일식메뉴 해설에 관한 연구 I

A study on Interpretating Japanese Menus

This study is research about coinage and interpretation of Japanese Menus in luxury hotels in Seoul. Japanese Menus consist of three categories. These can be expressed A+B+C groupings. A represents Ingredients, C represents the cooking method, while B shows the name of a region(B1), the seasoning(B2), and a word that expresses the shape of the food(B3), etc. B can be flexible in meaning. However, the setting, A+B+C, is not always used strictly for these category meanings. Ingredients, A, is sometimes used independently(ex, ぃくとろろ), and at other times B1 + C, B2 + C or B3 + C are used. Sometimes A+C is used without B. The most general expression is Ingredients + the method for cooking(A+C Type). By knowing the menu description the food type and cooking method can be discovered. Most concrete method is Ingredients + procedure for seasoning + cooking method(A+B2+C Type) show how something is made and what kind of seasoning. This method is frequently used for roasted dishes with seasoning. Food which is expressed by A, Ingredients, does not require a complicated cooking process and is fixed by a conventional cooking process without any explanation ; delicacies(珍味), an hors d'oeuvres(前菜), sushi(Japanese vinegared rice delicacies) and sliced raw fish. There are two obstacles in interpreting Japanese Menus. First, we cannot look up the menu words easily in a dictionary because the mixing of Chinese Characters and the pronunciation of them differs from Korean chinese characters. Secondly, the names of Japanese food are inserted with a name of a place or another symbolic word, so they sometimes cannot be translated. We should offer various and accurate information for foreign customers because various Non-Japanese people use these restaurants frequently. This will enable them to enjoy themselves more comfortably. Therefore, you should decide the words carefully and provide an explanation about the complicated parts of the Menu when you work with Menu copywriter.