Language cops don’t like Italian flavour of Montreal restaurant menu

MONTREAL – Mamma mia! The word “pasta” is a little too Italian for Quebec’s language cops.

The Office quebecois de la langue francais has warned a Montreal restaurant owner there’s too much Italian on the menu of his Italian restaurant.

It points out that the Buonanotte restaurant should be using the French terms for things like “bottle” on the wine list or for squid on the menu.

Restaurant owner Massimo Lecas says some dish titles are in Italian but otherwise the menus are in French.

The agency says it was acting on a complaint from a customer.

Office spokesman Martin Bergeron says there are exceptions under the language law when there is no equivalent French term and if that’s the case the matter is usually dropped.

Otherwise, French terms are preferred under the law.

Lecas says he still has to meet with the agency to work the matter out.

The news of the language agency’s intervention caused a storm on social media and even Diane De Courcy, Quebec’s minister in charge of the language law, said she would look into the matter.