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What were they thinking when they named it . . .


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Aldi - Mercer Chocolate Waves Sandwich Crème Cookies

Melissa - if there isn't one in Oswego there is an Aldi in Syracuse on Erie Blvd.

We do, in fact, have an Aldi. It's way out east, between the Tops and the Lowe's. It's often a Sunday when we go out that way, and Aldi stores are closed on Sundays. But for this, I may need to make an exception. :wub:

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

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See I'm in favor of Ugli Fruit -- I think it's a fun, almost self-effacing name (to the extent a fruit can be self-effacing by having a name given to it by others). I would be much more repelled by something like Pretty Fruit as a name.

Well, it's not "Pretty Fruit," but it is a prettified name: Kiwifruit.

ISTR that this moniker for the sweet New Zealand fruit with the starburst-shaped seed core replaced a much less palatable name--Chinese crabapple or something like that.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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Well, it's not "Pretty Fruit," but it is a prettified name: Kiwifruit.

ISTR that this moniker for the sweet New Zealand fruit with the starburst-shaped seed core replaced a much less palatable name--Chinese crabapple or something like that.

Chinese gooseberry.

It was given this name due to the color and because it apparently comes originally from southern China.

When my mother was growing up (in Australia) they were called Chinese gooseberries, were dirt-cheap, and she says she never heard of anyone eating them raw. They were used for making pickles and such like.

The re-naming was done in tandem with other campaigns - in the areas originally available telling people that they were actually edible and tasty raw, as well as pushing them a lot in other countries.

If you associate the fruit with New Zealand I guess some of that publicizing worked! :raz:

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Scrod.

Guy gets into a cab in Scollay Square in Boston, (a long time ago) and the cabbie turns and affably asks, "Where to, buddy?"

Guy says, "You know where a fella can get scrod in this town?"

Cabbis shakes his head and says, "I've heard that question asked a million times, but never in the pluperfect subjunctive."

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I am sitting here stuck in the Orlando airport. Apparently this is a very common thing as it is always thunderstorming here.

But to my point: On the drive to the airport, I saw a restaurant out of the corner of my eye. A Vietnamese restaurant. Quite a nice one, it looked.

I pulled off the road to get closer to see the name.

(This post is about a restaurant, not a food. . .but anyway. . .)

It was. . .

Pho Hoa

Heh heh. :biggrin:

Now why on earth did I think of eGullet when I saw that?!

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I can't believe no one has mentioned the English favourite: Spotted Dick...just where the heck did this name come from???  Sounds awful.

Here is one explanation of the name.

Wasn't the word "dick" pretty innocuous until the end of the 20th c?

Kind of like "gay" used to mean something else entirely?

I remember old kids books where Dick was a routine short form

for the name "Richard"

and I just finished re-reading old Nero Wolf mystery where

"private dick" is used in almost every chapter.....

So, it's not that "what were they thinking when they named it"

but "how did this word come to so drastically change its meaning"

which is another conversation entirely....

Milagai

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Well, it's not "Pretty Fruit," but it is a prettified name: Kiwifruit.

ISTR that this moniker for the sweet New Zealand fruit with the starburst-shaped seed core replaced a much less palatable name--Chinese crabapple or something like that.

Chinese gooseberry.

It was given this name due to the color and because it apparently comes originally from southern China.

Complete coincidence:

I'm watching "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" while perusing this topic.

The current contestant was asked this question for $8,000:

"What fruit is also known as the Chinese gooseberry?"

A. Guava B. Passionfruit C. Kiwi D. Mango

She had the computer remove two wrong answers before giving the correct answer ©.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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One classic is of course: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca e g "The whore's spaghetti!"

I've heard two different myths for the name of this one:

The dish is spicy, like a scarlet woman, shall we say.

OR

The dish is basically just a little of this and that thrown together, and can be easily assembled by a woman who has other engagements pressing on her time

I personally like the first one best! :biggrin:

"We had dry martinis; great wing-shaped glasses of perfumed fire, tangy as the early morning air." - Elaine Dundy, The Dud Avocado

Queenie Takes Manhattan

eG Foodblogs: 2006 - 2007

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haggis

but the actual dish is almost as  :wacko: as the name

milagai

(ducks in anticipation of enraged haggis lovers)

Incoming.

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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The Flavr Savr tomato, an early precursor of GM foods, engineered at U Cal Davis and complete with an Arctic char gene to resist freezing. Clearly it was named by an engineer too.

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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Hey haggis is way better then lots of stuff. Like Indian desserts for instance. :wink:

On topic. Sicily seems to be particularly good at naming dishes after body functions, parts or waste products. shitty lasagne, angels pricks etc. From Liguria you have "gnocchi like dog turds" (ricotta and chard or spinach).

Lots of desserts are named after nuns bits or bits of nuns.

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One classic is of course: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca e g "The whore's spaghetti!"

I've heard two different myths for the name of this one:

The dish is spicy, like a scarlet woman, shall we say.

OR

The dish is basically just a little of this and that thrown together, and can be easily assembled by a woman who has other engagements pressing on her time

I personally like the first one best! :biggrin:

My understanding is somewhat different, that the addition of hefty amounts of anchovy perfumed the dish in a manner reminiscent of a Neopolitan strumpet's professional parts.

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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[quote

My understanding is somewhat different, that the addition of hefty amounts of anchovy perfumed the dish in a manner reminiscent of a Neopolitan strumpet's professional parts.

I'm a canning clean freak because there's no sorry large enough to cover the, "Oops! I gave you botulism" regrets.

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One classic is of course: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca e g "The whore's spaghetti!"

I've heard two different myths for the name of this one:

The dish is spicy, like a scarlet woman, shall we say.

OR

The dish is basically just a little of this and that thrown together, and can be easily assembled by a woman who has other engagements pressing on her time

I personally like the first one best! :biggrin:

My understanding is somewhat different, that the addition of hefty amounts of anchovy perfumed the dish in a manner reminiscent of a Neopolitan strumpet's professional parts.

That is so much better than the stories I've heard. Wow.

"We had dry martinis; great wing-shaped glasses of perfumed fire, tangy as the early morning air." - Elaine Dundy, The Dud Avocado

Queenie Takes Manhattan

eG Foodblogs: 2006 - 2007

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Maybe right now would be the best time to make a notation of the dish "Iman Bayeldi" (?)

Translation: The Preacher Fainted.

Not from embarrassment, surely. A hot summer's day in Naples can be a tad overwhelming . . .

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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Maybe right now would be the best time to make a notation of the dish "Iman Bayeldi" (?)

Translation: The Preacher Fainted.

Not from embarrassment, surely. A hot summer's day in Naples can be a tad overwhelming . . .

It would depend on the preacher, it is to be imagined.

The heat? Embarrassment? Shock? Perhaps. . .pleasure? :biggrin:

These things are all so inextricably entwined, particularly in religious types. :wink:

Edited by Carrot Top (log)
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Hey haggis is way better then lots of stuff. Like Indian desserts for instance. :wink:

surely you jest :biggrin:

yes, animal offal stuffed into its paunch must surely be

"way better" than milk, cream, sugar, flour, and cardamom :laugh::wink:

milagai

At the risk of invoking your raj, milagai, nine out of 10 Scotsmen can't be wrong.

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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Hey haggis is way better then lots of stuff. Like Indian desserts for instance. :wink:

surely you jest :biggrin:

yes, animal offal stuffed into its paunch must surely be

"way better" than milk, cream, sugar, flour, and cardamom :laugh::wink:

milagai

Indian Desserts??? They are horrible.. :wacko::shock: Haggis is bloody gorgeous, everyone who disagrees doesn't know a thing about food!

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