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Menu translators

For some years I have watched travelers in restaurants in central and southern France, northern Italy and the islands of Corsica, Sicily and Sardinia both struggling with menus in a mysterious foreign language and failing to use any of a series of little paperbacks on eating and drinking in the country they are visiting. When I ask them if they have ever come across restaurant guides, the answer is consistently negative.

The little books I have listed below not only will take the mystery out of ordering a meal but may be used to break the ice with the wait staff. I have consistently found that servers appreciate my effort to learn and understand the menu.

More than once, with my “restaurant bible” in plain view next to my place setting, I have had a waiter bring two menus and hold them out with a quizzical look on his face and laugh when I pick the French one.

These guides are part of a series, “What Kind of Food Am I ?” by Andy Herbach and Michael Dillon, from Open Road Publishing in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. They cost $9.95 apiece.

• “Eating and Drinking in Paris,” third edition (ISBN 1593600860 — 128 pp.).

• “Eating and Drinking in Italy,” fourth edition (ISBN 1593600712 — 128 pp.).

• “Eating and Drinking in Spanish,” second edition (ISBN 1892975645 — 128 pp.).

• “Eating and Drinking in Latin America” (ISBN 1892975963 — 144 pp.).

I feel confident that when you face a mealtime with one of these props, you will do so with a light heart, a smile on your face and eager anticipation. For more books on Europe by this publisher, visit www.openroadguides.com.

GEORGE DEHNEL
San Diego, CA

From the February 2007 issue.

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