Year 9 VET Chinese students visited local Chinese restaurant Mama Mee at Pacific Werribee for a lunchtime Yum Cha excursion at the end of last term.
They read the Chinese menus and ordered food by speaking Chinese, making the experience both fun and engaging. Many came well-prepared, writing dish names on their hands and learning from each other how to pronounce them correctly.
Students also drew on vocabulary from Year 8 to recognise words such as ‘chicken,’ ‘pork,’ and ‘dumplings,’ and picked up practical phrases like ‘take away,’ ‘no ice,’ and ‘no bean shoots’—expressions not often found in textbooks. They were even challenged to eat their meals using chopsticks.
The excursion provided a valuable real-life opportunity to practise language skills and immerse themselves in authentic situations where Chinese is naturally used. Dining experiences like this can powerfully build cultural awareness, helping students explore traditions, customs, and perspectives through food and shared meals.
One of our students, Alyssa, even created some drawings about the Yum Cha experience.
The Mama Mee staff were wonderfully accommodating—from the booking and setting up chopsticks-only tables to allowing us to bring our own Chinese drinks and encouraging us to order entirely in Chinese. Teachers enjoyed the experience, and students had a blast!