Brits think Escargot is a country

June 23, 2010 - PRLog -- The UK’s leading daily city deals website, http://www.Groupola.com conducted research of 1,241 people across the UK to discover their knowledge of foreign cuisine and how many people order food from a restaurant menu with no knowledge of what the dish actually is. The study found that 22% of people are put off restaurants whose menus they know are written in a foreign language.

The research, commissioned by http://www.Groupola.com reveals that 16% of those asked think that Foie Gras was a form of ‘garden grass salad’ while 14% think it is a person.  

Four of the respondents thought that the Italian pasta dish Carbonara was a ‘car part’ while 9% thought Escargot was a country.

When respondents were asked what they thought various dishes were, 73% of those who took part didn’t know what the dish Foie Gras was and 68% didn’t know what the Italian appetizer, Bruschetta was. According to the poll commissioned by http://www.Groupola.com, the most common unknown foods are:

1.       Foie Gras (duck/goose liver pate) – 73%
2.       Bruschetta (Italian toast with tomato topping) – 68%
3.       Quattro Formaggio (four cheese pizza) – 64%
4.       Carbonara (Italian bacon and mushroom pasta dish) – 61%
5.       Crème Brûlée (creamy caramel desert) – 57%
6.       Penne e Pollo (chicken pasta) – 52%
7.       Coq au vin (chicken in red wine) – 46%
8.       Escargots (snails) – 44%
9.       Peperone (pepper) – 41%
10.   Tortilla Espanola (Spanish omelette) – 37%

Of those polled by http://www.Groupola.com, more than half, 54%, have eaten Escargots, 23% of whom didn’t know what they were ordering.

More than 1 in 5 Brits, 21%, admit to ordering food off a restaurant menu with no idea what the dish actually is. Of those, 56% said they didn’t ask what the dish is because they thought they would look ‘stupid’ while 29% said they were ‘too embarrassed.’  

The study shows women are more likely to order an ‘unknown dish’ off a menu whilst on a date, with 38% of women admitting they wouldn’t ask the waiter what the dish was when on a date, compared to 22% of men who claim they wouldn’t ask but still order the meal.

Mark Pearson, Managing Director of http://www.Groupola.com said,

“Eating out is a great experience, but it can be pretty costly. I can’t imagine taking the risk of ordering food and having no idea what is going to be on the plate. I certainly think people should ask if they’re unsure as to the food on the menu; there is no shame in it.”

He continues,

“Sites such as Groupola.com offer great deals for groups of people to go out and enjoy themselves in restaurants. As I said, it can be costly so these deals are a great way to keep the cost down but still eat quality food. There isn’t much point in going out for dinner if you aren’t going to enjoy the meal; I would suggest simply asking the waiter, you wouldn’t want to end up with a garden grass salad!”

Link: http://www.Groupola.com
ENDS

10 Yetis Journalist Quiz – First to get the right answer wins a special prize!

Q: Which country has the signature dish, Escargots?

For more information, please contact Charlotte Horsfall, 10 Yetis Public Relations Agency on 01452 348 211 or charlotte@10yetis.co.uk

EDITORS NOTES

Overnight, Groupola.com became the biggest Group Buying Power website in the UK.

Groupola.com operates in 10 of the largest cities across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Glasgow.

Mark Pearson, MD of MyVoucherCodes is a regular media contributor regarding online shopping and the credit crunch. At 29 his personal worth is more than £30 million. Mark was previously a trainee chef working for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, London.

MyVoucherCodes has had sales exceeding £481m in the last year

Consumer savings on online shopping via MyVoucherCodes.co.uk up from £28m in 2008 to £52m in 2009.