Day 49: A Menu Written Entirely in Puns
At a seafood restaurant in Ensenada, Alan (A) and his girlfriend Diana (B) puzzle over a menu written by the owner, Gaspar (C).
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense. Point at (or tap) a Spanish word to see what it means.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Spanish, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio recordings are on the way. For now, each lesson is the dialogue with its English translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day · point at a word to see its meaning
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A
Diana, aquí dice “El Púlpito”, “Callo y otorgo” y “Camarón que se durmió”. ¿Es un menú o un crucigrama?
Diana, it says “The Pulpit,” “I Keep Quiet and Consent” and “The Shrimp That Fell Asleep” here. Is this a menu or a crossword?
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B
Ni idea, pero ya me dio hambre. Disculpe, señor, ¿fue usted quien escribió este menú?
No idea, but now I'm hungry. Excuse me, sir, was it you who wrote this menu?
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C
Culpable, señorita. El Púlpito es un pulpito a las brasas, con acento porque fue el señor cura quien lo estrenó.
Guilty, miss. The Pulpit is a pulpito, a baby octopus, charcoal-grilled, and it gets its accent because it was the parish priest who first ordered it.
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A
¿Y “Callo y otorgo”? Si es lo que me imagino, ya me convenció sin decir nada.
And “I Keep Quiet and Consent”? If it's what I think it is, it's won me over without saying a word.
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C
Callo de hacha en aguachile, joven: lo prueba, se calla y le da la razón a la casa.
Callo de hacha, that's scallops, in aguachile, young man: you taste it, you go quiet and you admit the house is right.
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B
¿Y el camarón que se durmió? Ese me lo pido yo, antes de que se lo lleve la corriente.
And the shrimp that fell asleep? I'll have that one, before the current carries it off.
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C
Se lo lleva el mesero. Ahora, les propongo un trato: quien adivinare qué es “Sal si puedes” se hará acreedor a un postre por cuenta de la casa.
The waiter carries it off. Now, I'll make you a deal: whosoever shall guess what “Sal si puedes” (Get Out If You Can) is shall be entitled to a dessert on the house.
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A
Fácil: un pescado tan rico que uno ya no se quiere ir. Sal si puedes, ¿no?
Easy: a fish so tasty you never want to leave. Get out if you can, right?
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B
Frío, frío. Es pescado a la sal, encerrado en su costra: sal, si puedes.
Cold, ice cold. It's fish baked in salt, sealed in its crust: sal, get out, if you can.
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C
Adivinó la señorita, y es aquí donde pierde la casa. Para usted, joven, sea cual fuere su pretexto, hay nieve de consolación.
The young lady has guessed it, and this is where the house loses. For you, young man, whatever your excuse, there's consolation sorbet.
Your progress is saved in this browser only, with no sign-up. The course page and the menu show where you left off. Well done! Next up: Day 50: Grandma's Complaint About the Data Plan
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