Sneaky Restaurants

Have you noticed that restaurants are tricking you into buying their food? Rather than calling their dishes what they really are, restaurants often give them a foreign name to convince you that the food must be good.

“We’ll start with the Hors d’Oeuvres for two” should be met with the response “Certainly sir, I’ll get your coats and a couple of spades”. That’s because Hors d’Oeuvres is French for ‘outside work’.

How about some green sauce on your main course? You’d be silly not to ask what’s in it. Spinach, mushy peas, moss? But who cares? The restaurant calls it Salsa Verde and no-one even asks! (Beware of the bright spark who asks whether it comes with a side order of Anton du Beke to dance the Salsa Verde.)

How about ending your meal with some burnt cream in a little pot? Of course not, but call it the same thing in a different language and Crème Brûlée becomes a constant best-seller.

Beware of these sneaky restaurants!

We'll be back soon with more observations on language and life. In the meantime, if you have any observations of your own for possible use in a future article or in our next book, please get in touch.

Phil & Steve