I return once again to my Grandfather's college book - 'Pierrot's Album' most of which was written in the first half of the 1900's. This is a page in his own handwriting which I assume to be his creation. I hope you will enjoy it's humour and its sneak peek at a time of innocence.
The page consists of a few short verses which are all related to food. He has titled them 'UnBeeton Menus' - a play on words related to Mrs Beeton who was the Delia Smith of Grandad's era. As you will see, the casual use of French was all the rage. I have provided translations just in case you are Napoleonically challenged.
Oeuf = egg, poulet = chicken, lapin = rabbit, Jeunesse Doree = golden youth,
Les Oeufs
Two oeufs is human, four or five divine
(As I'm sure you have realised, this is another play on words for 'To err is human, to forgive divine').
Poulet en Casserole
In restaurants why does it happen
That poulet's so frequently lapin
Is it just one of those things
Or is it that neither has wings?
Jeunesse Doree
On menus every pigs a suckling,
Fowl is chicken, duck is duckling,
Restaurants possess in truth
The secret of eternal youth.
Artichokes
One sort of artichoke is a globe
The other is Jerusalem
But which is which I cannot probe
I always seem to confusalem.
Herbert Pearce.
Delicious! Especially liked the last one about the artichokes. So I tried one of my own:
ReplyDeleteI often used to joke
About confusing artichokes
Til I learned the globe one's round
And the Jerusalem one's a monster and grows 8 feet off the ground
Those are brilliant little poems!
ReplyDeleteI agree with brokenbiro; I like the artichoke one too!