Have you ever been to a fancy French restaurant or any foreign restaurant for that matter where you have no clue as to how to pronounce anything? I mean it's not a big deal when you're at a local restaurant, but when you go to a fancy restaurant, like a French Restaurant, where it feels like everything is high-class, there's a personal pressure on how to articulate names on the menu.
I feel uncultured or rather stupid if I can't even pronounce the names of the food I'm about to eat. Call it paranoia, but I have a fear that the waiters and waitresses who's serving us will look down on me if I mispronounce anything or if I hesitate or stutter, making me feel like I don't belong in the restaurant. They're saying with their eyes, "You're not good enough to dine here with these other
more sophisticated customers". What's more, I hate pointing at something on the menu and saying, "This one" or "Can I have
that". It makes me feel like an awkward 13 year old going to an adult restaurant. The safest thing to say is probably the dish itself, but where's the fun in that!
Poulet á la Moutard et au Miel? Epinards et Concombres á la Grecque??? Completely clueless as to how to say these. Memo to self next time around: drag someone who took or takes French.
It's definitely a skill I will have to perfect as I grow older. Maybe it's an age thing or maybe if I frequent French restaurants more, I will be forced to learn how to enunciate and learn some more French food vocab just from pure embarrassment!
And you know what? A burger sounds good right about now, not because they taste good, but because at least I can order that correctly!
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Comments (19)
I don't have any pbs to pronounce french meals.... lol
but i understand what you mean. i usually say "can i have THIS" and show.
Thank goodness I can speak French. :P
But after all these years, I've managed to never go to an actual French restaurant. I don't think there are many in my area. I've always wanted to show off a little to my boyfriend at one but haven't had the chance. haha
I've felt awkward in that situation too, but there's no need to see yourself as stupid or uncultured. And even if you mispronunciate the menu item, who cares? If the waiter/waitress belittles you just because of that, then that's bad service.
I don't have any problem to pronounce french meal :p In fact, I'm french ^^
I have the same problem when I go to to some restaurant like Tibetan one for example ! Hopefully, I can't go often to restaurant, so...
I have never had that detailed of a French menu, but you just made me very glad that I am about to enter my fourth year of French class.
Having taken years of French in school, I probably wouldn't have any problem.
I've never been to a French restaurant, though!
@Begierde@lovelyish - @LadyLibellule@xanga - @PlainXJane@xanga - @methodElevated@xanga - I envy you for knowing/learning French. And for the rest who don't know French, I love you more so for being able to relate better. haha
hahaha that's exactly how i used to feel... that's why i looked up pronunciation guides on italian and portuguese, took french, and am working hard on my chinese! i was still pretty flabbergasted when i went to thailand and indonesia though =P
I understand completely how you feel. You know what I do? I ask the waitstaff how to pronounce it. What does that do? Not only does it show that you have respect for the language (few things are worse than listening to someone butcher your native tongue), but also gives you an opportunity to hear how it's supposed to be pronounced. Do it with a big smile, and they'll find it cute, you'll have ordered, and you can enjoy the rest of your night. (I also give a bigger tip to waitstaff that accommodate my inability to pronounce their entrees with politeness and courtesy...respect, after all, is a two way street)
I speak French (although I could probably use a refresher course soon lol)...I may not know exactly what everything is, but I can pronounce it lol =)
@Mercredi@lovelyish - Your xanga name is French! Tres bon! =)
honestly, I do what daeshi does. I have nver had a problem with anyone doing this. and if someone on the wait staff dares give me a look like I don't belong there, I have a counter look that says remember buddy, I am paying your tip and you'd better be nice or I will prove to you how uncultured you think I am and won't care either (the sad thing is, it is never nice places where the wait staff has dared to give me a dirty look).
very true-feel awkward too.
haha well at least they're still of the recognizable alphabets(but anyway, i can understand french so no problem there..). wait till you see those that resemble hieroglyphics!! awkward. all you could do is to point, cross your fingers and then wait.
@Peridot21@xanga - Not only my name!I'm french! lol. et je mange une pomme là, pour le petit déjeuner.
bonne journée.
@daeshii@xanga - That's the best way to do it. I speak French fairly well, but my accent's not perfect, and much of the vocabulary for haute cuisine is beyond me. A good waiter - even in the snootiest restaurants - will be happy to explain what things are, and how to pronounce them - that's their job.
I've discovered there's rarely any point in being self-conscious about pretty much anything - most people are happy to help other people out, and the rest don't really care one way or the other.
@Mercredi@lovelyish - Lol a healthy snack! =) ...and merci beaucoup! =)
*feels awesome* I can pronounce these! I feel bad going into Vietnamese restaurants though. =[
@guru hoodoo - I agree. If they're going to look down on you bc you can't pronounce the entrees, they're pretty much going to look down on you period. You and everyone else. And you get people like that in the more casual restaurants, too.