Definition of the word ‘Ruffled’…. To disorder or disarrange someone’s hair, typically by running one’s hand through it. (Oxford English Dictionary)
Below is a section from the food menu that I was looking at today as I was sitting outside a tranquil English pub in the countryside. The pub was quite lovely, but it had something that really gets on my t***; a pretentious food menu.
Here is the silly word on the menu below. Have you spotted it? They are serving their roast dinners with a ruffled roast potato!!! Why the hell did they put that?
As you can see from the Oxford Dictionary’s explanation, to ruffle means to agitate someone’s hair. So these potatoes have had their hair ruffled by the chef in the kitchen, probably in a quite vigorous ruffling way, which is quite bizarre because potatoes don’t have hair, but yet maybe that pub does serve them with ruffled hair which is something to behold I’m sure.
In conclusion I would like all restaurants and eateries to give their food simple names. Please don’t use the word ‘jus’, or ‘on a bed of’, tossed in north sea sea salt’, ‘sprinkled with hand picked grapes from Equador’, ‘carrots snuggled adjacent to a spanish marrow glazed in pickled cabbage leaves’. Give us all a break please!!! It is vomit inducing and sickly sweet. Just call a potato a roast potato; and in addition serve it on a ceramic plate. Time and time again, food is served on a board with the sauces seeping over the edge. It’s irritating and unnecessary. Place the food on crockery, please!
Moan over!!
( I have to admit that another explanation in the dictionary states that ‘Ruffled’ can mean to break a smooth surface by rumpling it up, which you still can’t quite do to the making of a roast potato, or can you? Yet, the most popular is the ruffling of one’s hair which is what automatically comes to my mind)
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10 Comments
Gaz
We have ruffles potato chips (crisps) here.
Pip
That’s interesting. Is Ruffles a brand like Walkers?
M.L. James
Yes, Ruffles is a brand of potato chip in the states and “Ruffles have ridges.” The whole “ruffled” question got me to thinking can you ruffle anchovies because they do have “hair” and they look like pubic hair at that, which is why I stay away from them! HAhaha!
Mona
Pip
Good lord Mona, the very thought! funny
Allen T. St. Clair
Hey, I’ve had some roasted potatoes so good that I wanted to shove my hand in them and show them some love. I’m not going to judge the chef of this restaurant for ruffling the potatoes. How dare you kink shame us???
Pip
Hahaha. I suppose it’s more of a word of love to ruffle them. Imagine serving ‘battered’ roast potatoes? You wouldn’t want to eat them in case it caused them distress!
Kat
Now I just want some Ruffles potato chips! This thread is funny!
I agree with you, Pip. I prefer my menu to just describe what I’ll be eating without all the flourishes.
Pip
Thank you for your comment Kat x
Sarah
Ruffled potatoes! What a froufrou food! It sounds like it’s wearing one of those great big lacy Elizabethan collars.
Pip
How funny Sarah! And a froufrou, what a great word. Can you imagine the menu saying ‘parsnips, honey glazed carrot batons with 2 ruffled potatoes with the laciest Elizabethan collars you’ve ever seen and wearing and a pair of mint (hand picked from the chef’s garden) green breeches! That I would have to see x