History Main / DinnerOrderFlub

* Creator/JasperCarrott has a routine about visiting Hong Kong with friends and visiting a restaurant where people ordered by pointing at animals in cages. An animal would dissappear into the kitchen and a little later would reappear cooked on a plate. Carrot noticed a scruffy dog sniffing around the street tables. His friend nudged him and said "For Christ's sake don't point at it!"

Alternatively, the character could order an actual dish, but adds a provision that indicates they have no idea what it is they have just ordered. When PlayedForLaughs, often involves the waiter bringing back a heaping helping of the region's finest ForeignQueasine. Compare IsItSomethingYouEat. In that case, they at least ''ask'' before attempting to order the wifi or the pageone.

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[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/OzyAndMillie https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ozy_and_millie.png]]]]

* Creator/JasperCarrott has a routine about visiting Hong Kong with friends and visiting a restaurant where people ordered by pointing at animals in cages. An animal would dissappear into the kitchen and a little later would reappear cooked on a plate. Carrot noticed a scruffy dog sniffing around the street tables. His friend nudged him and said "For Christ's sake don't point at it!"

* ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' manages both forms in one strip. Attempting to impress Sara, Jeremy orders the radicchio, "medium rare, of course". The waiter informs him that the raddichio is a salad and the chef prefers to serve it raw. As Sara and Connie dissolve in laughter, Walt attempts to make Jeremy feel better by saying that when he and Connie were dating he once ordered "jackets required".

* ''ComicStrip/CarlGiles'': When the family is in France, every attempt by would-be intellectual Henry to order steak and chips in French ends up with the family being served frogs legs.

* In ''Film/WayOfTheDragon'', Bruce Lee's character goes into a restaurant in Italy and accidentally orders every soup on the menu (which later makes him have to pee a lot).

* In [[Website/TheOnion Our Dumb World]]'s entry on Burkina Faso, there's a joke about the very low literacy rate of that country when one of their diplomats tries to order a notice that an extra gratuity may be charged for large groups.

* In one ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' book, Claudia goes out with a guy she likes to a French restaurant. The guy is a very smart/intellectual type, and Claudia is trying to keep him from realizing she's not. She figures hey, she's not a picky eater, so she picks something on the menu at random. The "something" in question turns out to be ''escargot'', or snails. Which she then forces herself to eat to keep up the pretense.

* ''Series/BeverlyHills90210''. While in Paris, Brenda and Donna order "veal". Unfortunately, the English word "veal" sounds like the French word "cerveau". After being served their meal, the girls are horrified to learn they're eating. . .calf brains (a well known delicacy in France, but obviously not in the US).
* Richie thinks he’s ordering a fruit plate in one ''{{Series/Highlander}}'' episode but he ends up getting a seafood plate. “Fruits d’mer” is French for “fruits of the sea” and is raw seafood.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Selma takes Hans Moleman out to dinner in order to seduce him ([[MyBiologicalClockIsTicking she wants a baby]], and by this time doesn't much care with who). He tries to read the menu but the waiter tells him it's the wine list. "Very good."
* On ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', Bullwinkle goes into a coffee shop and looks over the menu. Seeing that refills are free, he tells the waiter "think I'll have some of that there refill."

* ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'': In "Pompeii and Circumstance", Fred is continually misreading his Italian phrase book. As a result, he orders a potted plant at a restaurant.

[[folder: Advertising ]]

[[folder: Comedy ]]

-->The problem with trying to order in French, is that the waiter thinks you speak [fluent] French, and goes, ''(French-sounding gibberish)'' and you go, '...Yes!' And he brings you a shoe with cheese on it. And you also told him to force it down your throat. 'I'll have a shoe with cheese on it, force it down my throat, and I want to massage your grandmother, okay?'

[[folder: Film - Animated ]]
* Played With in ''WesternAnimation/BonVoyageCharlieBrown'' - Charlie Brown, Linus, Marcie, and Peppermint Patty stop to eat in a British pub while en route to France. However, being Americans, they're clearly not familiar with British cuisine as they are forced to ask the waiter for help in deciding what to eat. This doesn't help either as not one of them can [[LanguageBarrier understand the waiter's British English]].
-->'''Charlie Brown:''' What did he say?
-->'''Marcie:''' Perhaps I should have studied ''English'', not French.

[[folder: Film - Live Action ]]

* English version in ''Film/{{Komaa}}'' - Hassan doesn't understand even basic English and attempts to order a "coffee shop."

[[folder: Folklore ]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Jokes ]]

-->'''Customer:''' ''(Poring over the menu)'' I'll have the... ''(italian-style pronunciation)'' pageone, please.
-->'''Waiter:''' That's not a dish, sir, that's "Page One".

-->'''UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush:''' ''(Poring over the menu)'' I'd like a quickie, please.
-->'''Dick Cheney:''' That's "''quiche''"!

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]

[[folder: Music ]]

-->So I asked the waiter, "How's the beef?"\\

But this wasn't even hurt real bad!

-->I can understand chocolate eggs, and chocolate bunny rabbits, But a chocolate moose? Ain't never gonna catch on...

[[folder: New Media ]]
* From ''Website/NotAlwaysRight'':
-->[[http://notalwaysright.com/now-in-original-extra-bandwidth-flavor/2121 "The serving of Wi-Fi, how big is the free portion?"]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]
* ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' manages both forms in one strip. Attempting to impress Sara, Jeremy orders the radicchio, "medium rare, of course". The waiter informs him that the raddichio is a salad and the chef prefers to serve it raw. As Sara and Connie dissolve in laughter, Walt attempts to make Jeremy feel better by saying that when he and Connie were dating he once ordered "jackets required".
* One ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' strip had Guard Duck on a date with Maura, ordering "The chateaubriand, cooked medium well, and a glass of your finest pinot noir". Although the actual strip wasn't an example, Stephan Pastis said this about the strip in the "Pearls Sells Out" commentary:[[note]]For the record, [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting chateaubriand is a type of food]]. It's a kind of steak.[[/note]]
-->'''Stephan Pastis:''' I really don't know what chateaubriand is. It just sounded like something fancy you'd order in an expensive restaurant. I'm hoping it is actually a type of food.
* ''ComicStrip/CarlGiles'': When the family is in France, every attempt by would-be intellectual Henry to order steak and chips in French ends up with the family being served frogs legs.
* One Creator/GahanWilson cartoon shows a patron with an inedible pile of ashes on his plate, while a snooty waiter says, "It's a burnt telephone book. We gave it a fancy French name and you ordered it."

[[folder: Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/OzyAndMillie'': Llewellyn goes to a Chinese restaurant and tries to place his order in Chinese. The waiter brings him a shoe and a bowling ball.
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[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/orderflub.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"I sure hope you enjoy the special meal I ordered in Eye-talian."]]A Comedy Trope. A character is eating at a fancy restaurant where the menu is in a foreign language. Attempting to appear sophisticated and impress their date, the character points at something impressive sounding on the menu and says they'll have that, only for the waiter to inform them that they have just ordered the dress code, the chef or something similar (see MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels). This may also occur if the character is nearsighted, and in bad cases what they try to order from is not even the menu.

--> "The problem with trying to order in French, is that the waiter thinks you speak [fluent] French, and goes, ''(French-sounding gibberish)'' and you go, '...Yes!' And he brings you a shoe with cheese on it. And you also told him to force it down your throat. 'I'll have a shoe with cheese on it, force it down my throat, and I want to massage your grandmother, okay?'"

* In ''Film/WayOfTheDragon'', Bruce Lee's character goes into a restaurant in Italy and accidentally orders every soup on the menu [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments (which later makes him have to pee a lot)]].

* A tv ad had a young woman driving the advertised car, following along to a "Learn Italian" tape when a distinguished man pulls up next to her. He talks to her in Italian; she breezily replies in Italian (subtitled) "Good toast, waiter. I would like a slice of suitcase!" and drives off. Hopefully she picks up a bit more before her trip to Italy.

-->'''Marcie:''' Perhaps I should have studied *English*, not French.

* English version in ''Film/{{Komaa}}'' - Hassan doesn't understand even basic english and attempts to order a "coffee shop."
* ''[[Creator/MaryKateAndAshleyOlsen Passport to Paris]]'' does this in a strange way. One of the twins, who is learning French at a high-school level, accidentally orders fish (''poissons'') when she wanted drinks('''''b'''oissons'').

[[caption-width-right:350:"I sure hope you enjoy the special meal I ordered in Eye-talian."]]A Comedy Trope. A character is eating at a fancy restaurant where the menu is in a foreign language. Attempting to appear sophisticated and impress their date, the character points at something impressive sounding on the menu and says they'll have that, only for the waiter to inform them that they have just ordered the dress code, the chef or something similar. This may also occur if the character is nearsighted, and in bad cases what they try to order from is not even the menu.

Alternatively, the character could order an actual dish, but add a provisio that indicates they have no idea what it is they have just ordered. When PlayedForLaughs, often involves the waiter bringing back a heaping helping of the region's finest ForeignQueasine. Compare IsItSomethingYouEat. In that case, they at least ''ask'' before attempting to order the wifi or the pageone.

* In ''Film/WayOfTheDragon'', Bruce Lee's character goes into a restaurant in Italy and accidentally orders every soup on the menu [[CrowningMomentOfFunny (which later makes him have to pee a lot)]].

* One ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' strip had Guard Duck on a date with Maura, ordering "The chateaubriand, cooked medium well, and a glass of your finest pinot noir". Although the actual strip wasn't an example, Stephan Pastis said this about the strip in the "Pearls Sells Out" commentary:

** ([[AccidentallyAccurate For the record]], chateaubriand is a type of food. It's a kind of steak.)

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/orderflub.png]]

[["caption-width-right:350:I sure hope you enjoy the special meal I ordered in Eye-talian."]]A Comedy Trope. A character is eating at a fancy restaurant where the menu is in a foreign language. Attempting to appear sophisticated and impress their date, the character points at something impressive sounding on the menu and says they'll have that, only for the waiter to inform them that they have just ordered the dress code, the chef or something similar. This may also occur if the character is nearsighted, and in bad cases what they try to order from is not even the menu.

A Comedy Trope. A character is eating at a fancy restaurant where the menu is in a foreign language. Attempting to appear sophisticated and impress their date, the character points at something impressive sounding on the menu and says they'll have that, only for the waiter to inform them that they have just ordered the dress code, the chef or something similar. This may also occur if the character is nearsighted, and in bad cases what they try to order from is not even the menu.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* On ''RockyAndBullwinkle'', Bullwinkle goes into a coffee shop and looks over the menu. Seeing that refills are free, he tells the waiter "think I'll have some of that there refill."

* ''WhatsNewScoobyDoo'': In "Pompeii and Circumstance", Fred is continually misreading his Italian phrase book. As a result, he orders a potted plant at a restaurant.

[[AC:{{Advertising}}]]
* A tv ad had a young woman driving the advertised car, following along to a "Learn Italian" tape when a distinguished man pulls up next to her. He talks to her in Italian; she breezily replies in Italian (subtitled) "Good toast, waiter. I would like a slice of suitcase!" and drives off. Hopefully she picks up a bit more before her trip to Italy.

[[AC:Comedy]]

[[AC:{{Film}} - Animated]]

[[AC:{{Film}} - Live Action]]

[[AC:{{Folklore}}]]

[[AC:Jokes]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:{{Music}}]]

[[AC:NewMedia]]

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]
* Artist James [=McNeil=] Whistler (as in [[WhistlersMother Mother]]) reportedly went to a restaurant in France and ordered a flight of stairs.

--> "The problem with trying to order in French, is that the waiter thinks you speak [fluent] French, and goes, ''(French-sounding gibberish)'' and you go, '...Yes!' And he brings you a shoe with cheese on it. And you also told him to force it down your throat. I'll have a shoe with cheese on it, force it down my throat, and I want to massage your grandmother, okay?"

* Creator/SteveMartin's 1977 comedy album ''Let's Get Small'' had a routine about how attempting to order in a foreign language could lead to this.
--> ''I'll have a shoe with cheese on it, force it down my throat, and I want to massage your grandmother, okay?''

* There was a ''Series/MrBean'' sketch which involved him ordering Steak tartare, believing it was just a fancy steak, and the rest of the episode revolved around him trying to get rid of all the raw beef.

A Comedy Trope. A character is eating a fancy restaurant where the menu is in a foreign language. Attempting to appear sophisticated and impress their date, the character points at something impressive sounding on the menu and says they'll have that, only for the waiter to inform them that they have just ordered the dress code, the chef or something similar. This may also occur if the character is nearsighted, and in bad cases what they try to order from is not even the menu.

[[AC:Other]]
* One Creator/GahanWilson cartoon shows a patron with an inedible pile of ashes on his plate, while a snooty waiter says, "It's a burnt telephone book. We gave it a fancy French name and you ordered it."

[[AC:Comedy]]
* Creator/SteveMartin's 1977 comedy album ''Let's Get Small'' had a routine about how attempting to order in a foreign language could lead to this.
--> ''I'll have a shoe with cheese on it, force it down my throat, and I want to massage your grandmother, okay?''
* Creator/JasperCarrott has a routine about visiting Hong Kong with friends and visiting a restaurant where people ordered by pointing at animals in cages. An animal would dissappear into the kitchen and a little later would reappear cooked on a plate. Carrot noticed a scruffy dog sniffing around the street tables. His friend nudged him and said "For Christ's sake don't point at it!"

* DaveBarry explained in his column "The Evil Eye" that he was getting too nearsighted to read restaurant menus, so he just points randomly at something which turns out to be his napkin, and tells the waiter, "I want that medium rare." This joke also appears in ''Dave Barry Turns 50'', with a medium-rare order of "We Do Not Accept Personal Checks."
* In [[{{The Onion}} Our Dumb World]]'s entry on Burkina Faso, there's a joke about the very low literacy rate of that country when one of their diplomats tries to order a notice that an extra gratuity may be charged for large groups.