Menu Atrocities

[rooftop1000]

Here in the UK flan is used to describe a pastry case filled with any number of fillings - from savoury (spinach adn ricotta flan) to fruit flan.

The food that a New Yorker would recognise as flan would be described here as a caramel custard.

So here in England to write simply "flan" would be like writing "pie" in the states - not very descriptive.

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And in the States, Pie would very rarely contain spinache or meat...

Quiche would be a French "pie" usually savory

and Flan is a caramel custard often molded as an individual dessert

An English style Meat Pie would be called that or Pot Pie...Shepards Pie should be understood here as a meat pie also...except when I see Shepards pie on a menu I rarely see and shepards or sheep in the mix

tracey

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

The first time my sister-in-law went to Peru, she came back with a Peruvian cookbook with the recipes in both Spanish and English.

The English versions of the recipes calling for cabrito (goat) made me giggle, because it got translated as "kid". I think I teased my kids at least once about making "Kid Stew".

The translation for "avocado" threw me too... it got translated as "avocado pear".

[judiu]

And in the States, Pie would very rarely contain spinache or meat...

Quiche would be a French "pie" usually savory

and Flan is a caramel custard often molded as an individual dessert

An English style Meat Pie would be called that or Pot Pie...Shepards Pie should be understood here as a meat pie also...except when I see Shepards pie on a menu I rarely see and shepards or sheep in the mix

tracey

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The problem, as I see it, is that most of us dumb Yanks don't know the difference between Shepards Pie and Cottage Pie!

[jackal10]

Shepards pie is lamb for obvious reasons.

Cottage pie is beef.

Traditionally shepards pie has mashed potato with fork patterns to resemble a thatched roof, cottage pie has rounds of potato to resemble tiles

[Abra]

Here in France we recently saw an item on a pizza menu translated as Salmonella Pizza.

I wanted to be kind and explain to them the difference between salmon and salmonella but I was laughing too hard. And ordering something else, of course.

[haresfur]

Here in France we recently saw an item on a pizza menu translated as Salmonella Pizza.

I wanted to be kind and explain to them the difference between salmon and salmonella but I was laughing too hard.  And ordering something else, of course.

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You mean salmonella isn't a little salmon?

One of my family's favorites is the restaurant in Italy that translated spaghetti into three other languages: "spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti."

[ElisG]

Working at a Chinese I get some really strange orders such as:

Egg fried rice with no egg.

Sweet and sour chicken with curry sauce instead of the sweet and sour.

And a personal favourite of Chicken Curry with no chicken.

[aliaseater]

Here in France we recently saw an item on a pizza menu translated as Salmonella Pizza.

I wanted to be kind and explain to them the difference between salmon and salmonella but I was laughing too hard.  And ordering something else, of course.

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You mean salmonella isn't a little salmon?

One of my family's favorites is the restaurant in Italy that translated spaghetti into three other languages: "spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti."

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I thought everyone knew Sam and Ella are the husband/wife grill cook/waitress team down @ Smokey Joe's.

Edited November 22, 2008 by aliaseater (log)

[ambra]

I saw one of those famous Florence street food/ truck stands proudly displaying a sign reading "Cow Sandwich"...

[Lupinus]

My favorite Vietnamese place has "Sexy goat meat" on the menu. Was the goat sexy? Will it turn me into a buck? Is the idea sexy?

I have no idea.

[chefdad]

The first time my sister-in-law went to Peru, she came back with a Peruvian cookbook with the recipes in both Spanish and English.

The English versions of the recipes calling for cabrito (goat) made me giggle, because it got translated as "kid". I think I teased my kids at least once about making "Kid Stew".

The translation for "avocado" threw me too... it got translated as "avocado pear".

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kid is correct, it just means a young goat.

avocado pear is funny, we call it palta. I dont know where the word "pear" came from.

[MaxH]

The first time my sister-in-law went to Peru, she came back with a Peruvian cookbook with the recipes in both Spanish and English. ... The translation for "avocado" threw me too... it got translated as "avocado pear".

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That's just the normal translation into traditional British English. I've seen "avocado pear" often in writing from there. It's less common in the US.

[Just Jim]

This was on the menu board at a local Mexican joint, Cocina Michoacana:

Mexican/American food

Swedish Pancakes

Always cracked me up

[NickelCityChef]

"diver scallops" refer to scallops that were actually hand harvested. most scallops are dredged and aren't touched by anyone until they're out of the water.

"shrimp scampi" has more to do with the style in which they were cooked. the word scampi has a different "meaning" when used in english.... not such a big deal unless you want to nitpick.

"jus de poulet".... guess it sounds better than chicken water.

the word "confit" comes form the french "confire" meaning to preserve. it does not mean that an item need to be cooked in it's own fat to be preserved this way. i realize that it's most popular application arose from people using this method to keep meats from going rancid before refrigeration was available, but again.... sounds a little nitpicky without knowing the true definition of the term. not to say that there aren't places that misuse the term, but the term itself is quite valid.

i would like to see some americans menus in foreign countries where they try the same type of direct translation.... i would bet they are just as funny.

"pan fired" is a distinction between a shallow and deep fry, very much like the difference between a shallow and deep poach; yes, they are different. now, "oven baked" on the other hand is a bit redundant.

i guess if what you mean by demi-glace is sauce espagnol, then yes, it is a mother sauce.