Monday, September 21, 2015

Punishment for Misusing Words

At the table next to mine this AM:

Waitress: "I'll bring you some more Holiday sauce."
(TBGs ears perk up at this...)
Customer 1: "That will be lovely."
(Illiterate waitress leaves)
Customer 2: "What's she bringing?"
C1: "Holiday sauce. For my Eggs Benedict."
C2: "Oh. Ok."

Constant Readers will be proud of me; I did not head-smack either of the customers or the waitress...
I did throw up in my mouth a little,  but no actual projectile vomiting occurred.

Question: How much violence should be allowable to visit upon people that butcher the English language?

TBG

8 comments:

Angus McThag said...

Considering that English is a living language, no violence should be meted out upon those who misuse it.

Especially since the misuse in this case is messing up a French infiltration word.

Doubly so since it's a French word for a condiment that's only used here for eggs Benedict and asparagus.

Luc said...

Errr .. what Angus said.

The Big Guy said...

Goodness no!
A correctly made sauce Hollandiase is a true delight!
On poached salmon. As a dipping sauce for artichokes...
Instead of the typical Steak Oscar, substitute large fresh Mayport shrimp atop a seared filet, drizzled with Hollandaise.
Any kind of potato dish especially scalloped 'taters...

I've only had one bad experience with it: my ex-wife once used it as an element in a lasagna... It was one of the many items enumerated in our dissolution of marriage paperwork.

I will grant you that we are victims of a froggy illegal immigration with regard to the name, so let's give it the old 'Freedom Fries' treatment...

"Super good yellow tasty sauce" perhaps?

Unknown said...

I donno. I'm kinda dumb. But isn't eggs Benedict actually eggs Benedict BECAUSE of the Hollandiase sauce? I mean, with it, isn't it just poached eggs?!?!?!

Unknown said...

That should say, WITHOUT IT. I am an idiot.

Angus McThag said...

Call it holly sauce, like we shortened mayonnaise to mayo.

Plus, when can I come over for dinner?

Old NFO said...

Ye. Gods. They live, breathe, and breed... sigh

Angus McThag said...

You can be rest assured that I am not breeding.

Plus I think I am only living and breathing because it's illegal to shoot me.