Since our country has been able to travel to Burma without a visa, many people have started dreaming of traveling to this legendary city. Whether it's the most beautiful golden pagoda, the sea of over 4,000 pagodas, or the longest teak bridge in the world, many people think of grilled shrimp because the name of the capital (in the past) that Thai people like to call Yangon. And I think that food here can be easily found or ordered. After experiencing it for myself, you will find that it is not as easy as you think. Because most restaurants here do not have English menus and there are no pictures of food to choose from. If there are any, they are modern restaurants, which are expensive and not suitable for backpackers or budget tourists like us. And importantly, most of the staff do not speak English. So let's learn how to survive and have delicious food together.

As most roadside restaurants are tea shops, Burmese people love to drink tea, and most tea shops also sell food. The first menu to recommend is a menu that every shop will have, "fried rice".

The appearance of Burmese fried rice doesn't look bad, right? ^^ But when ordering, you have to tell the waiter that you want "Ta Min Cho". The waiter will then ask you "Jet Ta" or "Wat Ta", which means whether you want chicken fried rice or pork fried rice. Choose as you like, but I recommend ordering it all at once so you don't have to listen to any more questions. If you want pork fried rice, just say "Ta Min Cho Wat Ta" and that's it. Then wait, and you'll get your pork fried rice to your heart's content.

The next recommended menu is perfect for those who love vegetables, because the vegetables are packed with flavor. Even for someone who doesn't like vegetables like me, it's easy to eat. I'm sure many people will love it. Its name is "Tha Min Baw", or stir-fried vegetables with rice. But the sauce is very rich, almost like gravy. The option is similar to fried rice, which is to follow with "Jatta" or "Watta", which means to add pork or chicken. As for me, who loves pork, I'll have "Tha Min Baw Wat Ta".

Another one of my favorite dishes is stir-fried noodles. But the noodles are more like soba noodles, which are very thick. The taste is quite palatable for us Thais. This dish has an easy-to-remember name because it's a bit funny: *"Khao Suay Jor"*. Confused? You order white rice and get stir-fried noodles! ^^ It's their language, don't think too much about it. The options are pork or chicken, as usual. *"Khao Suay Jor Jet Ta"* will get you chicken stir-fried noodles to enjoy.

For those who crave thin rice noodles stir-fried in a style similar to our Pad See Ew (but much more flavorful), I recommend this dish: "Ja Sen Jor." The appearance and taste are equally impressive. As for the options, it's the same as before: "Wat Ta" or "Jet Ta."

Many people might wonder, "Isn't there any big shot?" When it comes to big shots, here comes "Ga Ji Gai", which looks similar to our stir-fried soy sauce, but uses a different kind of sauce. It's a bit sour and spicy, and it's very delicious. As usual, pork and chicken "Ga Ji Gai Wat Ta" will come with a bonus of quail eggs.

Let's get back to the rice menu. This dish looks good. It's rice salad with taro, but it's not spicy. "Ah Ru Tha Men Toh" will only come with rice in the dish, with a little dried shrimp. For someone like me who likes to eat, it's not satisfying enough, so I have to order an omelet as well. Order "Ja Uhm Mui Jor" or if you want a fried egg, order "Ja Uhm Jor" to add some protein.

The last menu I would like to recommend is for those who miss our Thai basil. But here, they use basil instead. This menu may only be available in some restaurants because it is not widely consumed. Its name is "Pin Set Ta Men Ba Song". Many people may have figured it out. "Ba Song" is shrimp. The taste is okay, not as spicy as ours, but it can help relieve some of the cravings for basil.

Not finished yet... Not enough... Plus a little more for those who go to the famous tea shop "Lucky 7"

The food here is delicious. My favorites are the "Sa Mo Sa" and the "La Pa Ye" with Cha Pa Ma.

The "Sa Mo Sa" looks like a fried triangle. In fact, many shops sell it, but I recommend eating Lucky 7's. It's delicious.

Phama tea, or "La Pa Ye", comes in two options: the regular "Pong Man", which is a standard brew, and the stronger and more intense "Ja Se". This tea shop is renowned for its rich, flavorful, and potent brews.

In addition to the Burmese rice noodles menu at Lucky 7, it's easy to order here. There's a menu, so just point and choose. Or, if you want to show off, you can say "Moh Hin Nga" and you'll get it.

For those who don't like to eat breakfast at the hotel, you can wake up early and walk around to find a tea shop. Most of them will have dim sum for you to choose from.

There are many to choose from, I can't name them all -__-" Just pick one with your hand, but if you go late, they might be sold out. Especially the delicious ones.

If you wake up late and miss out on dim sum, try ordering roti with egg. Just say "Will you oh pa ra ta". The taste will be different from home because they don't add condensed milk. It's perfect for those who don't like sweet things.

Another recommended roti menu is "Kee Ma Pa Ra Ta". We actually pronounce it as "Khee Ma" which sounds like "dog poop" in Thai. :p It looks good and tastes delicious. It comes with chopped shallots and lime.

Now that we have some survival tips and how to order food in Myanmar, let's move on to a fun fact. When you need to call a waiter here, it sounds like you're calling... a dog back home. It's normal here, so don't be surprised. Personally, I don't like that, so there's a way to call them. Call the boys "Ni Lay" and the girls "Ni Ma Lay" and they'll come to you. Finally, to call for the bill, just say "Check Ma". Easy, right? As for the amount, we use sign language. Fun, right? ^^ Thank you for following along. You can find other information about Myanmar on my fan page. I may not update it often because I'm working, but if you have any questions, feel free to send me a private message. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. ....