To ask or no to ask

I want to share this very informative article. It's about food terms commonly seen in restaurant menus. I recall that before I had breakfast with a cono friend in a hotel and my friend asked the waiter, "What do you mean by 'a la carte'?"

How I wish I'm just like Elsie... she got the best of both worlds!

Learning the language of food
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=51596

HIGH ON E(TIQUETTE)
By PATTY BETITA

Picture this: A guy, looking dapper in a black suit, and his date, a gorgeous woman in a sophisticated red dress, step into a fancy restaurant for a dinner date. They are ushered to the best table in the house complete with the most exquisite table appointments, and with a string quartet ready to serenade them.

Sounds like the perfect dinner date. But wait. What if you’re the man or the lady in this situation and the waiter gives you a menu of unfamiliar French or Italian-termed dishes?

Some restaurants have menus that carry English translations to foreign terms, but what do you do when there’s none?

Three things: Do not pretend to know what you don’t in the attempt to look smart and impress your date, because there is a greater chance of failing. Second, if there are terms on the menu that are not familiar to you, it is always wise to ask the waiter or Maitre d’ to guide you in making the right choice. Last, start getting acquainted with some of the common foreign culinary terms and their pronunciations. The Internet, as well as cookbooks, will provide you with enough reference.

Below are some commonly used French and Italian terms that you may encounter when going to a fancy restaurant.

French

Agneau—Lamb
Aubergine—Eggplant
Au Gratin—with cheese usually covered with crumbs and browned
Au jus—with natural (meat juice) gravy
Bearnaise—a sauce of butter and eggyolks flavored with tarragon, shallots, vinegar and chervil, used as sauce for steaks or salmon.
Bechamel—a well seasoned white sauce (ex. Lasagna, mousakka)
Bisque—a thick soup (ex. Lobster or tomato bisque)
Beouf—beef
Bouillabaisse—a thick soup made from various seafoods
Filet mignon—small steak usually circled with a slice of bacon
Flambe—in flames (food is cooked in flames and done in front of the guests table)
Foie Gras—finely chopped goose liver, used often as spread with appetizers
Fromage—cheese
Hors’ d’ oeuvres—appetizers
Canard—Duck
Champignons—mushroom
Consomme—clear soup
Crevettes—shrimps
Entrecote—rib steak
Escargot —snail
Moules—mussels
Poisson—fish and other fish dishes
Poulet—chicken
Potage—soup
Salade—salad
Patisserie—pastry
Ragout—stew
Potage d’ jour—soup of the day
Soufflé—a light airy dessert made of beaten egg white and mixed with a liquor.
Vischyssoise—a cream of potato and chives soup usually served cold

Italian

Agnello—Lamb
Melanzane—eggplant
Sugo di carne—with natural (meat juice) drippings
Con vino blanco—with white wine
Con vino rosso—with red wine
Manzo—beef
Caramella—candy
Gratinati—with cheese covered with crumbs and browned
Salsa bernese—a variation of hollandaise used for meat (steaks or prime rib)
Zouppa di pesce—thick seafood soup
Caffe latte—coffee with cream
Anitra—Duck
Funghi—mushroom
Bistecca di manzo—beef steak
Gamberi—shrimps
Costata di manzo—prime rib of beef
Entrecot di manzo—rib steak
Lumaca—snail
Formaggio—cheese
Gelato—ice cream
Jambon—ham
Torta—cake
Dolci—pastry
Pesce—fish
Pollo—chicken
Crema di zuppa—cream soup
Brasato—stew
Vellutata—a white sauce with cream and chicken stock

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Source: The Compleat Filipino: by Conchitina Sevilla—Bernardo

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For office and school lectures e-mail paching_betita@yahoo.com