# Things which aren't from where their name suggests **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 5, 2018, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000 "2018-11-05T11:38:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/181 "2018-11-09T05:10:54Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Then again, neither do they mention any particular city in their advertising. My point is that Rice-A-Roni isn’t the sort of thing you’d expect to see on a restaurant menu. It’s a boxed mix intended for people who don’t have time to cook, or don’t know how to cook. David Letterman found comedy in not being able to find a restaurant in San Francisco that served it, but that has nothing to with whether it was invented in San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/182 "2018-11-09T05:23:46Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Then again, neither do they mention any particular city in their advertising. Say what? :dubious: 😕 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/yzOR_Fal_SY/hqdefault.jpg "VINTAGE 1962 RICE A RONI COMMERCIAL - THE SAN FRANCISCO TREAT") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzOR_Fal_SY) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/183 "2018-11-09T07:12:58Z")
[quote=“terentii, post:182, topic:824000”] Say what? :dubious: 😕 [/QUOTE] **Elendil’s Heir** was referring to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and Hamburger Helper, not Rice-A-Roni. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/184 "2018-11-09T21:00:24Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > **Elendil’s Heir** was referring to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and Hamburger Helper, not Rice-A-Roni. Oh. Well, that’s very different. Never mind. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/185 "2018-11-09T22:39:26Z")
funny thing is rice a roni is pretty much a boxed flavored Asian fried rice but with their chinatown im not surprised no restaurant makes it ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/186 "2018-11-09T23:36:03Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > funny thing is rice a roni is pretty much a boxed flavored Asian fried rice but with their chinatown im not surprised no restaurant makes it The “Roni” in Rice-A-Roni is macaroni. The product is a mix of rice, pasta, and flavorings. It’s closer to a pilaf than to friend rice—to make it, you brown the rice and pasta in butter, then add water and seasonings and simmer. The original seasoning was basically powdered chicken soup. It really isn’t similar to Asian fried rice. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/187 "2018-11-10T00:12:00Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > . . .friend rice. . . Oops—I meant “fried rice.” I’m not a cannibal. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/188 "2018-11-10T15:01:28Z")
Previous thread that started with [Boston Coffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=259878). Which, as far I know, did not originate in that city and the phrase is not used in Boston. ---
**Author:** ![Tempe\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tempe_jeff/32/7328_2.png) [@Tempe\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tempe_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/189 "2018-11-11T03:39:23Z")
In the 1970’s Big Boy Restaurants served Boston Cream Pie everywhere, except Boston. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/190 "2018-11-11T18:15:45Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Previous thread that started with [Boston Coffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=259878). Which, as far I know, did not originate in that city and the phrase is not used in Boston. Well, but that is normal. Take Spanish Rice. It is an unknown thing in Spain. It does come from Mexico, and as you might expect, there they call it “rice” (arroz). I know people who make this stuff that is a thick meaty sauce on a bun that they call Spanish Hamburgers, which I suspect has absolutely nothing to do with the cuisine of Spain, or even Latin America (we always called those things Sloppy Joes). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/191 "2018-11-11T23:21:28Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Cor **anglé** (bent horn) > was misheard as > cor anglais (English horn) Probably [not](https://obergh.net/songoffire/2017/09/04/english-horn-not-horn-not-english/). > [@](#): > > The curved _oboe da caccia_, along with the straight oboe with an open bell, resembled the kinds of instruments played by angels in religious images from the Middle Ages. German-speaking inhabitants of Central Europe began calling such instruments _engellisches Horn_—literally, _angelic horn_. But _engellisch_ also meant “English” in the vernacular of the time. The dual meaning led foreigners to mis-translate the term as “English” when referring to the instrument. Thus the instrument became _English horn_ in England, _cor anglais_ in France, and _corno inglese_ in Italy. > > One discredited theory held that the instrument’s name derived from a corrupted Middle French word, _anglé_, meaning “bent” or “angled.” This would have referred to the curved shape, and supposedly became confused with the French word _anglais_ over time. However, no evidence exists to suggest that the term _cor anglé_ was ever used. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/192 "2018-11-14T16:18:37Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > I don’t know about the UK, but Marathon bars in the US didn’t have almonds in them. Are they still available? I haven’t seen them in years. > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I believe they’re sold at some Cracker Barrels, but, of course, they’re only about 1/4th their original size. > [@pulykamell](#): > > The US has Marathon bars? :eek: I had no idea! And I meant peanuts, not almonds. Is [this what you’re talking about](https://www.bulkcandystore.com/info/long-lost-candies-the-marathon-bar/)? Because, then, that’s another candy bar that is different from its US and UK incarnations. [This is the Marathon](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1019117/Nutty-decision-rename-Snickers-chocolate-bars-Marathon-again.html) I was thinking of. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Not for quite a long time, now; the [U.S. Marathon candy bar](http://www.retroland.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Marathon-Bar.jpg) (a sort of twisted braid of chocolate and caramel) was introduced in the early 1970s, and I think it was discontinued by the early '80s (though Burpo the Wonder Mutt’s post suggests one might be able to find them again). As you can see, the only thing it had in common with the UK Marathon bar was the name. > > [The early ads for it featured John Wayne’s son, Patrick, as “Marathon John.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0QykM1Ge-U) **UPDATE** I was in my local Cracker Barrel for lunch yesterday and went looking for Marathon bars and–lo and behold–a stock clerk was working the candy displays and asked if she could help. I enquired re: Marathon and she informed me they were not sold at that branch but were available at other CBs. When I asked how they were still around after being discontinued in the '80s, she (without missing a beat) explained CB buys the recipe and has the candy bars specially made for them. I believe her and will continue my search at other CBs–which would be two exits further down the Interstate. 🙂 Stay tuned. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/193 "2018-11-16T02:03:51Z")
Are hamburgers from Hamburg? Or frankfurters from Frankfurt? Are wienerschnitzels from Vienna? I do recall seeing “Wienerbrot” on the menu of the student canteen in Aarhus University in Denmark and they sure looked like Danish pastry. Off topic: geoducks (pronounced gooey ducks) are neither gooey nor ducks. They are a kind of giant clam. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/194 "2018-11-16T07:36:52Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > [Are] frankfurters from Frankfurt? Yes; see [Post #137](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21307843&postcount=137). > [@](#): > > Are wienerschnitzels from Vienna? Maybe not originally, but they were certainly popularized there. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2018, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/195 "2018-11-16T08:21:29Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Off topic: geoducks (pronounced gooey ducks) are neither gooey nor ducks. Do foreign words count? Because that’s just the Anglicization of the NA name. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/196 "2018-11-20T05:47:17Z")
The Southern blot is a technique used in biological research that is unrelated to the south of anything. The scientist who invented it is named Edwin Southern. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/197 "2018-11-20T06:07:20Z")
Australian Shepherd doggies were bred and developed as a breed in the US. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/198 "2018-11-20T19:52:52Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > The Southern blot is a technique used in biological research that is unrelated to the south of anything. The scientist who invented it is named Edwin Southern. The Polaroid Land camera wasn’t called that because it could only take pictures on land. It was named after it’s creator, Edwin Land. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000/199 "2018-11-21T18:04:48Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Not surprising, since “Bombay” seems to be a British name. Similarly, IPA did not originate in India, and, as I recall, India ink comes from China. Not sure where china comes from, but I am fairly sure it is not from China. I think it was named after the bilge water in an old freighter bound for India. Horrible vile liquid - shouldn’t be allowed to be called “ale”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-which-arent-from-where-their-name-suggests/824000.md?page=9)