The folks at SQIRL – the little preserves- and pickle-maker and café in Los Angeles that’s the darling of big-time foodies – must be too busy to answer the phone during business hours, so I haven’t been able to ask them the question that’s been gnawing at me: Is SQIRL pronounced “squirrel” or “skirl”? I’ve listened a couple of times to the very brief voicemail message, and I think it sounds like “squirrel,” so I’m going to go with that, although it makes me feel sad about the lost U, R, and E. Stashed away for next winter, perhaps.
“Skirl” might have been the more interesting pronunciation. And meaning.
More all-caps, vowel-starved names here. More squirrel stories here.
TESTY UPDATE from SQIRL via Twitter:
@fritinancy No email or message from you? Yet a post. Sqirl is pronounced Squirrel and its spelling is the marriage of a Girl who Squirrels.
— SQIRL(@SQIRLLA) January 12, 2013Well, obviously. I can’t imagine how I missed that!
In this TV news story http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=8712156, which is linked from Sqirl's website, the reporter seems to say "squirrel" and the proprietor does not disagree.
The site could use some work, starting with the spelling of "Napoleon".
Posted by: empty | January 11, 2013 at 03:41 PM
http://www.nshry.com.au/
you might be interested in this Melbourne restaurant "NSHRY" (pronounced "noshery").
Posted by: kirstenra@gmail.com | January 11, 2013 at 04:57 PM
A great, quick meal can be had at brgr on 7th between 26th and 27th in Manhattan. The website has a section with regular updates about the restaurant . . . brgr blg.
http://www.brgr.com
Posted by: Rhino1515 | January 12, 2013 at 03:00 AM
Why would I want to associate squirrel with food? Sqirl jams? I'm queasy saying it to myself. On the bright side, it's anything but a descriptive trademark ... I hope.
Posted by: Jessica | January 12, 2013 at 08:43 AM
@Jessica: As Carrie Bradshaw said on "Sex and the City": "A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit."
Posted by: Nancy Friedman | January 12, 2013 at 08:47 AM