# If the Chinese named Western foods (a game of sorts) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727 "2006-10-24T17:13:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/1 "2006-10-24T17:13:08Z")
We westerners are so lame when it comes to naming food. French onion soup, for example, is a boring name for a tasty dish. Chinese food has much more imaginative names, such as Dragon and Phoenix or Many Happiness Duck. So I say let’s rename our common western dishes to something more comfortable. The following are everything from single ingredients to full courses. See if you can guess what they are, then add a few of your own. One become many jade menace Ocean delight gold and crimson pancake Autumn phoenix with berry happiness Hi mein with beef orbs Moo moo sandwich with golden snakes Mu shi breakfast Crispy happy triangles with jade sauce Israeli circle of life with sea dragon Golden dip pork snake Crimson orb in many layer happy ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/2 "2006-10-24T17:20:57Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Hi mein with beef orbs Moo moo sandwich with golden snakes [/QUOTE] Spaghetti and Meatballs Burger and fries Yeah yours are more entertaining, but I don’t know what the rest are. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/3 "2006-10-24T17:21:54Z")
[QUOTE=brewha] Burger and fries [/QUOTE] Cheesburger, actually. Moo moo. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/4 "2006-10-24T17:43:37Z")
Well we do have Colonel’s Chicken. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/5 "2006-10-24T17:46:39Z")
Israeli circle of life with sea dragon Bagel and Lox! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/6 "2006-10-24T18:07:57Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] Well we do have Colonel’s Chicken. [/QUOTE] AKA Golden atrocity in bucket. ---
**Author:** ![Sans\_Seraph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sans\_Seraph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sans_Seraph)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/7 "2006-10-24T18:14:52Z")
Autumn phoenix with berry happiness –Roast turkey and cranberry sauce Crispy happy triangles with jade sauce –Chips and guacamole Golden dip pork snake –Corn dog ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/8 "2006-10-24T18:35:30Z")
Some that I know of that are cute and descriptive… Pigs in a Blanket (sausages wrapped in pancakes) Egg in a Nest (fried egg in a piece of bread) Baked Alaska (deep fried ice cream) Beenie Weenies (pork 'n beans and hotdogs) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/9 "2006-10-24T19:47:37Z")
[QUOTE=GargoyleWB] Beenie Weenies (pork 'n beans and hotdogs) [/QUOTE] Or as Calvin would have it - _Cigar Butts in a Gallstone Sauce_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/10 "2006-10-24T20:10:45Z")
I don’t think there’s really any disconnect. In addition to the imaginative Western names cited by **GargoyleWB** , you have Chinese names like “beef and broccoli”, or “shrimp fried rice”. Both cultures have clever names, and both have names that are merely blandly descriptive. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/11 "2006-10-24T20:17:49Z")
[QUOTE=GargoyleWB] Baked Alaska (deep fried ice cream) [/QUOTE] Baked Alaska is actually ice cream (sometimes on cake) with a meringue topping. Deep fried ice cream could be called rounded balls of frozen cow in golden gently fried scrotums. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/12 "2006-10-24T20:36:50Z")
Also, the translations are not always accurate representations of the degree of fanciness of the original name. For example, the name of “twice-cooked pork” in Chinese more closely resembles “back in the pot pork.” This kind of reminds me of a scene in “The Red Violin”. In the China segment, during a meeting, one person says something that was subtitled “So-and-so speaks with great wisdom.” What she actually said was “So-and-so is very smart.” It’s amusing how much more dignified they made the subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/13 "2006-10-24T20:40:09Z")
Well, now that we’ve strayed about as far as possible from the point of the thread… ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/14 "2006-10-24T20:50:12Z")
One become many jade menace = Salad? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/15 "2006-10-24T21:28:00Z")
[QUOTE=Beadalin] One become many jade menace = Salad? [/QUOTE] Nope. It is, however, a vegetable. Not a dish. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/16 "2006-10-24T21:33:15Z")
Answers (some from previous posters): [QUOTE=tdn] One become many jade menace = Spinach? Ocean delight gold and crimson pancake = Crab Cake Autumn phoenix with berry happiness = Turkey with Cranberry Sauce Hi mein with beef orbs = Spaghetti & Meatballs Moo moo sandwich with golden snakes = Cheeseburger (or Grilled Cheese Sandwich?) and French Fries Mu shi breakfast = Breakfast Taco Crispy happy triangles with jade sauce = Chips & Guacamole Israeli circle of life with sea dragon = Bagel & Lox Golden dip pork snake = Corn Dog Crimson orb in many layer happy = Jello Mold [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/17 "2006-10-24T22:48:23Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Nope. It is, however, a vegetable. Not a dish. [/QUOTE] Broccoli. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/18 "2006-10-25T00:05:07Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] Well we do have Colonel’s Chicken. [/QUOTE] If Colonel Sanders and General Tso got in a fight, who would win? 😛 Some entries of my own to guess: - Archipelago sweet potato color sauce. - Dragon sizzling steak on silver platter with peppers and onions (Trick question!) - Not-so-spicy Sichuan diced marinated Chicken (another Tricky one) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/19 "2006-10-25T00:31:35Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] Answers (some from previous posters): [/QUOTE] All of the previous answers are correct (except the jade menace), but the new answers, while very clever, are wrong. One become many jade menace – one become VERY many. Take over honorable garden. Ocean delight gold and crimson pancake – Sometimes I like mine with fungi and pork instead of stinky ocean delight. Mu shi breakfast – Very mu shi. With brown sugar. Crimson orb in many layer happy – Arso come in brueberry, raspberry, and chocorate. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727/20 "2006-10-25T00:33:26Z")
- Archipelago sweet potato color sauce. Does it go well with lettuce? - Dragon sizzling steak on silver platter with peppers and onions (Trick question!) With pancakes? - Not-so-spicy Sichuan diced marinated Chicken (another Tricky one) a la king? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-chinese-named-western-foods-a-game-of-sorts/377727.md?page=2)