Chinese Food

Hi,

Can someone please, please look at the following passage for grammar? I have indicated the areas in blue where I myself suspect some changes.

China Town

Being the foodie type, we would have been to almost all the well-known restaurants in town during my vacation. One of the restaurants in the list is China Town. I am no die hard Chinese food lover, but opening eyes in a family which is fanatically addicted to Chinese food, I have no option left other than to accompany them.

I have nothing particularly personal against Chinese food or the restaurant. As the matter of the fact, the restaurant is pretty well adorned, the service is quite efficient, the food tasty and the environment comfortable. I quite liked the big beautiful white talking parrot that is kept at the reception to welcome the guests. We went there in the afternoon and had to wait for a quarter of an hour before we could get seats. My mom fixed me Chicken Corn Soup, Fried Prawns, andChicken with Chillies along with Egg Fried Rice.

I am not that a Chinese food addict, but I still played a good fork and knife. I think for all those who love Chinese food very much, it is the best place to serve their appetite!

Thanks so much in anticipation.

Being the foodie type,

we would have been to almost all the well-known restaurants : whereas 'would' can be used when one is making a conjecture, or opinion or hope, this use is signalled to the reader in some way, as in, "I guess some people would have been...', or some use with 'imagine', or "I would have to agree". This use is made clear by the use of the additional verb. But when you just write 'we would have been to (preposition) + noun', the reader 'hears', "Ah, conditional mood" and anticipates an 'except' or 'but' or 'if...(something)...hadn't...' clause coming up about 'what stopped you going to all of them'.
You can express an opinion about something that is logically very likely, as in your sentence, by the use of 'must':

we must have been to almost....

all the well-known restaurants in town during my vacation. One of the restaurants on the list is China Town. I am no die hard Chinese food lover,

but opening eyes in a family : I presume this is an idiom meaning 'being born into' I haven't heard this before. If your OK in your familiarity with it...

but opening eyes in a family which is fanatically addicted to Chinese food, I have

no option left other than : your 'other options' have not been blocked so that you are left with only one option


no other option but to accompany them.

I have nothing particularly personal against Chinese food or the restaurant. As the matter of the fact, the restaurant is

pretty well adorned, : on first reading, you are saying, " is just about(=nearly) decorated"; and 'adorned' sticks out because the restaurant would be 'decorated' - the decor - and then, 'with walls adorned with clichéd Chinese motifs..." etc

nicely decorated, the service is quite efficient, the food tasty and the environment comfortable.

I quite liked the big beautiful white talking parrot that is kept at the reception to welcome the guests.: There is an archness in your tone of writing of this 'review' to this point, so that this sentence comes over as a beautiful piece of irony - saying one thing and meaning the opposite. It made me smile. So I hope that's what you intended!

We went there in the afternoon and had to wait for a quarter of an hour before we could get seats.

My mom fixed me Chicken Corn Soup, Fried Prawns, and Chicken with Chillies along with Egg Fried Rice. : Is this some new-fangled sort of DIY restaurant? You go to a restaurant and your mother does the cooking for your table? OR - is this a twist? You are actually talking about a home-cooked meal as if you went out to a restaurant? It can't be the latter since you have used words like 'at the reception'
Do you mean, your mother ordered for you? ?????????????

I am not that a Chinese food addict, : as it stands, this is just a straight repetition of your opening remark, "I am no die hard Chinese food lover"


but I still played a good fork and knife. : I'm not sure what you mean. That your knife and fork still got a lot of use? ????????????


I think for all those who love Chinese food very much,

I think for all those who really love Chinese food,

it is the best place to serve their appetite! : Is the 'it' here a reference right back to the China Town restaurant?

Oh dear, I am forever in your debt for your great kindness in doing this. I just don't know how I should thank you. Thank you very, very much for such a great analysis. It really helped me a lot!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David L.

but opening eyes in a family : I presume this is an idiom meaning 'being born into' I haven't heard this before. If your OK in your familiarity with it...

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I think if you haven't heard this before, I'd better not take any risks and say 'but being born into a family'.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David L.

nicely decorated, the service is quite efficient, the food tasty and the environment comfortable.

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Do I need a comma in front of 'and the evironment comfortable'?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David L.

I quite liked the big beautiful white talking parrot that is kept at the reception to welcome the guests.: There is an archness in your tone of writing of this 'review' to this point, so that this sentence comes over as a beautiful piece of irony - saying one thing and meaning the opposite. It made me smile. So I hope that's what you intended!

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No, sorry, I didn't intend to be any ironic here. I really liked the parrot. Is it wrong to say then?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David L.

My mom fixed me Chicken Corn Soup, Fried Prawns, and Chicken with Chillies along with Egg Fried Rice. : Is this some new-fangled sort of DIY restaurant? You go to a restaurant and your mother does the cooking for your table? OR - is this a twist? You are actually talking about a home-cooked meal as if you went out to a restaurant? It can't be the latter since you have used words like 'at the reception'
Do you mean, your mother ordered for you? ?????????????

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Yes, you're completely right. She ordered for me. Can I say:

"My mom ordered for me Chicken Corn Soup, Fried Prawns, and Chicken with Chillies along with Egg Fried Rice."?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David L.

I am not that a Chinese food addict, : as it stands, this is just a straight repetition of your opening remark, "I am no die hard Chinese food lover"

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Then could you please tell me what I should say instead?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David L.

but I still played a good fork and knife. : I'm not sure what you mean. That your knife and fork still got a lot of use? ????????????

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I mean I ate very well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by David L.

it is the best place to serve their appetite! : Is the 'it' here a reference right back to the China Town restaurant?

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Yes, is it worng to use 'it' here?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mister Nutty

I think if you haven't heard this before, I'd better not take any risks and say 'but being born into a family'. I have met the phrase, but "being born into..." is more usual.

Do I need a comma in front of 'and the environment comfortable'? No

No, sorry, I didn't intend to be any ironic here. I really liked the parrot. Is it wrong to say then? It's a nice graphic touch. I would leave it.

Yes, you're completely right. She ordered for me. Can I say:

"My mom ordered for me Chicken Corn Soup, Fried Prawns, and Chicken with Chillies along with Egg Fried Rice."? Yes. If she fixed it, it implies she made the food.

I mean I ate very well. I think you might have meant to say"I plied a good knife and fork"

Yes, is it worng to use 'it' here? No - that is fine, but say It is the best place to satisfy their appetite

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Oh dear, you once again nailed all of my confusions. It's indeed very, very thoughtful of you. Hats off to you!

You answered all of the questions except one. I think you didn't see it.


Originally Posted by David L. http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/im...s/viewpost.gif
I am not that a Chinese food addict, : as it stands, this is just a straight repetition of your opening remark, "I am no die hard Chinese food lover"

Then could you please tell me what I should say instead?


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Improved Version by now:

I am not that a Chinese food addict, but I still plied a good knife and fork. I think for all those who really love Chinese food, it is the best place to satisfy their appetite!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mister Nutty

I am not that a Chinese food addict, : as it stands, this is just a straight repetition of your opening remark, "I am no die hard Chinese food lover"

Then could you please tell me what I should say instead?


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Improved Version by now:

I am not that much of a Chinese food addict, but I still plied a good knife and fork. I think for all those who really love Chinese food, it is the best place to satisfy their appetite!

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;-)

By the way, although "it is the best place" is ok, it would be clearer to say "this [restaurant] is the...."

Thank you very much, Anglika.

David says 'I am not that a Chinese food addict' is a repetition of the sentence 'I am no die hard Chinese food lover', and perhaps he means to say I should not say it. I just don't know what I should do with this part.

Whatabout "Although I am not that much of a Chinese food addict, I still plied a good knife and fork. I think for all those who really love Chinese food, it is the best place to satisfy their appetite!"Better?


Andwhat about 'being born and bred into a family'. Would that work nicely? If so, should it be 'in' or 'into'?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mister Nutty

Thank you very much, Anglika.

David says 'I am not that a Chinese food addict' is a repetition of the sentence 'I am no die hard Chinese food lover', and perhaps he means to say I should not say it. I just don't know what I should do with this part.

Whatabout "Although I am not that much of a Chinese food addict, I still plied a good knife and fork. I think for all those who really love Chinese food, "China Town" is the best place to satisfy their appetite!" Better? :up: [and avoids the "it" problem]


Andwhat about 'being born and bred into a family'. Would that work nicely? If so, should it be 'in' or 'into'? No - leave it as "born into"

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Anglika

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Wow, All Problems are nailed!

JustTwo things for confirmation: You suggested 'this' and 'China Town' for it. Which one should I use?


Shouldn't it be"the restaurant is nicely decorated, the service [is] quite efficient, the food tasty and the environment comfortable."?


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Really don't have enough words to thank you either. Please forgive me for not thanking you properly.:oops:

Use either - this is where your personal preference comes in!

No - you do not need the is in that place. It is fine as it stands.