Fabolous fish and georgeus steaks

A menu funny posted on Facebook this morning inspired me to write the poem. I simply loved "fabolous and georgeus" and had to find a way to use them.

Fabolous fish and georgeus steaks

Please don't adjust your spellcheck,
I find the phrase divine.
And one Croatian restaurant,
too thought that it was fine.

So what was on the menu,
apart from fish and steaks?
Great wine and tasty dishes,
and some hilarious mistakes.

So the restaurant provides entertainment,
even before the food's brought out.
But what if the menu's confusing,
and you get trotters instead of trout.

If you want your menu translated,
avoid Google and Babelfish.
Only a specialist translator,
can aptly describe the dish.

"To the French" and similar descriptions,
are direct results of Google Translate,
leaving the diner mystified,
as to what he'll find on this plate.

The language of menu translation,
is complex and often poetic.
It takes the skills of a translator,
to render the true aesthetic.

Fabolous and georgeus are classics,
so wrong and yet so good.
This restaurant will be remembered,
but not because of its food.

Maybe the owner had a go,
thought he'd save some money,
or a waiter who speaks the lingo,
was responsible for this funny?

So a message to restaurant owners,
who think their English is fabolous.
Keep making your georgeus steaks,
and leave the translating to us.

© Alison Hughes June 2014