Oh, how I love Jinglish! The other day Eve spotted a new ice cream product in the frozen food section of the supermarket in Minakami. When she showed it to Abby and David they barely broke a smile. But Eve and I thought its name was hysterical. So tonight I just had to give this “dessert cup” a taste test run.
While out walking Pippi, we stopped at our local Am-Pm convenience store for ice cream, as we are sometimes known to do. The rest of the family opted for conventional Haagen Dazs. I wasn’t going to indulge but then Googeous came into view and my resistance melted away.
I had to wait to try my treat till we got home, lest some sort of mishap with a loaded poo bag occur. Once back in the comfort of our kitchen, I carefully peeled off the cellophane wrapper and gently lifted off the plastic lid. There, laid out before me, was a thick layer of chocolate cookie crumbs, crushed almonds and semi-frozen chocolate sauce. Complimenting this rich, brown topping was a surprisingly thin layer of caramel-colored coffee ice cream underneath. I tapped the brittle surface with my Hello Kitty spoon and then plunged in, scooping up a bit of both layers. Bitter yet sweet, crunchy but creamy -- a carefully orchestrated taste sensation that can only be described with one word and one word alone …… GOOGEOUS! (Took the word right out of your mouth, didn't I?)
Naturally we speculated about the etymology of “Googeous” and its possible meanings. Loosely translated as “over the top,” or something to that effect, the English word “gorgeous” has made its way into Japanese. I wondered whether ‘googeous’ was a transliteration of the Japanese version of ‘gorgeous’ but no go: the fine print on the carton includes ‘googeous’ written clearly as such in Katakana. Perhaps it was a misspelling that simply took on a life of its own? I can just imagine the focus group goings on. ('Googeous' ga ichiban! Yappari 'Googeous'!) One of the most common methods of Japanizing English is to simply lop off word endings, as in “pasacon” (= personal computer). Perhaps substituting an "o" for an "r" was a new variation on that theme.
Coming at it from another direction, I considered the target consumer. It is obvious that this frozen confection and its complex flavor are aimed at the sophisticated palette. Whatever its origin, Googeous definitely delivers in the nomenclature department. But when it comes to taste, I must admit, Haagen Dazs Bitter Caramel has got Morinaga licked.
While out walking Pippi, we stopped at our local Am-Pm convenience store for ice cream, as we are sometimes known to do. The rest of the family opted for conventional Haagen Dazs. I wasn’t going to indulge but then Googeous came into view and my resistance melted away.
I had to wait to try my treat till we got home, lest some sort of mishap with a loaded poo bag occur. Once back in the comfort of our kitchen, I carefully peeled off the cellophane wrapper and gently lifted off the plastic lid. There, laid out before me, was a thick layer of chocolate cookie crumbs, crushed almonds and semi-frozen chocolate sauce. Complimenting this rich, brown topping was a surprisingly thin layer of caramel-colored coffee ice cream underneath. I tapped the brittle surface with my Hello Kitty spoon and then plunged in, scooping up a bit of both layers. Bitter yet sweet, crunchy but creamy -- a carefully orchestrated taste sensation that can only be described with one word and one word alone …… GOOGEOUS! (Took the word right out of your mouth, didn't I?)
Naturally we speculated about the etymology of “Googeous” and its possible meanings. Loosely translated as “over the top,” or something to that effect, the English word “gorgeous” has made its way into Japanese. I wondered whether ‘googeous’ was a transliteration of the Japanese version of ‘gorgeous’ but no go: the fine print on the carton includes ‘googeous’ written clearly as such in Katakana. Perhaps it was a misspelling that simply took on a life of its own? I can just imagine the focus group goings on. ('Googeous' ga ichiban! Yappari 'Googeous'!) One of the most common methods of Japanizing English is to simply lop off word endings, as in “pasacon” (= personal computer). Perhaps substituting an "o" for an "r" was a new variation on that theme.
Coming at it from another direction, I considered the target consumer. It is obvious that this frozen confection and its complex flavor are aimed at the sophisticated palette. Whatever its origin, Googeous definitely delivers in the nomenclature department. But when it comes to taste, I must admit, Haagen Dazs Bitter Caramel has got Morinaga licked.
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