Cafe and restaurant in Manipuri
A table, the menu, what you cannot eat, and a compliment to the kitchen. Play the ten Manipuri words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Manipuri phrases in this lesson
- ꯃꯤ ꯑꯅꯤꯒꯤ ꯇꯦꯕꯨꯜ ꯑꯃMI a-NI-gi TE-bul a-MA
- A table for two
- ꯃꯦꯅꯨ ꯄꯤꯕꯤꯌꯨME-nu pi-BI-yu
- The menu, please
- ꯀꯔꯤ ꯐꯕꯒꯦ?ka-RI PHA-ba-ge
- What do you recommend?
- ꯑꯩ ... ꯆꯥꯗꯦEI ... CHA-de
- I don't eat...
- ꯑꯩꯉꯣꯟꯗ ... ꯑꯦꯂꯔꯖꯤ ꯂꯩEI-ngon-da ... A-ler-ji LEI
- I'm allergic to...
- ꯁꯥSA
- Meat
- ꯌꯦꯟYEN
- Chicken
- ꯉꯥNGA
- Fish
- ꯃꯍꯥꯎ ꯌꯥꯝꯅ ꯐꯖꯩma-HA-o YAM-na pha-JEI
- It's delicious
- ꯆꯤꯌꯥꯔꯁCHEE-yars
- Cheers
ꯃꯤ (MI) is person and the ending ꯒꯤ (gi) means "for" or "of". In small local eateries you simply sit down, so keep this for the places in Imphal that have a host at the door.
Many places have no printed menu and the server will recite what is cooking today. Looking at a neighboring table and pointing is an entirely respectable ordering strategy.
Literally "what is good?".
Literally "I don't eat ...".
The English word allergy with Meiteilon grammar.
Central to almost every Meitei meal. ꯉꯥꯔꯤ (nga-RI), fermented fish, is the flavor base of the cuisine, pungent and beloved, and worth trying before you decide about it.
Literally "the taste is very good". ꯃꯍꯥꯎ (ma-HA-o) is flavor and ꯐꯖꯩ (pha-JEI) covers good, fine, and beautiful. Said to whoever cooked it, this is remembered long after you leave.
Borrowed from English; there is no traditional toast.