When I first arrived in China, I knew little Chinese. And some of the Chinese words I 1 had something to do with food. I learned the names of a few dishes, but still didn't know most of the things I saw on Chinese restaurant menus. Luckily, there were 2 to help me.

Nearly every restaurant menu in China has pictures of food 3 it. But many restaurants I've been to in the US don't. What is the 4 for the difference?

One thing I've definitely (明确地) 5 about China is that food is a bigger part of their culture than it is in the US. A common way to 6 someone in China is to ask them if they've eaten yet. Food is just a bigger deal here—and having pictures of food in menus is part of that. Some menus are almost like works of art, with beautiful photos.

Another thing is the 7 of the dishes. Chinese dishes sometimes have fanciful (别出心裁的）names like "palace guard chicken" or "three fresh things from the soil". These are interesting names, but they don't really tell you 8 the dishes are like. Therefore, it's 9 to have pictures so you can actually see what you are going to eat.

There are 10  even more reasons.  All I know is that I was very thankful to have those picture menus when I first came to China years ago.