Traditional Chinese Dish Names vs the Olympics

[Luobot]

I read in CNN about yet another casualty of the Olympics: The local flavor of menu dish names. For example, for the “benefit” of foreigners, "chicken without sexual life" will now be called "steamed pullet." This is just one example, and perhaps you’ve heard of other good dish names that will be biting the foreign dust, so to speak.

Yes, steamed pullet will sound more familiar to the French, but does anyone reallly think that the French ear can’t handle a dish named, "chicken without sexual life" -- or chicken with sexual life, for that matter?

[imron]

Hmm, China renames oddly named menu items to....... oddly named menu items

[Senzhi]

For the French they could have called it "poulet frigide".

[foodtarget]

Well considering that, in the past, Beijing has rounded up (and even killed) beggars and mentally retarded people to give foreigners a better impression of the city, the death of eccentric food names seems like an improvement.

Actually, I think "chicken without sexual life" sounds way more interesting than "steamed pullet." In fact, I don't even know what pullet is (I'm from the American SE, and we don't eat that there fancy gour-met stuff), so changing the name would probably just make me more confused. Does the original name have any literal significance?

[Senzhi]

In fact, I don't even know what pullet

In fact, I don't know what a "chicken without sexual life" is ... again, frigide?

[Luobot]

In fact, I don't even know what pullet is

Poulet is a young, tender spring chicken, or in other words, [ADSO]鸡肉[/ADSO].

For the French they could have called it "poulet frigide"

And for President Bush's order, when he chows down at the Olympics, they could name it "abstinent poulet" or "chicken that made the right choice and waited."

For Madonna nostalgia fans, the proper name is "like a virgin chicken."

[Senzhi]

[Gary Soup]

I wonder if they've renamed "sea cucumber."

I also wonder if Beijing has a damage control strategy for a document which is being widely circulated in the US by email. It's too big to upload here, but you can see it at the link below:

http://whattoeatbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/beijingfastfood1.pdf

[Luobot]

@Gary Soup

I took a look at this pdf -- mouth watering pictures, not to mention the delectable sounding dishes. Canine lovers are sure to thrill over the Dog Brain Soup, which I presume is the appetizer for Dog Liver with Vegetables.

But my favorite is the one on your website called, Home-Cooked Ox Penis, with a preparation description that begins:

"Method: Steam ox penis until stiff ..."

[Luobot]

Canine lovers are sure to thrill over the Dog Brain Soup, which I presume is the appetizer for Dog Liver with Vegetables.

I have to amend my previous post.

This is one dish name that won't have to be renamed, because ...

Dog Meat Off the Menu During Olympics