It could be as simple as two pieces of bread and one slice of cheese, or can be dressed up with meat, vegetables and designer sauces.
But no matter how it's made, it usually has one name in this province, regardless of what language you speak – the gooey greatness that is grilled cheese.
But it turns out, it's not so simple. The owners of a Quebec City area restaurant, La Mama Grilled Cheese, received a letter from the Office Quebecoise de la langue francaise Thursday because they have English words on their signs, namely "enjoy” and "grilled cheese".
“I’ve never had a client walk in and say ‘I want a sandwich de fromage fondu,’ everybody who comes in wants a ‘grilled cheese,’” said co-owner Stephane Rheaume.
The OQLF’s website cites the preferred terms as “sandwich au fromage fondant" or "sandwich au fromage fondu."
At Lafayette on Ste. Catherine East in Montreal, they've tried to call it fromage grillé, “but they never order it that way. They usually order 'un grille cheese,'” said co-owner Manny Michakis.
Now that the story has received some media attention, the OQLF seems to be backtracking. In an interview with CTV, spokesperson Jean-Pierre Le Blanc said the OQLF has more of a problem with the word "enjoy."
“There’s no problem to have like I said an ad in English, but it also has to be in French and it has to be more evident or prominent in French,” Le Blanc said.
At La Mama Grilled Cheese, they feel the whole matter is silly. But since the story broke, the restaurant has been busier.
“I do hope getting our name out there and people knowing that we have the best grilled cheese in town and I do hope they'll come and try our grilled cheese in the next few days and weeks to come,” Rheaume said.
