 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsEnglish UsageBritish EnglishESL Teaching Learnglish.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006Anybody next?
Short of time on a shopping expedition we made a rare visit to KFC. The cry from behind the counter has changed. Last time I was there, I recollect "Can I help anyone?" Now it's "Anyone next?" Is this something laid down by the Colonel's heavy regimentation of staff behaviour? Or a local innovation? And what, prezackly, does it mean?  SignatureJohn Dean Oxford > Short of time on a shopping expedition we made a rare visit to KFC. The cry > from behind the counter has changed. Last time I was there, I recollect "Can > I help anyone?" Now it's "Anyone next?" > Is this something laid down by the Colonel's heavy regimentation of staff > behaviour? Or a local innovation? And what, prezackly, does it mean? "Can I help anyone" is certainly much better. The implied finish to "anyone next" is, given the context and my intuition, "willing to try our version of soylent green?" Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego ~~~ > Short of time on a shopping expedition we made a rare visit to KFC. The > cry from behind the counter has changed. Last time I was there, I > recollect "Can I help anyone?" Now it's "Anyone next?" > Is this something laid down by the Colonel's heavy regimentation of staff > behaviour? Or a local innovation? And what, prezackly, does it mean? It means, prezterzerackily, a combination of "Has everybody been served?" and, if not, "Who's next?". An admirable example of the English language at its most concise. If it is just a local innovation, the Colonel ought to issue an order making it now mandatory throughout the KFC empire. Richard Chambers Leeds UK. >Short of time on a shopping expedition we made a rare visit to KFC. The cry >from behind the counter has changed. Last time I was there, I recollect "Can >I help anyone?" Now it's "Anyone next?" >Is this something laid down by the Colonel's heavy regimentation of staff >behaviour? Or a local innovation? And what, prezackly, does it mean? You English have *so* good, and still you whinge. You have counter people in fast-food restaurants that actually indicate some willingness to recognize that the line of people standing in front of them are there because they want to be served? Eye-contact is all we ask here. Just some indication that the counter person is aware that we are speaking to them when we say "One three-piece meal, extra-crispy". Normally, the first sound out of a counter person's mouth is "Ferhereortugo?" SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL > >Short of time on a shopping expedition we made a rare visit to KFC. The cry > >from behind the counter has changed. Last time I was there, I recollect "Can [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > three-piece meal, extra-crispy". Normally, the first sound out of a > counter person's mouth is "Ferhereortugo?" @ the local bagel emporium: "CanIHelpWho'sNext?" >> <...> Normally, the first sound out of a >> counter person's mouth is "Ferhereortugo?" > > @ the local bagel emporium: "CanIHelpWho'sNext?" These are waiter localisms, and ought to be in guide books. If you order water at a restaurant in Andalusia, the waiter will ask, "Coga o siga?" He is asking if you want the water to be effervescent or still (con gas o sin gas), but he makes absolutely no allowances for the obvious fact that you might not be an Andalu. It's against the Waiter Code. Do restaurants in non-U.S. Anglophonia call side-dishes "sides"? "You get two sides with that." "What are the sides?" It seems to be waitress slang ("BPS on two hold salad hold gravy, chick san hold lettuce") that slipped over into civilian use. > Do restaurants in non-U.S. Anglophonia call side-dishes "sides"? "You > get two sides with that." "What are the sides?" It seems to be > waitress slang ("BPS on two hold salad hold gravy, chick san hold > lettuce") that slipped over into civilian use. If you wanted a side in Australia, you'd order it from your butcher a week before. -- Regards John for mail: my initials plus a u e at tpg dot com dot au >> Do restaurants in non-U.S. Anglophonia call side-dishes "sides"? >> "You get two sides with that." "What are the sides?" It seems to be [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > If you wanted a side in Australia, you'd order it from your butcher > a week before. That was the basis of an _I Love Lucy_ episode back in, let's see, 1952. Lucy and Ethel get a walk-in freezer from Ethel's uncle, a butcher, who's retiring, in order to save money and order meat for it. On being told that the meat company only sells in sides, they reason that "a side of bacon is about so big" and order two (one for each of them). Hilarity ensues. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |There's been so much ado already 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |that any further ado would be Palo Alto, CA 94304 |excessive. | Lori Karkosky kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ > Do restaurants in non-U.S. Anglophonia call side-dishes "sides"? "You > get two sides with that." "What are the sides?" It seems to be > waitress slang ("BPS on two hold salad hold gravy, chick san hold > lettuce") that slipped over into civilian use. The restaurants that I have been to this year do not call them "sides" but do call them side dishes. SignatureLinz Wet Yorks via Cambridge, York, London and Watford My accent may vary Amethyst Deceiver <spam@lindsayendell.co.uk> had it: > > Do restaurants in non-U.S. Anglophonia call side-dishes "sides"? "You > > get two sides with that." "What are the sides?" It seems to be [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > The restaurants that I have been to this year do not call them "sides" > but do call them side dishes. Except for KFC, which names them as "sides" on the menu. SignatureDavid ===== >Amethyst Deceiver <spam@lindsayendell.co.uk> had it: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> The restaurants that I have been to this year do not call them "sides" >> but do call them side dishes. Or side orders. >Except for KFC, which names them as "sides" on the menu. Yes, but I was talking about /restaurants/. SignatureLinz Wet Yorks via Cambridge, York, London and Watford My accent may vary > Eye-contact is all we ask here. Just some indication that the counter > person is aware that we are speaking to them when we say "One > three-piece meal, extra-crispy". Normally, the first sound out of a > counter person's mouth is "Ferhereortugo?" Now, if I ever decide to use a different nickname, I might consider Faheera Tugo. SignatureBlinky T. "a complete switch, not a sock puppet" Shark Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html Blinky the Shark filted: >> Eye-contact is all we ask here. Just some indication that the counter >> person is aware that we are speaking to them when we say "One [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Now, if I ever decide to use a different nickname, I might consider >Faheera Tugo. Send that one into Click and Clack, and you may find yourself in the closing credits of "Car Talk" along with Blinky Lightsman and Peekup Andropov....r Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. >You English have *so* good, and still you whinge. You have counter >people in fast-food restaurants that actually indicate some [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >three-piece meal, extra-crispy". Normally, the first sound out of a >counter person's mouth is "Ferhereortugo?" And yet you'll find regular complaints here about how poor our shop staff are, and endless "why can't they be more like the Americans, who are polite and smile?" appeals. Grass being green I suppose. SignatureOn-line canal route planner: http://www.canalplan.org.uk (Waterways World site of the month, April 2001) My Reply-To address *is* valid, though likely to die soon >> You English have *so* good, and still you whinge. You have counter >> people in fast-food restaurants that actually indicate some [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > staff are, and endless "why can't they be more like the Americans, > who are polite and smile?" appeals. Still, I don't think the Americans ever had the equivalent of "I'm Humphrey, and I'm free." SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. Tony Cooper <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net> had it: > >Short of time on a shopping expedition we made a rare visit to KFC. The cry > >from behind the counter has changed. Last time I was there, I recollect "Can [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > three-piece meal, extra-crispy". Normally, the first sound out of a > counter person's mouth is "Ferhereortugo?" What? You can specify the level of crispyness? Good heavens, we dream of being able to choose how crispy our chicken might be. Who orders the "extra soggy" chicken? SignatureDavid ===== > Tony Cooper <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net> had it: >> Eye-contact is all we ask here. Just some indication that the counter >> person is aware that we are speaking to them when we say "One [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Who orders the "extra soggy" chicken? I, for one. (For those not in the know: it's actually called "Original Recipe(R)", and it's plenty crispy enough for me, which is to say, not much.) http://www.kfc.com/menu/chicken.asp SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. Roland Hutchinson filted: >> What? You can specify the level of crispyness? Good heavens, we >> dream of being able to choose how crispy our chicken might be. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >Recipe(R)", and it's plenty crispy enough for me, which is to say, not >much.) Those of us with long memories remember that the later version was originally sold as "Extra Tasty Crispy".... Chain restaurants, and fast-food places in particular, seem to delight in embarrassing their customers with the names of products...Denny's promotes not only "Moons Over My Hammy", but the "Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity Breakfast"....r Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. > Chain restaurants, and fast-food places in particular, seem to delight > in embarrassing their customers with the names of products...Denny's > promotes not only "Moons Over My Hammy", but the "Rooty Tooty Fresh > and Fruity Breakfast"....r The RTF&F is actually from IHOP. Not that that makes the name any better. A local (two- or three-location) Mexican restaurant that offers the "Skylab Burrito". This use of the name "Skylab" has turned out to have quite a bit of longevity, given the orbiting workshop's demise about 27 years ago. SignatureBlinky RLU 297263 Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html >> Chain restaurants, and fast-food places in particular, seem to >> delight in embarrassing their customers with the names of [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > A local (two- or three-location) Mexican restaurant that offers the Please ignore "that" in the above line. I think someone entered it when I was looking away. Thank you. > "Skylab Burrito". This use of the name "Skylab" has turned out to > have quite a bit of longevity, given the orbiting workshop's demise > about 27 years ago. SignatureBlinky RLU 297263 Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html > A local (two- or three-location) Mexican restaurant [...] offers the > "Skylab Burrito". This use of the name "Skylab" has turned out to > have quite a bit of longevity, given the orbiting workshop's demise > about 27 years ago. There was a little place in, I think, Redwood City, California, that offered moo shu burritos. Good they were, too. Speaking of Mexican food, the new megasized Whole Foods market here in town bosts of its in-store bakery's "Old world recipe" tortillas. Apparently no one has yet informed the Texan who runs the chain that in the Old World, a "tortilla" is an omlette. SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. > Speaking of Mexican food, the new megasized Whole Foods market here in > town > bosts of its in-store bakery's "Old world recipe" tortillas. Apparently > no one has yet informed the Texan who runs the chain that in the Old > World, a "tortilla" is an omlette. But they do a _very_ decent made-to-order fish and chips at their seafood bar. SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. > A local (two- or three-location) Mexican restaurant that offers the > "Skylab Burrito". This use of the name "Skylab" has turned out to > have quite a bit of longevity, given the orbiting workshop's demise > about 27 years ago. In Australia you can still buy Aeroplane Jelly. The brand name was, I believe, chosen to give an impression of modernity, at a time when an aeroplane was a new invention. The brand is also known for having had the first (in the country) singing jingle on the wireless. SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. >> A local (two- or three-location) Mexican restaurant that offers the >> "Skylab Burrito". This use of the name "Skylab" has turned out to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >The brand is also known for having had the first (in the country) >singing jingle on the wireless. I have some Naval Jelly in the garage. No jingle, though. SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL > > A local (two- or three-location) Mexican restaurant that offers the > > "Skylab Burrito". This use of the name "Skylab" has turned out to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > The brand is also known for having had the first (in the country) > singing jingle on the wireless. Warbles: "I like Aer-o-plane Jellyy! Aer-o-plane Jelly for me!" "Tea revives you! Drink Kinkara Tea!" (That one didn't have a tune, though.) Is that Eskimo pie on a stick, the Rocket, still around? That name would hold up pretty well. Trans-other-Pondly: RKO Radio Pictures. The Radio Flyer. Radio City, of course. Trans-other-Pond-againly: England's Glory matches have a picture of a battleship apparently dating from about 1890. SignatureMike. >> In Australia you can still buy Aeroplane Jelly. The brand name was, >> I believe, chosen to give an impression of modernity, at a time [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > though.) Is that Eskimo pie on a stick, the Rocket, still around? > That name would hold up pretty well. I haven't noticed it; but then icecream names change so often that it's hard to keep track. Just yesterday I tried to buy a Peter's drumstick, and noticed that it is now a Nestlé drumstick. For some reason old cigarette ads are now popping into my mind: "That cool smooth menthol flavour that soothes your throat." "Peter Jackson! You've nothing to lose but your smoker's cough." "The filter, the flavour, the king-size you favour." "Join the club, join the club, join the Escort club." The Peter Stuyvesant brand had a slogan "All over the world." I was interested to discover that it was unknown in New York. My mother, who died an early death from smoking, used to smoke a brand called "Craven A". That was decades before cigarette executives said they believed that smoking was not addictive. SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. >>> In Australia you can still buy Aeroplane Jelly. The brand name was, >>> I believe, chosen to give an impression of modernity, at a time [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > called "Craven A". That was decades before cigarette executives said > they believed that smoking was not addictive. With the red pack and the black cat. My grandmother's fave. "You're never alone with a Strand" Remember the exotic Balkan Sobranie? SignatureJohn Dean Oxford >>>>In Australia you can still buy Aeroplane Jelly. The brand name was, >>>> I believe, chosen to give an impression of modernity, at a time [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > With the red pack and the black cat. My grandmother's fave. My aunt's, too. Came with coupons at one time - she saved them and got me a little stuffed Scottie dog. > "You're never alone with a Strand" > Remember the exotic Balkan Sobranie? And Passing Clouds - oval shaped, in a pink packet, frightfully sophisticated. SignatureLaura (emulate St. George for email) >>>My mother, who died an early death from smoking, used to smoke a brand >>>called "Craven A". That was decades before cigarette executives said [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >And Passing Clouds - oval shaped, in a pink packet, frightfully >sophisticated. And Sobranie Cocktail, in tasteful pastel shades. Googling just now, I was astonished to see they're still available, as are Black Russian. I gave up smoking decades ago, but I'm tempted, just for the nostalgia value. I don't think I kept my long cigarette-holder, though. SignatureKaty Jennison spamtrap: remove the first two letters after the @ > >>>My mother, who died an early death from smoking, used to smoke a brand > >>>called "Craven A". That was decades before cigarette executives said [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > just for the nostalgia value. I don't think I kept my long > cigarette-holder, though. And, for serious Turk-smokers, Sullivan Powell or Abdullah. One could show off by using Abdullah Egyptian, of course. There were also those real Russian ones which came each with a cardboard tube attached. Tobacconists used to be rather Arabian-Nightsy places. Saw a rather nice Indian cigarette box in a charity shop the other day: the dim distant days when you had to have a box of cigarettes on the table for visitors, even if you didn't smoke. SignatureMike. >And, for serious Turk-smokers, Sullivan Powell or Abdullah. One could >show off by using Abdullah Egyptian, of course. There were also those >real Russian ones which came each with a cardboard tube attached. Those are still available, you know. My son's F-I-L brought some over for my son. I tried one. Horrible. >Tobacconists used to be rather Arabian-Nightsy places. Saw a rather >nice Indian cigarette box in a charity shop the other day: the dim >distant days when you had to have a box of cigarettes on the table for >visitors, even if you didn't smoke. We have two nice ashtray/table lighter sets tucked away. Both wedding presents. SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL >>And, for serious Turk-smokers, Sullivan Powell or Abdullah. One could >>show off by using Abdullah Egyptian, of course. There were also those [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >>distant days when you had to have a box of cigarettes on the table for >>visitors, even if you didn't smoke. I inherited my chain-smoking aunt's marquetry cigarette box which plays "Santa Lucia". It sits - empty, but still smelling of the Craven A - on the piano. > We have two nice ashtray/table lighter sets tucked away. Both wedding > presents. We had a couple of those as wedding presents, too (as well as several soda syphons). I think I sent them off to the charity shop in our last house move. One table lighter was embedded in a quite attractive lump of onyx and was very heavy indeed. A very dear friend presented me with an elderly green and gold dragon made from some heavy metal which holds a cigarette lighter fitted into a silver ball balanced between its legs and tail. It lives in my study (and could do with a good dust, I now notice). And my most splendid silver dragon, immortalised in a wonderful drawing by Katy J, was once a cigarette lighter (a poorer cousin of his can be seen here: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/collectors/txt/s1594153.htm) SignatureLaura (emulate St. George for email) Mike Lyle <mike_lyle_uk@yahoo.co.uk> had it: > And, for serious Turk-smokers, Sullivan Powell or Abdullah. One could > show off by using Abdullah Egyptian, of course. There were also those [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > distant days when you had to have a box of cigarettes on the table for > visitors, even if you didn't smoke. We weren't all brought up in the Raj, you know. SignatureDavid ===== > Mike Lyle <mike_lyle_uk@yahoo.co.uk> had it: > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > We weren't all brought up in the Raj, you know. Ah, sorry. You'd have had a silver-mounted snuff-horn, of course. SignatureMike. >>And Passing Clouds - oval shaped, in a pink packet, frightfully >>sophisticated. > >And Sobranie Cocktail, in tasteful pastel shades. Scarily, I once found myself looking at a packet and thinking that they'd be the ones to smoke if I were to smoke. Which has something to say about the power of marketing. SignatureLinz Wet Yorks via Cambridge, York, London and Watford My accent may vary > Roland Hutchinson filted: >>(For those not in the know: it's actually called "Original >>Recipe(R)", and it's plenty crispy enough for me, which is to say, not >>much.) > > Those of us with long memories remember that the later version was > originally sold as "Extra Tasty Crispy".... I did not know that, sir. I think the introduction must have happened while Church's Chicken (né Church's _Fried_ Chicken) up in Greater Beantown was supplying my finger-lickin' requisites. SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. Roland Hutchinson filted: >> Roland Hutchinson filted: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >Church's Chicken (né Church's _Fried_ Chicken) up in Greater Beantown was >supplying my finger-lickin' requisites. Were they still counting thigh-and-leg as a single "piece"?...that, and my introduction to the Dr Pepper clone "Mr Nutt", were my earliest memories of Church's....r Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. > Roland Hutchinson filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Were they still counting thigh-and-leg as a single "piece"?... Come to think of it, I think they were. Mid-1970s this would have been. > that, and my > introduction to the Dr Pepper clone "Mr Nutt", were my earliest memories > of Church's....r SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. > I did not know that, sir. I think the introduction must have happened while > Church's Chicken (né Church's _Fried_ Chicken) up in Greater Beantown was > supplying my finger-lickin' requisites. "Would you like the finger-licking chicken?" "I have a dog who can do that." (From the Wizard of Id, I think.) SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. > Roland Hutchinson filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Those of us with long memories remember that the later version was > originally sold as "Extra Tasty Crispy".... Are you sure about that? I thought I remembered that that was a later (and temporary) change. I see "extra crispy" first showing up in the _LA Times_ in a 1973 ad: Now Kentucky Fried Chicken also comes extra crispy at participating kitchens [6/20/1973] It first shows up (as "the extra-crispy style") in an article in 1978. "Extra tasty crispy" doesn't show up in the archive, which runs through 1985. It first shows up on Usenet in 1992. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |Sometimes I think the surest sign 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |that intelligent life exists Palo Alto, CA 94304 |elsewhere in the universe is that |none of it has tried to contact us. kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com | Calvin (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ > Chain restaurants, and fast-food places in particular, seem to delight in > embarrassing their customers with the names of products...Denny's promotes not > only "Moons Over My Hammy", but the "Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity > Breakfast"....r It's like the McDonalds "Mc" obsession. I eat there occasionally, but I refuse to say things like:"I'd like the McChicken McBurger with a McSide of McFries and a McRegular McDrink", or whatever McNonsense they have come out with that McWeek. Mike M > It's like the McDonalds "Mc" obsession. I eat there occasionally, > but I refuse to say things like:"I'd like the McChicken McBurger > with a McSide of McFries and a McRegular McDrink", or whatever > McNonsense they have come out with that McWeek. They're often accused of (and parodied as) doing that, but aside from "McNuggets" and "McChicken" sandwiches I don't believe that there's actually anything on their menu that follows that convention. I recall "McRib" sandwiches and "McPizza" in test markets and a "McLean Deluxe" for a while, but I'd hardly call it an obsession. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |Pious Jews have a category of 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |questions that can harmlessly be Palo Alto, CA 94304 |allowed to go without an answer |until the Messiah comes. I suspect kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com |that this is one of them. (650)857-7572 | Joseph C. Fineman http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ >> It's like the McDonalds "Mc" obsession. I eat there occasionally, >> but I refuse to say things like:"I'd like the McChicken McBurger [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >recall "McRib" sandwiches and "McPizza" in test markets and a "McLean >Deluxe" for a while, but I'd hardly call it an obsession. Well there's the good ol' "Egg McMuffin". They probably stopped doing it when "Mc..." started being used as a productive prefix for anything cheap, ubiquitous, bad for you, tackily marketed, etc. (If any McFans haven't seen the award-winning documentary film *Super-Size Me* yet, I can recommend it. Although it's hardly earth-shattering reportage, in that it doesn't really cover any ground not already explored in far more damning depth by the book *Fast Food Nation*, it's highly entertaining all the same. SignatureMillicent Tendency (TEFKATHE) >>> It's like the McDonalds "Mc" obsession. I eat there occasionally, >>> but I refuse to say things like:"I'd like the McChicken McBurger [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Well there's the good ol' "Egg McMuffin". Ah, yes. I had forgotten about the breakfast "McMuffins" and "McGriddles". Also the "McFlurries" for dessert. Still a pretty small minority of any oftheir categories. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |...as a mobile phone is analogous 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |to a Q-Tip -- yeah, it's something Palo Alto, CA 94304 |you stick in your ear, but there |all resemblance ends. kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com | Ross Howard (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ Evan Kirshenbaum filted: >>>> It's like the McDonalds "Mc" obsession. I eat there occasionally, >>>> but I refuse to say things like:"I'd like the McChicken McBurger [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >"McGriddles". Also the "McFlurries" for dessert. Still a pretty >small minority of any oftheir categories. Then there's that other pseudoGaelic atrocity, the "Filet O'Fish"....r Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. R H Draney <dadoctah@spamcop.net> had it: > Evan Kirshenbaum filted: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Then there's that other pseudoGaelic atrocity, the "Filet O'Fish"....r I believe the word "Filet" was deliberately misspelled so that it could be legally protected, which isn't possible with a normal English word. SignatureDavid ===== The the Omrud entity posted thusly: >R H Draney <dadoctah@spamcop.net> had it: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >could be legally protected, which isn't possible with a normal >English word. Perhaps, but can't "Fillet O'Fish" be legally protected? While each word may not be protectable, surely the entire phrase can. Personally, I think they just thought it sounded more elegant, though many probably think it just sounds pretentious. > R H Draney had it: >> Evan Kirshenbaum filted: >>> Ah, yes. I had forgotten about the breakfast "McMuffins" and >>> "McGriddles". Also the "McFlurries" for dessert. Still a pretty [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > could be legally protected, which isn't possible with a normal > English word. "Filet" is a variant spelling of "fillet". The single "l" spelling is also used for filet mignon. The McD menu item is "Filet-O-Fish". SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) http://www.geocities.com/opus731/ >> R H Draney had it: >>> Then there's that other pseudoGaelic atrocity, the "Filet >>> O'Fish"....r [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > "Filet" is a variant spelling of "fillet". The single "l" spelling > is also used for filet mignon. The McD menu item is "Filet-O-Fish". But is it still, as I suspect, pronounced like "fillet", or do they use the /file/ pronunciation of filet mignon? Somehow I can't imagine Maccas allowing a French pronunciation to pollute their determined yobness. SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. >>> R H Draney had it: >>>> Then there's that other pseudoGaelic atrocity, the "Filet >>>> O'Fish"....r [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Maccas allowing a French pronunciation to pollute their determined > yobness. I have never ordered the fish, but were I to do so, I'd say as I always do -- something like "filleh" -- quite Frenchlike. SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) http://www.geocities.com/opus731/ > > But is it still, as I suspect, pronounced like "fillet", or do they > > use the /file/ pronunciation of filet mignon? Somehow I can't imagine [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I have never ordered the fish, but were I to do so, I'd say as I always > do -- something like "filleh" -- quite Frenchlike. Isn't that how red-blooded Americans always say fillet (or filet)? Pronouncing the "t" sounds British. SignatureSML The Sara Lorimer entity posted thusly: >> > But is it still, as I suspect, pronounced like "fillet", or do they >> > use the /file/ pronunciation of filet mignon? Somehow I can't imagine [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Isn't that how red-blooded Americans always say fillet (or filet)? >Pronouncing the "t" sounds British. No, it sounds unFrench, and is the only proper way to say the English word. In, of course, my opinion. >>> But is it still, as I suspect, pronounced like "fillet", or do they >>> use the /file/ pronunciation of filet mignon? Somehow I can't [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Isn't that how red-blooded Americans always say fillet (or filet)? > Pronouncing the "t" sounds British. It all depends what they are talking about. If it is 3 a : a concave junction formed where two surfaces meet (as at an angle) b : a strip that gives a rounded appearance to such a junction; also : a strip to reinforce the corner where two surfaces meet 4 : a narrow flat architectural member: a : a flat molding separating others b : the space between two flutings in a shaft then the pronunciation rhymes with "skillet". SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) http://www.geocities.com/opus731/ The Skitt entity posted thusly: >>>> But is it still, as I suspect, pronounced like "fillet", or do they >>>> use the /file/ pronunciation of filet mignon? Somehow I can't [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > >then the pronunciation rhymes with "skillet". As it also does when describing both the act and the result of filleting a fish. > The Skitt entity posted thusly: >>>>> But is it still, as I suspect, pronounced like "fillet", or do >>>>> they use the /file/ pronunciation of filet mignon? Somehow I can't [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > As it also does when describing both the act and the result of > filleting a fish. Not in these parts. I don't know where to draw the borders, though. SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) http://www.geocities.com/opus731/ >> The Skitt entity posted thusly: > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > Not in these parts. I don't know where to draw the borders, though. Was it at the "Dog 'n' Suds" or some other drive-in where the fish sandwich was named "Filay-o-fish". Anyway, the shrimp sandwich at DnS was that ground up reprocessed stuff. Crisp-fried, served on a bun. Edible, but not really tasty. (I remind myself, when needed, that the US pronunciation of "filet" is often said as a single syllable, which kind of gives the feeling for those flatfish and panfish: flay. 'Course, the beef (and lamb, pork and even chicken) cut gets the same name and pronunciation in many places.) > > The Skitt entity posted thusly: > >> It all depends what they are talking about. If it is > >> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Not in these parts. I don't know where to draw the borders, though. Not in France, definitely. Most of the US spells and pronounces the word the French way, one L and a silent T. Searching French-language pages only: "filet de sole" 48,100 "fillet de sole" 6 The USA McDonalds website says the fish sandwich is called Filet-O-Fish®. The McDonalds UK site (very buggy) says Filet-O-Fish™. SignatureBest -- Donna Richoux >>>> R H Draney had it: > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >I have never ordered the fish, but were I to do so, I'd say as I always >do -- something like "filleh" -- quite Frenchlike. I say it that way, but here in Ireland it's "et", McD or not. SignatureCharles Riggs >But is it still, as I suspect, pronounced like "fillet", or do they use >the /file/ pronunciation of filet mignon? Somehow I can't imagine Maccas >allowing a French pronunciation to pollute their determined yobness. The standard en-US pronunciation, whether spelled "fillet" or "filet", is /f@'lEi/. The "sweet" beef loin would be /f@'lEi mIn'jo~/ or /-'joun/ depending on the pretentiousness of the speaker. -GAWollman SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | The real tragedy of human existence is not that we are wollman@csail.mit.edu| nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness >>But is it still, as I suspect, pronounced like "fillet", or do they >>use the /file/ pronunciation of filet mignon? Somehow I can't [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > mIn'jo~/ or /-'joun/ depending on the pretentiousness of the > speaker. /-'jAn/ most often, in my experience (and how I pronounce it when I'm not trying to be pretentious). /f@'leI/ is how it was always pronounced in the McDonald's commercials, but it's also how their customers would have pronounced it if it they hadn't heard it in the ads. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |We never met anyone who believed in 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |fortune cookies. That's astounding. Palo Alto, CA 94304 |Belief in the precognitive powers |of an Asian pastry is really no kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com |wackier than belief in ESP, (650)857-7572 |subluxation, or astrology, but you |just don't hear anyone preaching http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ |Scientific Cookie-ism. | Penn and Teller > (If any McFans haven't seen the award-winning documentary film > *Super-Size Me* yet, I can recommend it. Although it's hardly > earth-shattering reportage, in that it doesn't really cover any ground > not already explored in far more damning depth by the book *Fast Food > Nation*, it's highly entertaining all the same. I don't believe living on fast food is any unhealthier than living on foie gras and caviar. Unfortunately, some people have a poisonous hatred for the hoi polloi, howeversomuch they may disguise it. >I don't believe living on fast food is any unhealthier than living on >foie gras and caviar. Funny, I have never heard of anyone "living on foie gras and caviar". Yet I do hear of many people "living on fast food". This probably has something to do with the cost per Calorie of the latter being so much less than that of the former. >Unfortunately, some people have a poisonous hatred for the hoi >polloi, howeversomuch they may disguise it. Some people also have a poisonous hatred for those who are even modestly well-off. -GAWollman SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | The real tragedy of human existence is not that we are wollman@csail.mit.edu| nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness >> I don't believe living on fast food is any unhealthier than living >> on foie gras and caviar. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > has something to do with the cost per Calorie of the latter being so > much less than that of the former. There's no fundamental reason why it should have much to do with wealth. So often, when I glance into other people's supermarket trolleys, I notice that those buying junk are building up big bills buying things that I feel I couldn't afford (TV dinners, corn chips, sugary snacks for the children, etc.). Most vegetables, to take the obvious example, cost a lot less than junk food. If I were suddenly plunged into poverty I'd probably have a very healthy diet, because the expensive things I'd have to give up are precisely the things that I shouldn't be eating anyway. The reason why poor people so often have unhealthy diets is more to do with education. They're in less of a position to understand the consequences of their choices, and thus more easily seduced by TV advertising. That's why so many countries have banned junk food advertising (and sometimes all advertising) in the hours when children are most likely to be watching TV. By the way, it's been ages since I last tasted pate or caviar. If I were a rich man, yabba deedle didle deedle didle deedle didle dum, I'd have priorities far more important than impressing-the-Joneses high-status food. Caviar is a high-energy food, which no doubt makes it useful for astronauts, but its taste is nothing to write home about. Those who buy it frequently are merely illustrating that there is not necessarily any correlation between wealth and good taste. SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. > Chain restaurants, and fast-food places in particular, seem to > delight in embarrassing their customers with the names of > products...Denny's promotes not only "Moons Over My Hammy", but the > "Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity Breakfast"....r Not only that, but they insist on your using their silly names. Walk into a McDonald's and ask for "a hamburger with the works" and they'll look at you as if you'd just arrived from the moon. SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. >> Chain restaurants, and fast-food places in particular, seem to >> delight in embarrassing their customers with the names of [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >into a McDonald's and ask for "a hamburger with the works" and they'll >look at you as if you'd just arrived from the moon. Not here. Well, the counter person looks at you like you'd just arrived from the moon, but only because they don't quite grasp why people are standing there in front of them with money in their hand. What I do notice in McD's or Burger King is that if you order a hamburger with "mustard only" that this causes a great deal of confusion. If you repeat it several times, slowly and distinctly, they will figure out you want "only mustard" on the hamburger. Why the order of words is important baffles me, but it's true in just about any McD or BK. SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL >> Chain restaurants, and fast-food places in particular, seem to >> delight in embarrassing their customers with the names of [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > into a McDonald's and ask for "a hamburger with the works" and > they'll look at you as if you'd just arrived from the moon. I probably would, too. It sounds as though you're attempting to order something different from what you'd get by just ordering "a hamburger", and yet the latter will cause you to get one with everything that comes standard and there's no listing anywhere *you* can see of what the non-standard options are. (Do you really want mustard and ketchup and mayonannaise and barbecue sauce and tarter sauce?) As for picking one size to call a "hamburger" and having an idiosyncratic name for other sizes, I don't see that as limited to chain restaurants, much less fast food restaurants. Pretty much any place that has more than one size does it. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |I like giving talks to industry, 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |because one of the things that I've Palo Alto, CA 94304 |found is that you really can't |learn anything at the Harvard kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com |Business School. (650)857-7572 | Clayton Christensen | Harvard Business School http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ >> Not only that, but they insist on your using their silly names. >> Walk into a McDonald's and ask for "a hamburger with the works" and [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > order something different from what you'd get by just ordering "a > hamburger", [...] I have no difficulty in understanding that "a hamburger with the works", and a few local variants of that, are Australianisms that wouldn't be understood in other countries. The McDs I'm talking about, however, are located in Australia and staffed by Australian children. They would know the term because it's part of their culture. When they go and buy a real hamburger in their time off, they probably order a "works" or a "hamburger with the lot" if they want the egg, bacon, tomato, onion, and the other extras that are most popular in an Australian hamburger. Or if they want fish and chips, that's what they ask for. Yet as soon as they're back at work they don't know what chips are - you have to ask them for fries instead - and they forget the rest of their Australian vocabulary. There's something in the atmosphere of the place that turns people into robots. SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. Evan Kirshenbaum filted: >As for picking one size to call a "hamburger" and having an >idiosyncratic name for other sizes, I don't see that as limited to >chain restaurants, much less fast food restaurants. Pretty much any >place that has more than one size does it. A&W used to sell four sizes of theirs, although the differences seemed to be more in the selection of toppings: the Papa Burger, the Mama Burger, the Teen Burger, and the Baby Burger...("are they made from real--no, put that out of your mind").... At least they missed the "tall/grande/venti" innovation....r Signature"Keep your eye on the Bishop. I want to know when he makes his move", said the Inspector, obliquely. > Evan Kirshenbaum filted: >> As for picking one size to call a "hamburger" and having an [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Mama Burger, the Teen Burger, and the Baby Burger...("are they made > from real--no, put that out of your mind").... Having put _that_ out of my mind, I still want to know whether they tasted like porridge. SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. The R H Draney entity posted thusly: >Evan Kirshenbaum filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >Burger, and the Baby Burger...("are they made from real--no, put that out of >your mind").... You missed the"Grandpa Burger". > The cry from behind the counter has changed. Last time I was there, > I recollect "Can I help anyone?" Now it's "Anyone next?" > Is this something laid down by the Colonel's heavy regimentation of staff > behaviour? Or a local innovation? And what, prezackly, does it mean? Presumably it's short for "Is anyone next in line?" The implication is that there is no distinct line visible--that with a crowd milling about, it is hard to determine whether any given person or party is actually awaiting a turn for service, as opposed to awaiting delivery of an order already placed or merely passing the time of day. The Eric Walker entity posted thusly: >> The cry from behind the counter has changed. Last time I was there, >> I recollect "Can I help anyone?" Now it's "Anyone next?" [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >actually awaiting a turn for service, as opposed to awaiting delivery >of an order already placed or merely passing the time of day. Hereabouts the usual is "I can help the next person in line" or "Can I help the next in line", with small variations in the exact wording. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2012 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.