the power of language

Another anecdote from our trip to the States:

My mother proposed eating out at her favorite restaurant, so Dean, Sage, and I went off to our room to get dressed. As her father helped her into her outfit (I was still fussing with my face), Sage asked him, "Daddy, where we going?"

"We're going to eat out," Dean replied. "Grandma is taking us to a Japanese restaurant to eat teppanyaki, mmm!"

"No, Daddy!" Sage protested, her face set in consternation. "It's yucky!"

Realizing immediately that Sage had associated the food with the last two syllables of its name, Dean corrected himself without missing a beat. "Oh, did I say teppanyaki? I meant teppan-yummy. We're going to eat teppan-yummy!"

"Ooh!" Sage said, eyes aglow with instant approval. "Hurry, Mommy, teppan-yummy!"