This is a 3-minute bilingual podcast specially designed for YCT Level 1 Chinese beginners. Based on the food & drink themed teaching courseware, our two hosts — Jason (native Chinese speaker) and Luna (native English speaker) — have a casual chat about tiny but fascinating cultural differences between China and Western countries: Why do Chinese people love drinking hot water while Westerners prefer cold water? Why do Chinese families often ask "what do you want to eat?" every day? How do we feed our pets differently? In this relaxing talk, you can not only learn basic daily Chinese words and sentences naturally, but also pick up interesting cross-cultural tips to better understand Chinese daily life. Chinese Pinyin English Translation 吃 chī to eat 喝 hē to drink 什么 shén me what 今天 jīn tiān today 明天 míng tiān tomorrow 晚上 wǎn shang evening, night 热 rè hot 冰 bīng ice, cold 水 shuǐ water 可乐 kě lè cola 家 jiā home, family 狗 gǒu dog Chinese Pinyin English Translation Usage Note 今天吃什么？ Jīn tiān chī shén me? What would you like to eat today? The most common daily question in Chinese families, used to ask about someone's meal preference. 明天喝什么？ Míng tiān hē shén me? What would you like to drink tomorrow? A similar question for drinks, you can replace the time word to fit different scenarios. 今天晚上吃什么？ Jīn tiān wǎn shang chī shén me? What would you like to eat tonight? Add "wǎn shang" to specify the meal is for dinner, a very common nightly talk in Chinese families.