Salad of lawyer and Soup of the fisherman

[FoodMuse]

Hi

I've swapping my apartment for an apartment in France next month. First time in Paris for me, so maybe I should post here for suggestions of where to eat.

Anyway, I found this restaurant and thought it would be fun to start learning Menu French, by plugging it into babelfish. I think the results are pretty funny. Crystallized cucumber anyone? I would love to get a pot of foie gras!

I'm sure there is one of you here who ordered what you thought was one thing and turned out to be something completely different. Well, cough it up....figuratively.

Here's the French:

Carpaccio de saumon mariné au concombre confit

Croustillant de chèvre chaud sur lit de salade

Soupe du pêcheur, rouille et croûtons

Tête de veau tiède sauce gribiche

Salade d'avocat aux crevettes et pamplemousse

Terrine de foie gras de canard et sa petite salade

Here's the very odd translation:

Carpaccio of salmon marinated with crystallized cucumber

Crusty of goat heat on salad bed

Soup of the fisherman, rusts and croûtons

Tepid calf's head sauce gribiche

Salad of lawyer to shrimps and grapefruit

Pot of duck foie gras and its small salad

http://www.aumoulinvert.com/Tmenu34_50.htm

[cigalechanta]

Translations often very funny. When looking up B&Bs and hotels, I often read "

no farts allowed"

I found out it means pets!!!

[Sneakeater]

I always thought the movie Mon Femme est une Sorciere mean, "My Wife Is a Sauce Chef."

[FoodMuse]

I'm really interested in finding more about "goat heat". Does that make me a strange girl?

[markemorse]

Depends on how much time you're spending thinking about it.

One of my favorite translations has been the "fried cancer" we were offered in Lisbon.

That would be, of course, fried crab.

[John Talbott]

Anyway, I found this restaurant and thought it would be fun to start learning Menu French, by plugging it into babelfish.

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I think this is still on topic. A few years ago, NPR had a piece where someone took a simple sentence in one language and BabelFished it to another, going back and forth just a few times. Very quickly it became unintelligible.

Another reason to buy the "A-Z of French Food," Scribo Editions, 95 FF when I bought it, if Brentano's still has it. If not order from Aimer Books, Riverside CN.

[Laidback]

Menu translations have always been interesting to me. In an effort to be helpful to anglophones some restaurants in France use their French/English dictionaries to come up with some unusal interpretations. The following come from one restaurant in Sancerre:

Langue de Veau=Calf Languages

Côte d'agneau grillé à l'ail confit et sa purée à l'ancienne=Dimension lamb roasts has crystallized garlic and its puree has the old one.

Filets de rouget= nets of mullet

Pavé de kangourou=paving stone of kangaroo

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Even when the translation is intelligible, it seldom conveys the nuances that define the dish. Give me the native menu any day.

[Dave Hatfield]

Give me the native menu any day.

What? & spoil all the fun?

If offered I always take a close look at the English menu just to check out the translations.

Another reason to buy the "A-Z of French Food,"

John, How comprehensive is this ? I've been looking for a dictionary that really covers as many food items as possible, the names of as many techniques as possible as well as the restaurant terms. Hopefully this may be the answer.

[John Talbott]

Another reason to buy the "A-Z of French Food,"

John, How comprehensive is this ? I've been looking for a dictionary that really covers as many food items as possible, the names of as many techniques as possible as well as the restaurant terms. Hopefully this may be the answer.

←

Pretty. 141 pages with about 20 definitions per page. Often words not in Robert & Collins will be in it. Techniques I can't swear to, because I don't use it for that. Next time you're in Paris take a look at it in Brentano's, presuming that they still carry it; or give me 3 words now and I'll see if they're there.

[Mikeb19]

Hi

I've swapping my apartment for an apartment in France next month.  First time in Paris for me, so maybe I should post here for suggestions of where to eat.

Anyway, I found this restaurant and thought it would be fun to start learning Menu French, by plugging it into babelfish. I think the results are pretty funny.   Crystallized cucumber anyone? I would love to get a pot of foie gras!

I'm sure there is one of you here who ordered what you thought was one thing and turned out to be something completely different.  Well, cough it up....figuratively.

Here's the French:

Carpaccio de saumon mariné au concombre confit

Croustillant de chèvre chaud sur lit de salade

Soupe du pêcheur, rouille et croûtons

Tête de veau tiède sauce gribiche

Salade d'avocat aux crevettes et pamplemousse

Terrine de foie gras de canard et sa petite salade

Here's the very odd translation:

Carpaccio of salmon marinated with crystallized cucumber

Crusty of goat heat on salad bed

Soup of the fisherman, rusts and croûtons

Tepid calf's head sauce gribiche

Salad of lawyer to shrimps and grapefruit

Pot of duck foie gras and its small salad

http://www.aumoulinvert.com/Tmenu34_50.htm

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Well, soupe du pêcheur IS soup of the fisherman. It's the proper translation. And although avocat obviously means avocado on the menu, it IS also the word for lawyer. The soup translation is correct (except for the rust - although rouille does also mean rust - obviously in a different context), and the salad translation isn't wrong, it's just out of context.

Edit - French menu items have pretty wierd names, even in their own language. Alot of items are named for their colour, what they look like, who cooked it first, where it's from, etc... Just about everything except what it actually is. Some very wierd translations technically ARE correct, often leading to confusion. Keep this in mind when you go to France. It gets even more confusing when you keep in mind that in French often verbs, subjects and descriptors are backwards from the English. Trying to translate word by word is pointless, you need to translate the entire sentence in it's context.

Edited August 19, 2006 by Mikeb19 (log)

[Ptipois]

Well, soupe du pêcheur IS soup of the fisherman.  It's the proper translation.  And although avocat obviously means avocado on the menu, it IS also the word for lawyer.  The soup translation is correct (except for the rust - although rouille does also mean rust - obviously in a different context), and the salad translation isn't wrong, it's just out of context.

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[bethesdabakers]

No one's mentioned the related problem of the common French hand written menu - the rather florid hand writing being difficult for at least these Brit eyes.

My favourite confusion was something like "Turbot grille aux beure entre deux pers" which I took to mean that the dish was for two people. Actually, of course is said "entre deux de mers".

Dummy.

Mick

[Dave Hatfield]

Pretty. 141 pages with about 20 definitions per page. Often words not in Robert & Collins will be in it. Techniques I can't swear to, because I don't use it for that. Next time you're in Paris take a look at it in Brentano's, presuming that they still carry it; or give me 3 words now and I'll see if they're there.

John - Thanks. I had some time this morning so I searched out the publisher in Paris and was able to order the book on line.

They seem a very nice small publisher specializing in things culinary. Go here to have a look.

Germain to this thread is that they publish a couple of guides for restauranteurs on how to translate their menus into English. How about that!

[bethesdabakers]

And to deviate still further (if you'll pardon the expression), last time we stayed in Paris, from the list of period-style hotel rooms we chose the one which was translated as being "full of antics".

Just the place for an aniversary weekend we thought.

Mick

[FoodMuse]

HI John

Is this A-Z of French Food portable? I'm planning on carrying Sandra Gustafson't Great Eats Paris that does have a small list of common foods you might see on a menu, but since eating and drinking are my primary focus for this trip maybe I should have something more comprehensive. I like that her book is broken down by arrondissement so whereever I end up during the day I can find a great glass of wine and a bite to eat.

merci

Grace

Edited August 21, 2006 by FoodMuse (log)

[John Talbott]

Is this A-Z of French Food portable?

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Absolutely - it's just slightly smaller and thinner than a Zagat: 7 1/2 x 3 5/8 x 1/4 inches.

[FoodMuse]

Great! I'll put it on my shopping list.

Thank you

[Dave Hatfield]

Got my copy of the A-Z of French food today via the mail.

Its absolutely great! Many thanks for the tip John.

This little book is easily portable for those who want to use it in restaurants and is far more comprehensive than anything else I've seen.

Thanks again.

[k43]

Old joke:

French speaker dines with an American who had 2 years of French in high school:

Perhaps you'dmight let me do the rest of the ordering.

Of course not! I know exactly how to order.

Maybe so, but I distinctly heard you order a flight of stairs as an appetizer [l'escalier for l'escargot].

[K_A_S]

I teach French at a small liberal arts college, and when I teach a lower-level course, I bring in some menus for the chapter that has food vocabulary. The students always get a kick out of the use of the possessive -- you have to love it when something is served "with its toasts" or somesuch.

I could fill pages with funny/embarassing mistranslations made by my friends, my students, or me, but that would be another forum...

[menton1]

In Lyon, in the bouchons, one of the ubiquitous menu items is Tablier de Sapeur. If you were thinking "Fireman's Apron" , think again.

Also, you may see Cervelle de Canut, or "Weaver's Brain".

This is fun...

Edited September 30, 2006 by menton1 (log)

[Felice]

I stole a menu recently at a Paris restaurant which had some pretty strange translations:

The "pressé de confit de gigot d'agneau et foie gras", came out as a pretty unappetising "pressed the crystallized one of leg of lamb and foie gras" and “langue & tete de veau, sauce aux aromatics" became "language, sauce and veal head". If you order a “barbue” it was a “beard” and the “filet de Saint Pierrre” would give you a “net of saint hones” in English.

[Ptipois]

In Lyon, in the bouchons, one of the ubiquitous menu items is Tablier de Sapeur.   If you were thinking "Fireman's Apron" , think again. 

Also, you may see Cervelle de Canut, or "Weaver's Brain". 

This is fun...

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Aren't there any fun and figurative names in the English language either? What about toad-in-the-hole and hush puppies? If I order the former I'm not going to expect to be served a warty batracian in a cavity. I don't think anybody would expect being served an actual fireman's apron in Lyon.

Edited October 1, 2006 by Ptipois (log)

[Ptipois]

I stole a menu recently at a Paris restaurant which had some pretty strange translations:

The "pressé de confit de gigot d'agneau et foie gras", came out as a pretty unappetising "pressed the crystallized one of leg of lamb and foie gras" and “langue & tete de veau, sauce aux aromatics" became "language, sauce and veal head". If you order a “barbue” it was a “beard” and the “filet de Saint Pierrre” would give you a “net of saint hones” in English.

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Now this is fun, those menus should be collected. Stealing this one was a good idea. There is a great similarly translated menu painted on the front of a restaurant near my place, I should take a picture of it while it's still there.

It would also be fun to study whether the quality of the translation and the quality of the food are correlated. How was your meal, Felice? Sounds like a rather fancy place.