Show it before you order. Hand the card over first and ask staff to pass it to the chef. A spoken request is easy to lose in a busy kitchen.
Point at a dish and ask if it can be made. Ask about one dish at a time. If the answer is a shrug, choose something simpler.
Prefer plain cooking when unsure. Plain steamed rice, steamed (清蒸) or blanched (白灼) dishes and simple stir-fries with salt carry fewer hidden sauces.
Check when the food arrives. Ask whether this is the dish made for your card. Sauces are often added at the last moment.
Carry your own medication. The card is a way to explain, not a guarantee. Follow your doctor's plan for reactions.
What should I know before using it?
Checked ingredients
Where meat and seafood hide in Chinese cooking
The card names these in Chinese. Labels and recipes differ by kitchen, which is why it asks the cook to check what they actually use.
Oyster sauce contains oyster extract and, in Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce, wheat flour (allergen declared: wheat). Source
Shacha (sha cha) sauce, used in hot pot dips and stir-fries, contains dried fish, dried shrimp and sesame on the Bull Head label checked. Source
XO sauce is built on dried scallop and dried shrimp; some recipes add salted fish. Source
Chinese kitchens often 'velvet' meat before stir-frying: a coating of cornstarch, often with egg white, sometimes with Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. Source
Card questions
What does the vegetarian card say in Chinese?
我吃素 (I eat vegetarian), then a plain list: no meat, poultry, fish or seafood, and no lard, meat or bone stock, chicken powder, oyster sauce, fish sauce or dried shrimp. It also says eggs and dairy are fine, because “vegetarian” can mean different things to different cooks.
Why does it list lard, stock and sauces?
A plate of vegetables can still be fried in lard, finished with meat stock or seasoned with chicken powder, oyster sauce or fish sauce. Naming them in Chinese lets the cook check what goes into the wok.
I am vegan. Can the card say so?
Yes. Choose Vegan instead: it adds eggs, milk, butter, cream and honey to the list. Vegan replaces vegetarian on the card.
Can I add allergies or ask for no chilli?
Yes. Add any allergy, and under Taste choose Not spicy, Mildly spicy only or No coriander. Everything goes onto one card.
Is anything I choose sent to your server?
No. The card and the saved image are made in your browser. If you unlock the card, Stripe handles the payment and we only check that it was paid; there is no account.
This card helps you explain your needs; it does not make any dish safe. Kitchens, sauces and brands vary, and staff may misunderstand. Keep your own medication with you and follow your doctor's advice. See the disclaimer.