PrivateTim

It is incorrect usage, no matter how common it may be, as documented in Common Errors in English Usage. Language, like food, does not stand still. It evolves and what was once unacceptable becomes acceptable with common usage. If it did not we'd all sound like characters from Beowulf, or the Canterbury Tales, or whatever time period you feel freezing the language is appropriate. To quote Professor Brians, "When you reach the point that nobody seems to agree with your standard of usage any more, you may have simply been left behind." It may not be "nobody" on that "au jus" island yet, but the population is getting thin.

In a French restaurant that might be a faux pas, but in American English "au jus" is thought of as a side sauce, not its literal French meaning. If you are at a deli and the waitress asked you "would you like jus, with your sandwich?", you would think her an idiot or pretentious. She is going to ask, "would you like au jus, with your sandwich?" You can buy packets of "au jus" in any supermarket in the U.S., you are not buying a packet labeled "jus". If a waitress knows enough to ask whether I want something with jus, she'll ask whether I want it 'au jus'; this isn't idiotic or pretentious, it's acknowledging a well-recognized convention. I haven't seen packets of any substance marked 'au jus' in US supermarkets; where does this happen? Mass misuse doesn't make something okay. If someone can't wrangle terms in other language, better to stick with what they know; there's nothing so damn special about being multilingual, so attempting it, only to fail, is silly. It is not a well recognized convention, the well recognized convention is that "au jus" is a sauce in the U.S. so asking someone if they want the sandwich "with au jus" would be the correct, idiomatic U.S. usage. You can buy Lawry's, or McCormick's or your store brand (Krogger, Safeway, etc.). Here is an example from Red Robin. Their prime rib dip comes "with au jus", which is the correct, idiomatic American English usage.

It has been a fascinating discussion. It has had its moments of snobbery, of great insights, of very odd observations and more. I do think there is a bit too much of nostalgia for eras where cooking was not a joy, but drudgery and a necessity. If it is lamented that not enough people know how to breakdown a whole chicken properly, should it not also be lamented that not enough people know how to chop off a chicken's head and then properly gut and defeather it? Is the automatic bread maker an advancement or regression? I know my grandmother was eternally grateful to Helm's Bakery for not only freeing her from having to bake her own bread, but actually bringing the bread to her. My father revels in the memory the smell of the Helm's truck and the drawer of freshly baked doughnuts that thrilled a five year old. Since Helm's is long gone, my grandmother is equally grateful for her bread maker that allows her to enjoy fresh baked bread without the work that is difficult at her age now. If some people are dependent on easy food and prepared food so what. It seems there is a boom in the home cooking world. Who would have thought of people taking vacations for cooking lessons in earlier times. I think a true golden age of home cooking is yet to come, not passed.

Really? Name three "sucky Italian restaurants in San Diego that are more than 30+ years old, have waterfront views and crappy food", since there are plenty. If that is a too much of a challenge, name one.

Seems odd, but I've known crappy restaurants to last decades on reputation and a loyal following of old ladies eg Old Original Bookbinders in Philly sucked for as long as I can remember. Eh Bookbinders wasn't great when it closed, but it did have a loyal following and a steady stream of tourists. I probably ate there the first time in the mid 60's and continued to stop in on occasion when I was in Philadelphia on business through the early 2000's. It was better than "sucky" even if it wasn't great.

In a French restaurant that might be a faux pas, but in American English "au jus" is thought of as a side sauce, not its literal French meaning. If you are at a deli and the waitress asked you "would you like jus, with your sandwich?", you would think her an idiot or pretentious. She is going to ask, "would you like au jus, with your sandwich?" You can buy packets of "au jus" in any supermarket in the U.S., you are not buying a packet labeled "jus".

I find it pretty hard to believe that in a town the size of San Diego that a bad restaurant would stay open longer than 30 years or that there is any Italian restaurant in San Diego that is not better than Olive Garden's, high fat, high salt formula that keeps packing them in. I found the story about Marilyn Hagerty charming on several levels. It was charming that an 85 year old was blogging. It was charming that she discovered Olive Garden at 85 and had good things to say about it. I don't invalidate her opinions just because I think Olive Garden is terrible, I evaluate her opinion based on her experience. In her life experience she found many things to like about Olive Garden. With my life experience, I have a different opinion. It doesn't make me wrong or her wrong, it just means the person reading our varying opinions has to evaluate for themselves whether or not they want to eat at the Olive Garden. As to Grand Forks, it has many fine places to eat, The Toasted Frog, Sanders 1907, The Blue Moose B & G and Little Bangkok, but maybe are not the kind of places Marilyn or family frequent for any number of reasons.

Is Fat Guy around still? I wonder if he has applied his strategies to the high end Las Vegas buffets and how his strategy differs, if at all. Also a Sunday brunch buffet strategy. The Hotel del Coronado charges like $80 a plate for their Sunday brunch. It is one of the few buffets I feel I can't wrangle my money out of.