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English Language
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Irony and Restaurant Reviews
Restaurant reviews have the purpose of describing the ambience, menu, service and food. Though this can be done with the bare functionality of bullet points and star ratings many restaurant critics aim for a more readable piece of writing, one with character and personality.
In the following extracts from a piece by Matthew Norman from Guardian Weekend 12th June 2010 uses irony to apparently praise the restaurant while actually giving criticism.
Note that irony is normally written, while sarcasm is a similar device but is spoken. Both say one thing (you look great) while intending something different (you look awful, and it's obvious).
Irony requires some knowledge of the subject to recognise the difference between what is said and what is intended. For irony to be recognised, "My, you're looking beautiful this morning" requires the knowledge that the subject is looking tousled and half awake. "Having failed his driving test Sam decided to postpone his application to Ferrari's Formula 1 team" requires the knowledge of Sam's failure at a simple level of driving skill to make it ironic that he should aspire to the greatest heights. There is also an irony in merely postponing the application, when one would doubt the wisdom of sending it, ever.
| "… the decor is a paean to eclecticism, with the contents of a chandelier fire sale mingling with brickwork walls, dark wood and thoughtfully constructed montages …" |
Here, the elevated language "a paean to eclecticism" sends out an irony-warning message and the juxtaposition of unlikely ideas, especially with adjectival and adverbial phrases, confirms it . Here "thoughtfully constructed montages" seem to be positive - until we read the following phrase, "Terry Thomas beside a Dunkin' Donuts poster" tells us that "thoughtfully constructed" really means randomly and awkwardly arranged.
Also look out for exaggeration, improbable descriptions and unusual contrasts.
Rewrite each of the following extracts in non-ironic form, then comment on the linguistic effectiveness of the ironic devices used:
"I began with that [prawn] cocktail, and admired the bold decision to use what the pliant texture suggested were expertly thawed shellfish from Morecambe Bay, home of our finest shrimps, just up the coast." "My friend relished his Southport chowder, dwelling on how the wateriness and indistinct flavouring cleverly allowed the accompanying rasher of salty bacon total dominion." "The two oriental starters we shared - seductively flaccid chilli salt squid and delectably flabby spare ribs in a pleasingly feckless honey and star anise sauce - would not have disgraced a Waitrose TV dinner." "I had miso-marinated black cod with a radish salad, and if Walkers crisps could capture that essence in its new range, Gary Lineker would be ecstatic." "My friend loved how his Moroccan lamb shank, couscous and smoky aubergine relish nimbly eschewed any depth of lamby flabour that might have clashed with an enticingly bitter marinade." |
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