Takeout, or waimai, is a major lifestyle choice for quick-paced city dwellers. China's largest food delivery platform Ele.me (Are you hungry?) has therefore become something of a daily necessity.

Here is the how-to guide on the basics of this app.

Download the app first. Open it up and enable the location settings so that the app can show the restaurants near you. It's better to open your account before you order food.

Tap on the restaurant you want or just scroll down to find something you might be in the mood for. Many restaurants that are popular among expats are foreigner-friendly with English translations, but if not, many have photos on their menus and then you need to use your dictionary.

Once you've selected everything, click the blue button in the bottom-right of your phone screen that says "提交订单" (confirm the order and make the payment).

Enter your address and the name and phone number of the person to contact. The address needs to be detailed to road, building and floor/flat number. You can also "add a new address" as your home, company or school.

Then go back to the payment page to go through your order again and choose your payment method. You can also leave a brief message in the section "订单备注" for the restaurant such as "need more sauce" or "don't put too much chili," and for the delivery rider such as "leave the food on the doorstep."

Finish your payment. After the confirmation, a map will pop up to show the distance between your place and the restaurant. The delivery rider will also appear on the map for you to track his progress.