Travelling in business class is synonymous with luxury and exceptional service, but a recent incident involving a Chinese airline’s in-flight menu has cast a humorous light on the quality of service provided. Conrad Wu, a digital creator, took to Facebook to share a photo revealing an unexpected appetizer option: “imported dog food.” The post quickly went viral, prompting a wave of comments questioning the airline’s standards.
One Facebook user, drawing attention to the airline’s pet-friendly policy, recounted an experience sitting next to a passenger with a small service dog. In response, another user added a touch of sarcasm, comparing the quality of dog food to the actual animal.
A closer look at the menu reveals other peculiarly named dishes such as “Corn Dragon Bone Soup” and “Shark’s Fin Chinese Vegetable.” A Facebook user humorously pointed out that the majority of the English on the menu seemed to be lost in translation, noting, “It’s quite comical for an international airline.”
The “imported dog food” debacle appears to be a result of a misinterpretation of a Chinese dish when translated into English. This isn’t the first instance of such amusing translation errors. In 2019, industrialist Anand Mahindra shared a menu that labeled a dish as “Delicious Roasted Husband.” Similarly, a 2015 photo of a Chinese menu featured a dish ominously named “Human Skin.”
Food writer Emily Monaco delved into the prevalent issue of menu translation errors in a 2018 article for Atlas Obscura. Monaco highlighted that most mistakes occur when translating between alphabet-based languages like English and French and ideographic languages like Chinese. The challenge is compounded by the fact that many translators lack expertise in the culinary field, relying on literal translations. For instance, the Cuban dish ‘ropa vieja,’ consisting of shredded beef, translates literally to “old/ripped clothes” in English, while the Mexican dish “tacos sudados” amusingly becomes “sweaty tacos.”
As we chuckle at these linguistic missteps, it’s a reminder of the challenges in translating the rich and diverse world of culinary delights across languages. Perhaps, in the realm of in-flight menus, a touch of humor could be the best side dish.
