Non-wheat food
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From John Rohsenow:
qǐng wù zài běn cāntīng nèi jìnshí fēi Màiduōlè shípǐn huò yǐnliào
请勿在本餐厅内进食非麦多乐食品或饮料
"Please do not consume non-Madola food or drink in this restaurant"
Pretty straightforward, eh? Except that we have to explain that Madola (Màiduōlè 麦多乐 [lit., "wheat-much-music"]) is probably a local (fast) food brand trying to emulate McDonald's (Màidāngláo 麦当劳). Madola (Màiduōlè 麦多乐) seems to be fairly common in Wu speaking areas of Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.
Ben Zimmer did a little Googling and found a mention of this sign at an Asian tapas restaurant in Perth, Australia called Neho, which features a lot of Chinglish signs.
Photo here seems to match what John Rohsenow sent, though the top isn't visible:
(via Urban List)
As you can see from the sign in the back, Neho leans into what they call "Chin Grish." More here.
Neho's use of these signs in their decor reminds me of hunter-restaurateurs who hang taxidermized trophies of the game they have bagged in the wild on the walls of their establishments.
Selected readings
- "I'm lovin' it — next to the toilet" (12/12/09)
- "Can't find on Google" (8/12/14)
[Thanks to Zihan Guo]
Jeff Williams said,
June 25, 2023 @ 8:17 pm
These Chinglish signs are a delight. My favorite: In the restroom of one of the last Beijing duck restaurants situated in a hutong (forget the name, must be torn down by now) a sign admonished that the toilet could only handle number one. In Chinese it read something like “严禁大便”。 The English was unforgettable: “No Shit.”