[tlhIngan Hol] Klingon Word of the Day: Qe'

[Steven Boozer]

Klingon word: 	Qe'
Part of speech: 	noun
Definition: 	restaurant
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nuqDaq 'oH Qe' QaQ'e' 
Where is a good restaurant? TKD

quwargh tach Qe' je qoDDaq Hov leng Soj DatIv 
Enjoy Star Trek themed food and drink at Quark's Bar and Restaurant. STX

CULTURAL NOTES:

(KGT 4):  "Klingon for the Galactic Traveler" … is not a typical guidebook for tourists. No restaurant or hotel recommendations are made…
 
(KGT 100ff.):  Any visitor to a Klingon city, or even outpost, will undoubtedly want to spend some time sampling Klingon food in a restaurant (Qe'). Reservations are not accepted, and the means of payment is arranged upon being shown a table. Tipping is unknown. In some restaurants, the menu (HIDjolev) is posted (seldom are individual copies available), but in most, the patrons know the regular fare and ask about specials, including the {DaHjaj gheD} (literally, "today's prey"), a dish whose components depend on what animals the restaurant's hunters were able to bring in. 
    The person who takes the order and brings the food is the {jabwI'} ("server") and the chef is the {vutwI'} ("cook"; in a large restaurant, the head chef is referred to as the {vutwI' quv}, the "honored cook"). In small establishments, the {jabwI'} and {vutwI'} are likely to be the same individual. If there is a separate bar (tach), the bartender (chom) will mix drinks; otherwise, these chores fall to the {vutwI'}.

(KGT 102):  If the restaurant is large enough to have a separate bar (tach), the dining party, upon completion of the meal, is likely to move to the bar and continue drinking and, probably, toasting and singing. In a smaller establishment, diners tend to remain at the table for quite a while. 

(KGT 102f):  Some restaurants post a sign reading {moD Soj} ("the food hurries"). This means that the restaurant, sometimes called a {Do Qe'} ("velocity restaurant"), caters to those who have a limited amount of time to eat before returning to their various duties. In such an establishment, the menu is limited and changes quite infrequently. Orders are given and taken quickly, and lingering is uncommon. Each dish is prepared and served in one way and one way only, so it is inappropriate, for example, to say whether sauce is desired. The person taking the order is, in this case, called not a {jabwI'} (server) but, instead, a {tebwI'} (filler), presumably because he or she fills a platter ('elpI') with the requested food. Customers, even those who have never been in the establishment before, are assumed to be familiar with all details of the fare and procedures. It is not uncommon for a {tebwI'} to become a bit testy (a subtle change in temperament, to be sure) if a customer hesitates or asks questions while giving an order. Other customers will probably show their annoyance as well. A regular patron of a {Do Qe'} tends to order the same dishes on each visit.

(KGT 101 illustration):  The atmosphere of a Federation reception is deadly dull compared to dining in a {Qe'}. 

(KGT 106-7):  By the same token, literally translating a sentence such as "The restaurant changed hands" into Klingon, presumably as {ghopDu' choHpu' Qe'} ("The restaurant has altered hands") or perhaps {ghopDu' tampu' Qe'} ("The restaurant has exchanged hands"), does not tell the Klingon that the restaurant is now under new ownership, which is what the Federation Standard phrase really means.

TREK TRIVIA:
   Kira wanted to visit the Klingon restaurant on Deep Space Nine with Odo, as she had a craving for *krada legs Qa'Da' 'uSDu'}. (DS9 "The Sound of Her Voice"). 

GARAK:   Oh, wonderful. At this rate, we'll be done eating lunch just in time for dinner. 
BASHIR:  There's always Quark's. 
GARAK:   True, but I'm really not in the mood for noisy, crowded and vulgar today. 
BASHIR:  Then I suppose the Klingon restaurant is out of the question. (DS9 “The Wire”)

For more information, see "http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Klingon_restaurant"

SEE:
Do Qe' 		*Dok'e*, "velocity restaurant" (i.e. fast food joint) (n)

Qe' much 	cabaret [i.e. the show] (n)
much Qe'  	cabaret, nightclub, etc. [the place] 

SEE ALSO:
tach 		bar, saloon, cocktail lounge, pub (n)
SopwI'pa' 	[ship's] mess hall (n)
SopmeH pa' 	dining room (n)
'uQ pa' 		dinner room (n)

vun 		order (in a restaurant, from a catalog, etc.) (v)
vut  		cook,  prepare food (v)
jab  		serve foo
nge'  		take away [use for clear the table?] (v)

--
Voragh, Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
    Please contribute relevant vocabulary or notes from the last 
    year or two. I’ve fallen woefully behind in updating my files.