Shadowing Practice: Do you know what Chinese people eat for breakfast? | Street food | Chinese food | Street market - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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When it comes to food Chinese cuisine is recognized worldwide various Chinese restaurants have taken the world by storm but you probably haven't tried much of China's breakfast Today I'm taking you on a tour of a northern breakfast street friendly tip make sure you're full before watching this video let's go As we step onto this street we immediately see a modernized delicacy corn cakes these used to be made purely from cornmeal resulting in a rough texture and being labeled as coarse grains nowadays white flour and eggs are added to the cornmeal creating a finer texture while…
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When it comes to food Chinese cuisine is recognized worldwide various Chinese restaurants have taken the world by storm but you probably haven't tried much of China's breakfast Today I'm taking you on a tour of a northern breakfast street friendly tip make sure you're full before watching this video let's go As we step onto this street we immediately see a modernized delicacy corn cakes these used to be made purely from cornmeal resulting in a rough texture and being labeled as coarse grains nowadays white flour and eggs are added to the cornmeal creating a finer texture while retaining the original corn cake flavor this new version is particularly popular among the elderly How much is it?
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4 yuan plus 5 yuan.
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What's the filling?
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That's bean filling.
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Bean filling?
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What kind of bean?
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Red beans. Red bean filling.
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Red beans. The shop selling fried cakes has formed a long line outside following the usual practice one must not miss out on cueing for delicious food Tiangian's fried cakes are very distinctive they are made by mixing glutinous rice flour and wheat flour to form dough which is then filled with red bean paste watching this skilled gentleman with his adept technique and lively rhythm it seems like he is infusing joy into this delicacy don't be intimidated by its appearance this must be eaten while hot the outer layer is crispy while the inside red bean paste filling is soft glutenous and sweet not greasy at all incredibly delicious this breakfast street is packed with delicious food and there are just too many tasty options just a few steps in i was immediately drawn to the beef patties the beef patties smelled so good that i couldn't resist filming the whole process for you to save time on site these semifinished beef patties are all prepared by the vendors in advance at home and brought over the lady said it takes about 15 minutes to pan fry them until they are golden and crispy on both sides but the deliciousness is worth the wait Auntie, how long does it take to cook this?
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About fifteen minutes.
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the outer layer is crispy and the beef filling is tender and juicy i'm running out of adjectives to describe it if you had dormond's time machine you should come and try it yourself Steamed dumplings These are dumplings, right?
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Yes. These are called steamed dumplings.
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They're so big!
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Are these made with corn flour?
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Yes, we also have ones made with white flour.
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I'll buy a few with radish filling.
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Like this? Two.
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Those are made with white flour.
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What fillings do you have?
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We have wild vegetables, radish, chives, and fennel.
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You don't have wild vegetables right now, do you?
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The wild vegetable ones will be in the next batch.
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How many do you sell in a day?
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Not that many.
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I see customers coming nonstop.
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I still get some people but other places sell even less.
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The economy is bad.
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Food shouldn't be affected, right?
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No, it's bad.
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I used to be able to sell 165 trays.
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Now I can only sell 25 trays.
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That's such a big difference.
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It used to be really good.
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When was that?
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Last year or the year before.
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Before the pandemic.
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After that, I couldn't keep it up.
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I have fennel ones Yes, we saved some for you.
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Oh, there are ten. I'll get them for you.
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I want one wild vegetable and one fennel.
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Oh, okay. There are still fennel ones left.
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Great! They look delicious.
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That's 4.5 yuan in total.
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Okay. Thank you.
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Take care! They sell the Chinese versions of sushi sandwiches and rice balls the lady is making rice balls she spreads black rice over the seaweed adds meat floss chicken corn kernels ham shredded potatoes and other ingredients compliments Just made it, it's freshly done.
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I'll put it here for you.
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I'll transfer the payment via WeChat.
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Alright, got it.
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Do you want to eat the shredded potatoes?
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Yes. Do you want seaweed?
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Yes. Salad, honey, mustard, or ketchup?
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Ketchup. it with salad dressing and rolls it all together She think about her sushi every day.
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Really? I said we can only come on weekends.
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Alright, it's ready.
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As the dragon boat festival approaches there are many vendors selling zongzi at the market zongzi are made by wrapping glutinous rice with red dates or red bean paste in reed leaves and then boiling them until cooked I was initially drawn to this machine where each hole contains a whole fried egg Can I record this, sister?
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Sure. Thank you.
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Egg lovers will be thrilled This is a whole egg with batter underneath, right?
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Yes After watching the entire preparation process i couldn't resist buying it again the meat and egg bun is both healthy and delicious watching this video i highly recommend you get a phone that can capture the aroma The filling is really generous.
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Yes, more filling makes it tastier, hahaha.
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There really is a lot of filling.
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Yes, with filled foods.
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It's always better when there’s more filling.
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That's true.
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It's the same with dumplings and such.
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I’ve tried meat and egg buns at other places.
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Very few have as much filling as yours.
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The filling isn't big.
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At most, it’s half of what you put in.
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Yes, really.
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You get to the filling with the first bite.
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Then flip it over and press it down.
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Yes, press it down like this.
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it's a perfect meat and egg bun!
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Hahaha, perfect.
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Where is this style from?
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It's quite interesting.
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It's from the Northeast.
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This is basically a burger, right?
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But it’s much healthier than a burger.
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Yeah, burgers are all fried.
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Burgers really are fried.
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Right, and ours The main thing is our dough and everything is made fresh.
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This is not fried.
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Much healthier.
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The filling is made fresh too.
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The ones ready now are chicken.
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Do you want it spicy, miss?
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Yes, I do. Alright, thank you.
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When you come to tianjin you must try jian bingguozi jian bingguozi can be found all over the country but the type of pancake used varies greatly some are made with mixed grains purple rice or cornmeal but for tianjin locals jian bingguozi must be made with mung bean flour tianjin locals call fried dough sticks guozi hence the name jian bingguozi apart from adding fried dough sticks you can also add gour air which is even crispier than fried dough sticks spread various sauces on the pancake add cilantro and homemade diced radish and it tastes salty and fragrant extremely delicious Wrap one in 1 second, right?
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I can't even wrap this one that fast, hahaha.
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Too fast Do you have any with shrimp?
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Sorry, we're out of those.
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How many years did it take to master this speed?
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The anti skill in wrapping the small wantons is impressive i really didn't speed up the video The cooked wantons boiled in chicken broth taste delicious Eggplant fritters are made by adding meat between two slices of eggplant coating them in batter and then deep frying them Take a look at how you made it.
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The fried eggplant fritters have a crispy exterior with the fresh aroma of the eggplant and the tender meat filling inside it's the perfect combination of meat and vegetables This is fried shrimp cake.
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Shrimp is quite precious.
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It's 40 yuan/500g.
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You put so many small river shrimps in it.
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Fried food is truly irresistible as the hot oil sizzles the Aroma of river shrimp fills the air i know you can't smell it so i took a whiff for you What else would you like to add?
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I don't know How much is all of this?
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Adding shrimp toast and ham costs 6 yuan.
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Then add this.
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And this one too.
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How much? 6 yuan.
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Do you want some chili?
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Just a little bit rolled cold skin noodles are a perfect snack for summer cold skin noodles are made from flour and although thin they have a good chewiness and smooth texture To prepare place shredded cucumber shredded carrot tofu skin and other side dishes into a bowl add soy sauce chili oil and various seasonings Mix well and then spread the mixture on the cold skin noodles Roll it up and enjoy It's refreshing delicious and the sweet and sour flavor is very appetizing it is now 9:30 am Beijing time and the morning market is closing there were so many delicious foods that we didn't have time to film them all there are simply too many treats and we could hardly move forward as we wanted to taste everything the foods we missed this time will have to wait for our next visit we will definitely come back again if you want to learn more about stories from China please subscribe to me
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will immerse yourself in an engaging exploration of Chinese breakfast street food, enhancing your English speaking practice. Through the lively narration of a street food tour, you will learn about various traditional dishes, their ingredients, and the cultural significance behind them. By the end of this session, you will have gained both listening skills and the vocabulary necessary to describe similar experiences in English. This practice is particularly beneficial for those using the shadowing technique, as you will mimic the pronunciation and pacing of the speaker to improve your own fluency.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Breakfast street: A lively area where various breakfast foods are sold, typically outdoors.
- Red bean filling: A common sweet filling used in Chinese pastries, made from cooked red beans.
- Glutinous rice flour: A type of rice flour used to make sticky foods, common in Asian desserts.
- Steamed dumplings: A traditional Chinese dish, often filled with vegetables or meat, and cooked through steaming.
- Meat floss: A dried meat product that is fluffy and often used as a topping in various dishes.
- Pan fry: A cooking method that uses a small amount of oil in a skillet to cook food over medium heat.
- Crispy: A texture that is firm and crunchy; often a desirable quality in fried foods.
- Filling: The stuffing inside a pastry or dumpling, which can vary widely based on cuisine.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning from this video, employ the shadowing technique. As you watch, listen carefully and repeat phrases exactly as you hear them. Aim to imitate not just the words, but also the intonation and rhythm of the speaker. This will significantly enhance your english speaking practice. Given the narrator's lively pace and natural expressions, try to match their enthusiasm while you practice shadow speech. Here are some strategies:
- Play segments of the video in short clips (1-2 minutes) to make it less overwhelming.
- Focus on mimicking the adjectives used (like "crispy" and "delicious") to improve descriptive language in your own conversations.
- When you hear phrases that interest you, pause the video and write them down; later, incorporate them into your own sentences.
- Practice shadow speak while cooking or preparing food in your daily life, using the vocabulary you've learned for a fun application.
Engaging in this practice will not only improve your speaking skills but will also deepen your understanding of cultural nuances in cuisine, making your learning experience more holistic and enjoyable.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.