Walking by the "Arab-town" near Bukit Bintang today I noticed a restaurant sign that says "Fine Arabic Food." Okay now, I'm not a trained linguist nor am I a fastidious grammarian but the adjective "Arabic" doesn't sound quite right to me. But then, what is the alternative? Is it "Arabian" or just plain "Arab"?
As far as I know the adjective "Arabic" normally refers to the language and few other nouns, I suppose. I've never seen it being employed to describe the cuisine. But when I did a cursory search on Google I found out that all three adjectives - Arab, Arabic, and Arabian - are being used interchangeably to describe food from the region. Does it mean there's no wrong answer then?
Anyway, I guess I shouldn't even sweat this trifling stuff as long as the public is clear on what the sign is trying to promote: Delicious lamb shish-kabob, creamy hummus, and strong black coffee to go along with the apple-flavored sheesha. Belly-dancing is optional.
No comments:
Post a Comment