During festivals or when friends and family visit, people are accustomed to ordering at restaurants. Some people struggle with what to order, or under the server's guidance, they end up ordering a large number of unsuitable dishes. Not only do they spend more money, but they also don't eat well. In fact, there are skills to ordering. Master the following tips, and you'll become a pro at ordering.
1. Don't order too many dishes. When ordering, follow the principle of one dish per person, plus one soup at the end. The quantity should not be excessive. If there are more male guests or alcohol will be served, you can appropriately add one or two more dishes. The additional dishes should be mainly meat-based. Additionally, if there are many children, one or two dim sum dishes should be included.
2. Balance meat and vegetable dishes. The standard for ordering is a 50/50 balance of meat and vegetable dishes. For example, if there are 6 guests, order three meat and three vegetable dishes. If there are 8 guests, order four meat and four vegetable dishes. Meat dishes include large meat portions and smaller meat portions, while vegetable dishes are primarily leafy greens.
3. Order more steamed and braised dishes, and fewer smoked and fried ones. The first choices for dishes should be cold-dressed, steamed, braised, boiled, or simmered dishes. The second choices are stir-fried, quick-fried, or stewed dishes. Order fewer or no pan-fried, deep-fried, smoked, grilled, or pickled dishes. The reasoning is simple: the less processing a dish undergoes, the more of its natural ingredients and nutrients are retained. Barbecued and pickled products contain preservatives and carcinogens, so it's best to order them sparingly or not at all.
4. Avoid dishes with duplicate ingredients. Dishes should emphasize a variety of meat and vegetable, rich and light, and dry and wet combinations, with diverse cooking methods, and尽量避免重复原料。For instance, if you choose an old duck soup for the soup course, the hot and cold dishes can then focus on fish or vegetable-based dishes. If you order a beef hot pot, there is no need to order another beef stir-fry.
5. Be cautious with signature and recommended dishes. For a restaurant's signature dishes, be sure to ask about the flavor, ingredients, and price, and select them accordingly. Be cautious of the special dishes recommended by the waitstaff. This is because these signature dishes might be made with ingredients that are about to die (like fish and shrimp) or spoil (like vegetables), preventing the restaurant from "clearing out its inventory" by pushing recommended dishes.