vignette

I’m no foodie and so if this post turns out to be a misnomer, consider yourself forewarned.

Some eating places have opened in Tandag and I haven’t found time to visit them. I’m so predictable in that I dine out invariably at Goldbar and only upon invitation of friends, which is not often. But if there’s a restaurant that has improvement of grammar and composition skills on its menu, then I will make myself an instant habitué.

Even if I’m no foodie, I always ask for the meaning behind the name of any bistro that opens. Like in the case of Huit Deli and Bistro Aioli.

Though I still have to dine at these two, I have asked around about the food and its price, the service, and the meaning behind the strange-sounding names. I get the usual answers for the first two, but I always get a stammer and a clam-up for the last.

“Bistro” and “deli” I know, but “aioli” and “huit”? No, sir!

My best friend Google says that "aioli" originated from Occitan, from "ai" (garlic) and "oli" (oil). It is a Provençal traditional sauce made of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Another definition says it's a mayonnaise flavored with garlic and sometimes other ingredients as red pepper. It's pronounced as "ahy-oh-lee" or "ey-oh-lee".

When I asked Gly if her orders came with aioli sauce in all the times she ate at this bistro along Osmena Street, she said not once. Uh, okay.

As to “huit”, well most of the hits Google gave me talked about shops selling lingerie. But a deli doesn’t sell panties and negligees, right? And so Mekmek Cruz’s Huit Deli in Dawis must be from the Old French "uit" which was derived from Latin "octō", which means eight. The "h" was added to avoid confusion with "vit".

Knowing "8" to be a good number in business, I believe this is the reason behind the choice of name. But then again, I could be wrong.

When Sheila Portillo-Buhion, via Facebook, asked Dongay Pareja (who, in turn, must've asked Mekmek) on how “huit" is pronounced, Dongay said it’s pronounced exactly like the opposite of dry. But Wiktionary says the correct pronunciation is /ɥit/ or /hHit/. (Note to self: Ask Mekmek.)

Make no mistake about it: this is just an armchair research dabbed with a bit of conjecture on my part. And so when you next dine at these places, better ask for the exact meaning of the names as intended by the owners and the proper way to pronounce them.

Just a post-script. I’m part of a government agency that assists entrepreneurs in areas both crucial and mundane. And sometimes we give our clients tips on how to give their business a name. I won’t bore you with legalese and business-speak, but let me just focus on practical things like:

1. As much as possible make the business name self-explanatory. This means that by just reading your business name, the customers know what business you’re into.

2. Make it simple. Because potential customers are more likely to remember simple snappy names than long drawn-out over-engineered names. By the way, simplicity doesn’t mean you can’t be unique. Uniqueness and simplicity are both a function of a creative mind.

3. Don’t be pretentious. Being pretentious is not the same as being unique. While the temptation to give your business a trendy name is there, this may not work in your chosen industry and locale. And so better stick with sensible and memorable names that are easy to pronounce.