It’s weird to think of America as someplace ‘exotic’ but that’s exactly how the Japanese feel about our country. Someplace far away, strange and different. Just like phrases like sushi or hibachi seem different too us so does something as simple or (dare I say) mundane as muffins. Not just any muffins, Mrs. Elizabeth Muffins. Very English sounding. WEIRD!
I am so tickled every time I find something English or American presented to a Japanese audience as ‘exotic’ so I had to stop in and check out their selection. I must stay they had an impressive variety! Maybe I’m weird but I find the misspellings and grammar mistakes very endearing form of replication. “36 Kinds of American Muffin” of course muffin in this context should be plural form of ‘Muffins’ since they are referring to 36 kinds of them but who’s counting! Definitely not the most egregious of poor English in otherwise upscale establishments.
I come to suspect that the owners of such establishments surely know English well enough to recognize the grammar or spelling errors but they know their audience better and consciously choose to use simplified grammar or spelling to make it easier for their intended audience. I’m sure we do the same thing in ‘exotic’ America.
Flyer Hacks 