They started before the olympics

A book entitled The English Translation of Chinese Gourmet Dishes has been published in China to give official English translations for some 2,158 Chinese dishes. The book has been jointly published by the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and the government office to promote the use of the English language.

Some may mourn the publication of the official guide, as it could mean an end to the unintentionally humorous renderings of the colorful names to be found on Chinese menus which have amused tourists for years — translations such as Wood Mustache Meat, Four Glad Meat Balls, Hairy Beans, Drunk Crab, Pork Flower and the somewhat unsettling Chicken Without Sex might disappear from restaurants in the near future.