Learn how to attract the attention of a waiter and place an order
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Finally, you’ve got a seat at a table. Now it’s time to order! |
| In this lesson, we'll cover how to ask for a menu and then order your food and drinks. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Normally you have to catch the waiter’s attention, perhaps by raising your right hand a bit. Then you’ll ask for a menu: |
| Mishe lotfan menu ro bebinam? |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) Mis – she lot – fan me – nu ro be – bi - nam? |
| Once more: |
| Mishe lotfan menu ro bebinam? |
| Mishe, means “is it possible”, a polite form |
| (slow) Mi - she |
| Mishe |
| Lotfan, means “please”. |
| (slow) Lot - fan |
| Lotfan |
| Menu ro, unsurprisingly, means “the menu.” |
| (slow) me – nu ro |
| Menu ro |
| Bebinam means “can see.” |
| (slow) be – bi – nam. |
| Bebinam |
| Here’s the whole question again: |
| Mishe lotfan menu ro bebinam? |
| “Can I see the menu please?” |
| ・ |
| Because Iranian meals are so unique and diverse, you might have a hard time choosing something from the menu. Some restaurants offer the main traditional meal but some are more varied and offer Iranian and foreign dishes. |
| On the menu you’ll generally find pish ghaza meaning “starters”, and ghazaye asli meaning “main courses”, followed by deser meaning “desserts”, and nooshidani meaning “drinks”. |
| In 99% of cases, the waiter or waitress will begin by asking what you’d like to drink: |
| Nooshidani chi meil darid? |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) Noo – shi – da – ni chi meil da - rid? |
| Once more: |
| Nooshidani chi meil darid? |
| Nooshidani, you may recall, means “drink.” |
| (slow) noo – shi – da - ni |
| nooshidani |
| Chi means “what.” |
| (slow) chi |
| chi |
| Meil darid means “you desire.” |
| (slow) meil da - rid |
| Meil darid |
| Again, the whole question is |
| Nooshidani chi meil darid? |
| ・ |
| Now let’s look at some typical beverages in restaurants: |
| doogh (“yogurt and water”) |
| (slow) doogh |
| doogh |
| kola (“cola”) |
| (slow) ko - la |
| kola |
| Maolshair (“alcohol-free beer”) |
| (slow) ma – ol – sha - ir |
| Maolshair |
| ・ |
| Once you have looked at the menu, you can finally call the waiter for the order. |
| When you order in Iran, you can just say the name of the dish you want and add lotfan, which means “please.” If you want to order more than one item, you can connect them with va, which means “and.” |
| ・ |
| Now let’s look at some good dishes you can find on a typical Persian menu. These are relatively common, and you won’t want to miss them on your journey in Iran. |
| Chelo kabab (“kebab and rice”) |
| (slow) che – lo ka - bab |
| Chelo kabab |
| Baghali polo (“mixed rice with herbs and beans”) |
| (slow) Ba – gha – li po - lo |
| Baghali polo |
| ・ |
| So if you want to order chelo kabab and a doogh to drink, you should say to the waiter |
| Chelo kabab va doogh lotfan. |
| (slow) Che – lo ka – bab va doogh lot - fan. |
| Chelo kabab va doogh lotfan. |
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