Ally Fries or Alley Fries?

Every Sunday, I have dinner with my parents.  It is a manditory "family dinner" that started the year I moved out of my parents' house.  Since my husband's birthday was this past week, he got to choose where/what we had for family dinner.  Since there was a Vikings game and my hubby hadn't been to his hometown to eat in a while, he chose Shari's Sports Saloon in Chatfield, Mn.

Source: Shari's Sports Saloon Facebook page

 Already, you have learned about a few cultures and traditions I am a part of; both are concepts in Interpersonal Communication. That is not what this blog is really about, though.  I am going to focus it on an example of verbal miscommunication. 

When my dad was ordering his Philly cheese steak from Shari, he was struggling with what to order as his side.  She recommended the newest addition to the menu:  alley fries with alley sauce.  When Shari walked away, my dad turned to me and asked who Ally was.  I was confused and asked what he mean. He asked again who Ally was, as in who made the sauce.  I tried not to laugh, but I thought his confusion was kind of funny.  You see, the nickname for Shari's to locals in Chatfield is "the bowling alley."  The fries and sauce were actually called alley fries and alley sauce in reference to the nickname.  Since I have known about the nickname for decades, I just took it as common knowledge. My dad, not as familiar with Chatfield, had no idea.