Dumb things restaurants do

[Jenise]

Or how you can tell there are no professionals in this kitchen: Spaghetti Bolognese with the description "hearty meat sausage over pasta marinara". Yes, I actually saw this two nights ago and no, I didn't order it.

It is indeed a shame. I've seen similar things in restaurants that should be pretty good.

I would guess that they also have meat dishes "served with au jus".

-Paul W.

Pronounced "ahh juice."

A popular, locally-owned restaurant advertises a lavish dish of spaghetti with two meatballs. It cracks me up because anyone who has not been to this place would question this, two meatballs? The meatballs are huge, which I hate, feels like eating meatloaf.

I would guess that they also have meat dishes "served with au jus".

-Paul W.

That is particularly annoying. I have tried explaining it so several waiters but to no avail, I'm sure. ("It is just 'jus', not 'au jus' I say in a Basil Fawlty sort of way, but I expect they will be 'au jussing' the next customer as soon as I finish talking to them.

I am also against 'verbification' which is the tendency of some people to take a noun and turn it into a verb. Thus you get 'friending' on Facebook, and of course googling (Google was originally just a noun for a site).

There ain't no noun that cain't be verbed.

I don't mind forming verbs from nouns when there isn't an existing suitable verb. I object to "friending" because we already have "to befriend". I object to "birthing" because we already have "to bear".

-Paul W.

It's "gifting" that drives me nuts.

[Jenise]

It is indeed a shame. I've seen similar things in restaurants that should be pretty good.

It was a local steakhouse whose other specialty is schnitzel. I had heard that under new owners, the food was much improved. Let's just say I did not find that to be the case.

It's "gifting" that drives me nuts.

Agreed on that one. I cannot see how it differs in any way from the verb "give" that we already have.

Count me as another who hates gifting.
I'm actually pretty ok with Googling or Ubering (more concise than "searching on Google" or " calling for an Uber").
Never really thought about it (because not of FB), but actually I think friending is a bit different from befriending.

It's "gifting" that drives me nuts.

Agreed on that one. I cannot see how it differs in any way from the verb "give" that we already have.

I used to think that, too. Then I realized that "to give" has a broader meaning than "to give as a gift". One says, "I will give you my car keys" with the implication that you expect them to be returned. Saying "to gift" is more concise than "to give as a gift" and so I've decided it's OK.

-Paul W.

It's "gifting" that drives me nuts.

Pumpkin actively dislikes verbifying "gift" but the one that drives him wild is "impact".

It's "gifting" that drives me nuts.

Agreed on that one. I cannot see how it differs in any way from the verb "give" that we already have.

I used to think that, too. Then I realized that "to give" has a broader meaning than "to give as a gift". One says, "I will give you my car keys" with the implication that you expect them to be returned. Saying "to gift" is more concise than "to give as a gift" and so I've decided it's OK.

-Paul W.

Fair enough. That makes sense.

Although most of the times I see people use the verb "gifted" it is not in a situation where this clarification is necessary. I.E. all the talk of 'gifted' bottles on these wine forums.

[David M. Bueker]

I object to "birthing" because we already have "to bear".

Let us know when you give birth and we’ll consider your objection.

[Jenise]

Good retort, Dave. I have a friend who's a midwife and owns a birthing center. I'll bet she likes that word--a lot.