I just searched "gyro" and couldn't find it. Was there a consensus on the correct pronunciation?

A Greek classmate of mine said that "Gyro" was essentially pronounced "hero" (hmm...wonder if that's how the hero sandwich got its name?). I never hear anyone say anything but "JYE-ro" when ordering. Not exactly haute cuisine though...that could make a difference.

Very funny post. I have an in-law who loves "eggplant parma-gani". Try keeping a straight face after you've heard that ordered in a restaurant.

It's number 143 on the list as I type this. I'd cut and paste the link if I knew how! Most people seem to agree that it's "hero" or "yeero" or similar.

Patrick - that's exactly right. It's going to be VERY difficult for a waiter to repeat the order immediately w/ a correction and it not come across badly. They are working for tips after all. I did have a really great waitress at Payard correct my pronunciation of Viognier (before it was ubiquitous) in the most charming and helpful way...but I think that's rare.

OO : Here's a saleslady story for you - I asked if they had anything trimmed in faux fur. "What kind of fur?" she says looking lost "You know, faux fur, F-A-U-X" I say. "OH! Fox fur...right over here" (I swear I didn't make it up...and yes i should have just said 'fake')

j9999 " We already addressed the "Paree" thing. Doesn't apply to this argument." .... You "addressed" it by saying "Disagree with the Paris comparison" I'm afraid you'll need to elaborate farther if you wish to convince me that it is not possible to look like an ass by pronouncing CERTAIN foreign words as they would be in the language in question. How about France? Do you say Fronce? I'm not trying to start a fight, just curious to debate the issue.

And....how about biscotti? I understand that is widely mispronounced (or merely anglicized?)

This thread is making me hungry.

I asked if a deli at a major local supermarket (on the, shall we say, more rural side of town) for proscuitto once. She made me repeat it. Still didn't know what it was. Had me describe it. She then tried to get me to try various hams she DID have (no proscuitto) to see if any were similar. Frustrating at the time but funny now that I look back on it!

MANICOTTI = man-a-cot-te

My Italian relations in Rhode Island say man-a-got.

Of course they also call Red Sauce, whether marinara or w/meat, Gravy.

mm

mm,

I don't have relatives in RI, but my friends from NY and the North end in Boston would agree that it is always manigot and always gravy :-)

Just ask Emeril if he has any in his "icebox" and where he stores his "gaahlic" :-)

Regional accents and expressions are great :-)

Marion

I have noticed that most NY Italians (those with parents or grandparents from Italy) drop the last vowel (mootsa-rell, etc) when this is incorrect for Italian. ALL vowels are supposed to pronounced in Italian - it's not French.

Grazie (grats' - ee - ay) !

Pronunciation is almost entirely regional. Some examples of (mis)pronunciations I learned when I moved to Chicago:

Paulina Ave.: Paw-LINE-A

Devon Ave: Dih-VOHN (like Divan)

Des Plaines: DIS-Plains

And, my personal favorite, from Texas:

Bexar County: Bahr County

Or what about Kamiah, ID. It's pronounced Cami Eye.

Bexar = Bahr?
In Dallas it is pronounced BEAR.
What about Natchitoches, LA?
I could not believe they pronounced it Nak-A-Tish (or something like that)
Bogata, Tx = Baa-Go-Ta
There's a bunch of cities between PDX and SEA that have goofy names, too. Can anyone teach me how to say some the odd ones?

Pronounced Bear here too in Bexar County! Two syllables.

Hey, today I was in Chicago at an EXCELLENT Italian restaurant in Rosemont (can't recall the name, darn it) and my customer ordered an appetizer serving of... you guessed it... "broo-SHET-ta".
Since I was there to make a deal, I did NOT correct her!

My mother's first language is Italian, but it is actually a dialect from the Basilicata region. They tend to drop the last sylable and put more of a "shu" sound in their words. This could be more of a Southern Italian pronunciation or dialect.

It's "broo-ketta" for those who say "kee-anti"

For those who say "broo-shetta", the wine must be "chee-anti".

But what do I know? I can't even pronounce "worcestershire sauce"! Is it "wor-ches-tur-shire" or is it "woostershur" sauce? :)

"Woostershur"

Litespeed: We addressed the issue by noting that, traditionally, ethnic foods are pronounced as they are in the country of origin, while foreign cities take the local pronunciation.
Examples of cities: Roma = Rome
Den Hague = The Hague
Venezia = Venice.

Examples of food pronounced (roughly) as in the country of origin: tortilla, pizza, hors d'ouvres, escargot (and so on and so on).

The point being: If we are going to use the standard country-of-origin pronunciation for those foods, why would we "feel like an ass" for using the ethnic pronunciation of "bruschetta"? Makes no sense.

BTW, regarding the dropping of the last vowel in NY and southern Italy (which is the area of origin for many Italians who landed in NY). It's not "wrong," any more than it is for someone in Mississippi to say good mornin' instead of good morning. That's how many people there traditionally say it.