Mamma mia, learn to spell!

I'm a copy editor. My job is, among other things, to correct spelling, grammar and inconsistencies. One of my biggest peeves is misused and misspelled foreign words.

If I ever poured tons of money into opening my dream restaurant, I'd spell-check the menu and let someone else edit it, too. (A fool edits his or her own copy, my mentor says.) It's amazing how many (upscale) places have spelling and grammar errors on the menu. It's a little more excusable to make errors in a foreign language, but in this Internet world, a foreign-language dictionary is only a click away. Or, if you're using more than a few foreign words, find a native speaker. While living in Korea, a friend and I wanted to start a service to spell-check signs for businesses. We'd have made a fortune!

Today's example: portobello. Those delicious, meaty fungi are not portabella, portabello or portabello. It's p-o-r-t-o-b-e-l-l-o. Do a google search for portabella. Know what you get? "Did you mean: portobello"

That's all.

I'll climb down off my soapbox now. Happy Tuesday.

(CiN Weekly photo by Leigh Taylor)