to eat with our eyes

English translation: to judge food by its appearance

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:to eat with our eyes
Selected answer:to judge food by its appearance
Entered by: Mark Nathan

08:45 May 10, 2007
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tourism & Travel / Hotel review
English term or phrase: to eat with our eyes
"loved the temi but the food could have been more suitable for english people while in the hotel the breakfast was for germans only so we just had jam on toast or ate out but the evening meals we were a bit more adventurous and tried not to eat with our eyes the meatballs?? were delicious but i only tried them because my husband had some"

This is a passage from a hotel review (written in a very Joycean style, if I may say so).
I am not clear what the above phrase means. My guess is that they didn't want to be put off by the appearance of the food (although I have never heard the expression used like this)

Thanks
Andrea Re
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:22
to judge food by its appearance
Explanation:
seems to be what it means here, but as you say, this is not really normal use; usually to eat something (or someone!) with ones eyes is to want to eat it because it looks so good.
Selected response from:

Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 11:22
Grading comment
Thanks to all:)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +8to judge food by its appearance
Mark Nathan
3 +3to eat something having judged about it by appearance
Cagdas Karatas
4to eat only with our eyes
Deborah Workman
4just looking at the food, and not eating it
Tae Kim
3rephrased
RHELLER


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
to eat something having judged about it by appearance


Explanation:
...

Cagdas Karatas
Türkiye
Local time: 13:22
Native speaker of: Native in TurkishTurkish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
19 mins
  -> thanks Vicky!

agree  Elena Aleksandrova
2 hrs
  -> thanks Elena!

agree  Alexandra Tussing
15 hrs
  -> thank you!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +8
to judge food by its appearance


Explanation:
seems to be what it means here, but as you say, this is not really normal use; usually to eat something (or someone!) with ones eyes is to want to eat it because it looks so good.

Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 11:22
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
Thanks to all:)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
14 mins

agree  Marie-Hélène Hayles: yes - the writer definitely doesn't seem to be using the standard meaning, which is as Mark says.
17 mins

agree  kmtext
27 mins

agree  Alison Jenner
1 hr

agree  vixen
2 hrs

agree  Alexandra Tussing
15 hrs

agree  Refugio: It is standard language for chefs, who are taught that "we eat with our eyes first."
17 hrs

agree  Alfa Trans (X)
12 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
rephrased


Explanation:
This is obviously not correct English

in the evening, we tried to be more adventurous and not only "eat with our eyes" (in other words, actually EAT something they admired or were curious about); the meatballs were delicious

related expressions might be "to devour with one's eyes" ; eye candy



RHELLER
United States
Local time: 04:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to eat only with our eyes


Explanation:
Try not just to take the food in with one's eyes but actually eat it.

That's how I read it.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 hrs (2007-05-11 03:59:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or, "try to take in the food not only with our eyes."

Deborah Workman
United States
Local time: 06:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 day 18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
just looking at the food, and not eating it


Explanation:
To interprete the term, one would have to read the whole text since it is relatively unusual to be used anyhow. So, reading the whole text from the beginning, it sounds as though, the writer did not want to eat the food, and just wanted to look at it because either she was full already or the food did not look too delicious.

Example sentence(s):
  • The food didn't look too good, so we just ate it with our eyes only.
Tae Kim
United States
Local time: 03:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in KoreanKorean
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search