The title question should be easy to answer. Tonight, for example, I’m having chicken, pasta, and veggie salad. My friend Catherine prepared this meal out of things I recognize. Yesterday I had my specialty, “use-it-or-lose-it” soup, which I make from any lightly shriveled vegetables in my refrigerator. My meals might not qualify for a Cordon Bleu award, but at least I know what’s in them. Which brings me to the subject of this post: the bewildering labels sellers tack onto food. Take a look at this one:

I snapped this photo through the bus window when we paused next to one of the food carts that provide quick, cheap lunches for New Yorkers. The NEW YORK HOT DOG they’re selling may be delicious, but if I asked for that, I’m not sure what I’d get. Here’s the wide-angle view:

My choices appear to be a hamburger using an alias or an actual HOT DOG.

Nor would I know what to expect if I patronized this food cart:

Or this one:

Would I be eating an actual Executive or whatever the cook thinks an Executive wants for lunch?

Writing about food has made me hungry. Perhaps some cheese:

Now I just have to hope that the block this NATURAL CHEESE is off of isn’t the one I live on. Bon apetit!