Everything about food, from matching food and wine to recipes, techniques and trends.

Bad restaurant translations

Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker

no avatar
User

Jenise

Rank

FLDG Dishwasher

Posts

42547

Joined

Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm

Location

The Pacific Northest Westest

Bad restaurant translations

by Jenise » Sat Apr 10, 2021 8:25 pm

Ethnic restaurant dishes don't always translate well into English!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKsR-Nq8KU
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
no avatar
User

Larry Greenly

Rank

Resident Chile Head

Posts

6601

Joined

Sun Mar 26, 2006 11:37 am

Location

Albuquerque, NM

Re: Bad restaurant translations

by Larry Greenly » Sun Apr 11, 2021 1:16 am

So hard to choose, but I'll have the Whatever.
no avatar
User

Barb Downunder

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

1101

Joined

Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:31 am

Re: Bad restaurant translations

by Barb Downunder » Sun Apr 11, 2021 2:20 am

:lol:
no avatar
User

Jeff Grossman

Rank

That 'pumpkin' guy

Posts

6998

Joined

Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:56 am

Location

NYC

Re: Bad restaurant translations

by Jeff Grossman » Sun Apr 11, 2021 3:19 am

Graham Norton is a hoot. And those are particularly bad translations. More often, it's just puzzling or incoherent.
no avatar
User

Paul Winalski

Rank

Wok Wielder

Posts

7974

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:16 pm

Location

Merrimack, New Hampshire

Re: Bad restaurant translations

by Paul Winalski » Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:01 am

The Sichuan cooking style "yu xiang" gets a lot of mangled translations. According to Fuchsia Dunlop, the literal translation is "fish-fragrant" and that is the translation she uses. I've usually seen it on restaurant menus as "with fish flavor". Apparently there are a lot of other translations like that. Yu xiang dishes of course do not contain, taste like, or smell of fish. Apparently the name comes about because the combination of aromatics used in the stir-fry are adopted from those customarily used to prepare fish.

The translation problem probably works in the other direction, too. Oddly named dishes such as "sloppy Joe", "hoppin' John", or "bubble and squeak" probably yield some hilarious translations.

-Paul W.
no avatar
User

Robin Garr

Rank

Forum Janitor

Posts

21612

Joined

Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Location

Louisville, KY

Re: Bad restaurant translations

by Robin Garr » Sun Apr 11, 2021 2:08 pm

I hold in fond memory a little mom'n'pop Thai place that offered patrons the opportunity to taste ...
crap rangoon!
no avatar
User

Paul Winalski

Rank

Wok Wielder

Posts

7974

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:16 pm

Location

Merrimack, New Hampshire

Re: Bad restaurant translations

by Paul Winalski » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:26 am

I've been known to take great delight in mispronouncing French. Our family was in a restaurant in Bermuda where the main titles of the dishes were in French with English subtitles in smaller print. One of the items was "poisson des roches" (Bermuda rockfish). I pronounced that "poison des roaches".

-Paul W.
no avatar
User

Matilda L

Rank

Sparkling Red Riding Hood

Posts

1191

Joined

Wed Jul 16, 2008 4:48 am

Location

Adelaide, South Australia

Re: Bad restaurant translations

by Matilda L » Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:46 am

The best part of that film clip was seeing Stanley Tucci have a case of the hysterics <3
no avatar
User

Paul Winalski

Rank

Wok Wielder

Posts

7974

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:16 pm

Location

Merrimack, New Hampshire

Re: Bad restaurant translations

by Paul Winalski » Tue Apr 20, 2021 10:38 am

The wit and raconteur Gerard Hoffnung compiled a list of bad translations allegedly appearing on menus and pamphlets from restaurants and hotels in Europe. A couple of my favorites:

"all water in this restaurant was personally passed by the proprietor"

"our motto is 'ever serve you right'"

-Paul W.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: AhrefsBot, ClaudeBot and 3 guests

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign