In the Mood for Some Killer Goulash? Well, You’ve Come to the Right Place

Hungry in Hungary? Our occasional Guide to Adventurous Dining caught the attention of J. Rasson of Central European University in Budapest, who gets an award as the most far-flung contributor of this column.

Rasson sent along a snapshot of a local restaurant that he figures “probably doesn’t have much of an English-speaking clientele” (see photo).

Explained Rasson: “The name means ‘wooden bowl’ in Hungarian.”

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More food for thought: Other specials du column (see accompanying) include:

* A proprietor who offers free soil (Linda Harms of Rubidoux). Maybe he’ll throw in the cactus.

* A serving of the king of the jungle (Marilyn Norton of Riverside).

* And, for liquid refreshment, a selection of feathery concoctions that may not go down so smoothly (Cleo Geon of La Verne).

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Excavating L.A.: The Spanish named it El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles. No one called it E.P.N.S.R.L.A., for short, as far as anyone knows.

But when did the use of “L.A.” begin? Historian Ralph Shaffer has traced the abbreviation at least as far back as a train passenger list in the L.A. Times of Dec. 4, 1881, this newspaper’s first edition.

Little did the unknown compiler of that list know that he was making it easier for later generations of sports fans around the country to scrawl their insult on placards: “Beat L.A.”

I guess the “Only in L.A.” author should also be thankful.

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Talk to the animals: After several sightings of a cougar at Griffith Park, the media site www.ronfineman.com heard a TV newsman say there was an “unspoken arrangement” that the wild animals have the park at night while people have it by day. Asked the website: “Since this ‘arrangement’ would involve wild animals, it would have to be unspoken, wouldn’t it?”

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Mondegreens of the Day: Two tales of misunderstood love: “As a teenager I thought the title of the song ‘Excitations’ was ‘Eight Citations’ and the refrain ‘oohwheeoo’ was the sound of the police siren,” wrote V. Nawa. “I thought the song was about someone who was in love with a traffic cop.”

Bob Weaver, meanwhile, confesses: “The song with the line ‘I love you for sentimental reasons’ was always a mystery to me because I thought it went, ‘I love you for seven mental reasons.’ ”

Seven mental reasons for saying three little words? Makes sense to me.

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miscelLAny: Don’t know if you noticed, but The Times recently reported that scientists in Tokyo had produced mice that had two genetic mothers -- and no father.

I guess Minnie’s never going to marry Mickey.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATimes, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.