Tuesday, January 29, 2008

not at all like chicago


Jennifer from that's punny sent me this ages ago, and now I'm posting it. She writes "I found this on the wall at a chicago bears themed bar in burbank, california. first of all, i love that not only do they mis-use quotation marks, they also have no idea what an apostrophe is for. the other major blunder (and perhaps this is why they use quotes, though i doubt it) is that those ingredients are NOT what make a chicago style hot dog. not even close."

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its true, Italian sausage is not a Chicago dog, but it is a very popular sandwich in the city - though its Italian Beef thats the ultimate sandwich of Chicago

jspencer said...

Chicago Dog's what?

Seriously, "Capones Favorite" and "Chicago Dog's," I love it.

And if their dogs are anything like the mess that passes for pizza there, I'll pass... ;) I only tease. Gotta keep the NY-Chi food rivalry going.

Unknown said...

I also love that they said Al Capones (sic) Favorite and used the line from The Godfather. ::sigh::

Of course, The Godfather is set in New York, which would explain why they were trying to use that line. It's just that much better than anything Chicago could ever come up with ;-p

Anonymous said...

Jennifer writes "they also have no idea what an apostrophe is for." Although her understanding of quotes and apostrophes is clearly advanced, she may want to gain some experience with uppercase letters.
~ Bobbie

bethany said...

That's not entirely fair to Jennifer, given the genre of email.

jspencer said...

Anonymous Posters
Completely missing the point since teh internets wuz boorne.

Unknown said...

lolz - true. :-D

Although senor/a Anonymous would have a valid point if the note had been the actual post, it was, alas, merely a note. Besides, just because someone knows how and how not to use quotation marks doesn't imply that they know everything about grammar.

Hell, i could school someone in Guitar Hero, but that doesn't mean i'm worth a damn at Rock Band! ;-)

(not saying that jennifer is lacking in the grammar department, though ... it WAS just a note)

... ... wow ... did i really just write all this? ::sigh:: If only the clock said 4:30 instead of 9:30.

Anonymous said...

I had a feeling my admittedly-a-bit-snarky comment about uppercase would draw objections. I apologize to those I offended. (But remember, we're all having fun with someone's writing skills, by enjoying this blog in the first place!)

I understand that all-lowercase is popular and common in email and other online communication (though I hadn't known there'd be a distinction between a "note" and a "post"). I was merely amused by the irony of criticizing one aspect of grammar, while playing loose with another.

By the way, I'm only "anonymous" because I don't seem to have any of the kinds of identity this comment form recognizes. I use email and the internet a lot, and I read blogs, but I don't write blogs, nor do I have any of the types of accounts provided in the drop-down menu, nor the URL required if I wanted to post via a "nickname." So Anonymous is my only option.

And anyway, I signed my name: Bobbie. (That's a female Bobbie, by the way.)

Unknown said...

No worries, Bobbie - all in good fun! :-)

(i think ... i mean, there could be people hunting you down as i type this, but i know i'm not one of them!)

Anonymous said...

I love that they put an apostrophe where none should be, then neglected to use one where they should have.

The word "it's" used in this context is a contraction for "it is" and should have an apostrophe.

Sylvia said...

LOL I thought the same as anon 31/1 - it's interesting to pick on someone's quotes whilst not using capitalization. The concept of it not being necessary for email or notes is a new one on me.

Anon 4/2 on the other hand has missed the point, that usage of the apostrophe was correct. However, Capone's should have an apostrophe and Dogs should not.

This is a great site!

Unknown said...

Well, i think the essential difference is that if you're having a conversation with someone, like in a note or a comment, it's a more forgiving format than in a public posting or announcement.

Of course, to each his own! Apparently discussing grammar on the interwubs is akin to discussing religion and politics! :-D

Anonymous said...

wow! thanks for all the comments on my post. this is fun and hilarious. as a former english teacher, rest assured i am proficient in the rules of capitalization. as a sarcastic blogger, however, i could give a crap about applying them. ha! cheers to all.

jennplaysbass said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stephen McNeil said...

The capitalization discussion misses the point -- Jennifer's choice to adopt an informal stance on their use in an email or blog comment isn't as noteworthy as the Chicago Dog's sign writer's total lack of clue about capitalization, on top of the quotes and apostrophes troubles.

Al CApoNes FAvorite
Its AN Offer you caN't Refuse
ChicAgo Dog's
ItAlian SAusAge with peppers + oNioNs ANd served with Fries...
Get them while they LAst

I especially dig the two different forms of "a" in "Italian".

Unknown said...

Actually, it was capitalized incorrectly in order to pass on gang messages. If you only take the "incorrectly" capitalized letters, you'll see that the board actually said:

ANA ANNA AAANNANA!

Clearly a gang war is imminent. Blood and tears will be shed as this new age Romeo seeks revenge for the loss of his Anna.

Its easy when you have's the "cipher".

stevethehydra said...

This would in fact be perfectly grammatical if there was a person with the nickname or alias "Chicago Dog" who invented the recipe for this particular sausage sandwich...