Words That Should Not be Used in a Menu!

[The Lone Liberal]

We have all visited a new restaurant and being presented with the menu we proceed to look at the descriptions of the various dishes being offered. It occurred to me that when writing such descriptions there are certain words or phrases that should not be included. Which of the following do you think should never, ever be used in describing some dish you are thinking of ordering:

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. How about....

..."all of the above"???

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[IronLionZion]

2. yeah really

But I hear dog is a popular dish in Korea

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. Also in China.

I stayed in the old Peace Hotel in Shanghai. The gift shop there had a fur coat in a glass case. I asked the shop assistant what kind of fur it was (could not tell). She replied "dog".

more :puke:

On edit: Puppies were sold in outdoor markets...and not as pets. I wanted to bring all of them home with me.

[Spider Jerusalem]

14. Can we say...

"cultural blinders"?

We in the West use fewer animals for meat, leather and so on than they do in Asia, but there's no fundamental difference between puppy and veal, or between a sheepskin coat and a dogskin coat. WHat an absurd reaction...

[greatauntoftriplets]

15. I don't eat veal.

And I don't have a sheepskin coat.

Please insult other people.

On edit: How do you feel about Haitians eating cats?

[wickerwoman]

20. Dog isn't that popular in China- it's a delicacy.

And it's only one breed (with black tongues). It's not a question of people being so poor they can only eat dog. Poor people can't afford it.

The dogs they sell in cardboard boxes on the street actually are for pets. The chickens on the other hand...

[greatauntoftriplets]

25. Not in 1982 when I was there.

People didn't have pets.

[wickerwoman]

32. Half the people in my apartment building have pet dogs,

I see them walking them all the time.

A lot has changed in 22 years, especialy in Shanghai.

I'm not saying no one in China has ever eaten a dog, but I think Westerners can get a bit silly and borderline racist with the "heathen Chinese munching on poor innocent pooches" schtick.

On edit: How many dogs are destroyed by vets and the Humane Soceity every year because they can't find homes for them? And those bodies are just cremated. Some cultures would consider that cruel and wasteful.

We're damn lucky to live in a culture with enough spare resources to designate sacred cows. Not everyone else is. But, having visited China at a very interesting time, I'm sure you already know this. You should come again and see all the changes.

[unblock]

4. soylent

[GOPisEvil]

5. Congealed

[Kadie]

6. Cheese Product

what is that anyway? Is it cheese or isn't it? :shrug:

[mouse7]

7. Tastes like Chicken!

Suuuure it does.

[DBoon]

10. If Jeffrey Dahmer said so it must be true!

n/t

[Kadie]

That is one of my husbands favorites along with

Now even tastes good!
or Now tastes better than before!

[LastKnight]

8. how about the phrase 'may cause...' nt

[put out]

9. Crab Racoons. For real on a menu. n/t

[m-jean03]

11. Hmmm...."Hairy"

or "Gonad".

It's really a toss-up. Of my cookies.

[LostInAnomie]

13. Pubes

I probably wouldn't eat it if "pubes" was in the description.

[eyesroll]

30. Ever have sea urchin (uni)?

You're eating gonads there.

Mmm....gonads.

[SOteric]

12. "Oooze" But industry insiders will tell you the real kiss of death

in menu terminology is "Heart Healthy."

Apparently, even those wishing to cut down on fats and cholesterols, or in some way restrict their intake would rather select from suitable foods themselves than see those words next to a menu item. It tends to imply the product offered will be...somewhat unappetising.

[Guy Fawkes]

16. Remindes me...

I saw a school lunch menu once that read "Tuesday: some form of meat"

[NightTrain]

17. Other: "Encrusted."

In 1997, when I was temping at Otis Elevator, the cafeteria menu once had this item on it: "Horseradish encrusted swordfish."

I don't particularly like horseradish to begin with, and I sure as hell ain't gonna eat anything whose name includes the word "encrusted!" :puke:

[Supply Side Jesus]

18. chunks...or chunky....

[Parrcrow]

19. wiped

doesn't exactly whet the appetite

[wickerwoman]

21. "Slobber"

I live in China and there's a restaurant where the only English words on the menu are "Smart Noshery Make you Slobber."

I can only imagine that someone's English penpal was taking the piss.

[Awsi Dooger]

22. Cheese

I absolutely hate it -- the sight, taste, smell and even the thought. More and more dishes are being infected, at least threefold from 20 years ago.

My life would be so much simpler if I didn't have to make sure there is no cheese on at least 3 or 4 items during every restaurant visit.

[Interrobang]

24. Amen. I don't like to see "cheese, butter, milk, yogurt, cream..."

I'm terribly and tremendously allergic to dairy products of all varieties (extreme lactose intolerance *and* a casein allergy), whether cheese, butter, milk, yogurt, or even the dreaded "whey powder," "modified milk ingredients," and "bromelain." There are some restaurants I won't even go into because I *know* there's nothing on the menu I can eat -- everything's encrusted with cheese, slobbered with butter, or congealed in yogurt or something. (Nothing's safe, not even french fries.) In fact, there's one restaurant locally that poisoned me so badly that if I had a good tort lawyer and a little more presence of mind, I wouldn't be in my current financial difficulties...

I eat a lot of Asian food, and hexures (that say "Kosher-Pareve" and "Kosher-Meat" so I know what I *can* eat and "Kosher-Dairy" so I know what I can't*) are my bestest friends.



* I know that the restrictions on K-D hexuring can be a little strict and include products that actually contain no dairy (such as the cookies I currently have in my freezer), but most of the time, with me, better safe than sorry. The last time I got seriously dosed, I was sick for three days -- express mailing everything back from both ends, coughing, sneezing, spitting up mucous, and scratching like mad at the allergy rash on the palms of my hands, the soles of my feet, and all over my face. Antihistamines did help with some of it, but argh...

[rucky]

23. mystery meat in secret sauce

[spinbaby]

26. Snowplows

We have a local Chinese restaurant that, for a long time, offered "Chicken with Snowplows" on their menu.

[fudge stripe cookays]

27. Brussels sprouts. They're evil and wrong.

And I hate them.

[Dead_Parrot]

28. (Apparently) from a Polish menu:

Salad a firm's own make;
Limpid red beet soup with limpid dumplings in the form of a finger;
Roasted duck let loose;
Beef rashers beaten in the country people's fashion.

[noonwitch]

29. Grubs (worms)

My mom had us walk out of a chinese restaurant in Toronto because they listed grubs on their menu.

[MsSnood]

31. crushed nuts