Interpreting Menus
Traveling,
although wonderful, always brings with it a long list of challenges. How to get
around, what to see, and, that all important task, where to find public
restrooms, just to name a few. Another setting that calls for resourcefulness comes
the moment you’re handed a menu in a restaurant. Creativity in such situations comes
in handy, especially since it is often all you’ve got to work with! Of course,
sometimes an overactive imagination can lead you astray. I’ll never forget the
time my husband and I ordered something with Rahm in a Swiss-German café, thinking we were about to be served a lamb
dish. Were we ever surprised when muesli with whipped cream showed up at our
table! A dictionary would’ve really helped prevent our bitter disappointment
that night. Cereal for dinner, yikes!
It can’t be
easy for foreign visitors to eat out in the United States either. Just think of
all of the mysterious food items we have to offer. Surf and Turf immediately
comes to mind, as do mac and cheese, BLTs, and club sandwiches. For their part,
French menus have no shortage of idiosyncrasies. The fact that, when you’re in
the mood for a nice chicken breast, for example, you’ll no doubt skip right over
suprême de volaille on the menu in
your search for that perfectly fine and obvious French 101 word poulet. When in doubt, better to ask the
server. Poulet? would work.
But, hey,
that’s one of the pluses of taking a trip…trying new things, stepping out of
your comfort zone for a while. And that’s exactly what we’re planning to do on
our latest excursion.
1 comments:
Let's not forget the fact that "entrée" means "main course" in English and "appetizer" in French
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