the learning stages make sure you are very careful otherwise you could end up with a dish hotter than the sun. Worse yet there is nothing more insulting to a chef at a noodle shop when you take two bites, can't finish it and walk out. He/She might think the taste or flavor was bad.
On a side note, it's always a good idea to order light spicy noodles and then add the spice yourself with the 辣油 (Làyóu).
Posted on: Is it Spicy?
July 5, 2011 at 8:29 AMReally, I think it's very important to know the amount of spicyness in your meals; 微辣 (Wēi là - Light Spicy/Mild), 中辣 (Zhōng là - Medium Spicy)， and for the adventurous... 重辣 (Zhòng là - Heavy Spice/Kills small animals). I believe these are three very common terms that I've picked up as a newbie here in China to help control the amount of heat the chef decides to try to kill you with.
I personally like spicy food, really spicy! So if I make a mistake between 重 and 中 which can sound very similar to a person new to the Chinese language, I'm ok and can still enjoy my food. If your tonality is a still in the learning stages make sure you are very careful otherwise you could end up with a dish hotter than the sun. Worse yet there is nothing more insulting to a chef at a noodle shop when you take two bites, can't finish it and walk out. He/She might think the taste or flavor was bad.
On a side note, it's always a good idea to order light spicy noodles and then add the spice yourself with the 辣油 (Làyóu).