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Kevin Fischer is an award-winning veteran broadcaster who has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for nearly three decades.
Kevin, who is a legislative aide to state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, “InterCHANGE,” on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.
Culinary no-no #16
By Kevin Fischer
Sunday, Sep 9 2007, 08:47 AM
What’s that old saying….it’s all in the presentation.
Next summer, the Olympics will be staged in Beijing. Between now and then, authorities in China are on a mission. Before the hordes of international sports fans and athletes descend upon Beijing, they’re asking restaurants to get rid of titles on the menu with butchered English translations.
Let me give you some examples.
Visitors to the summer Olympics, when dining out, will no longer see “steamed crap" on the menu.
Gone will be "virgin chicken."
The aim is to avoid any confusion (or loss of appetite).
Restaurants will have to come up with new names for dishes like "burnt lion's head" (Chinese-style pork meatballs).
Another botched translation is "The temple explodes the chicken cube" (kung pao chicken).
And what exactly is “steamed crap?” It’s actually steamed carp.
And “virgin chicken” is a young chicken dish.
The Associated Press says, “The Beijing Tourism Bureau has released a list with 2,753 proposed names for dishes and drinks, designed to replace bizarre and sometimes ridiculous translations on menus.”
"These translations either scare or embarrass foreign customers and may cause misunderstanding on China's diet habits," a Chinese news agency said.
A dish with mushrooms and ducks' feet will be listed as simply "Mushroom-Duck's Foot." Other proposed names include "Fish Filets in Hot Chili Oil" and "Crispy Chicken."
The AP also says, “It's the latest effort by Beijing Olympics organizers to clean up the city and ensure that the best image is presented to the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected next summer.
Etiquette campaigns are afoot to stamp out bad manners such as jumping ahead in line, spitting, littering and reckless driving. The revised menu names are part of an effort to ban unintelligible English, known as "Chinglish," that abounds on signs everywhere.”
It all makes perfect sense, especially the effort to improve the menus.
Order sweetbreads in a fancy restaurant and you won’t get French toast. Sweetbreads are the thymus and pancreas glands of young animals, normally lambs or calves. I saw a totally delighted Julia Child prepare it on television.
Escargot will get you a plate of snails.
Caviar, of course, is fish eggs.
Calamari=squid.
So, when serving certain items, it’s best not to use the Howard Cosell approach of telling it like it is.
Do not be blunt.
Jazz up the description of your feast de resistance with a catchier title.
That reminds me.
After football tonight, Jennifer is making Russian tuna surprise.
PREVIOUS CULINARY NO-NO’S
1) Ketchup on a brat
2) Green peppers on pizza
3) The dirty martini
4) Fruity brats
5) A Bloody Mary after dinner
6) Women “manning” the grill
7) Eating pizza at Festa Italiana, brats at German Fest, or tacos at Fiesta Mexicana. (Be adventurous. You can have those items anytime).
8) Eating a cream puff as though it was a hamburger.
9) Taking your own bottle of sauce when invited to a barbecue.
10) Touching the grill if you’re a guest at an outdoor barbecue.
11) Coaching the host on how to grill.
12) Some regional flavored ice cream…..like black licorice.
13) Taking the husks off before you grill corn on the cob
14) Being afraid to chill red wine
15) Pizza on the grill
