About

Looks Like Meat's Back On The Menu, Boys is a line from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers which grew infamous within the series' fandom in the years since the film released for appearing to not make sense, as the orc who says the line would likely have no concept of a "menu."

Origin

In the beginning of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a band of orcs have captured hobbits Merry and Pippin, and are taking them to Isengard. While resting, some orcs complain they haven't had meat for days. One suggests eating the hobbits, but the leader explains the hobbits are not to be maimed, per Saruman's orders. After an orc attempts to eat the hobbits anyway, the leader cuts off its head, and declares, "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!"

Spread

The line stuck out to Lord of the Rings fans for its incongruity, as many questioned whether an orc would even know what a menu was. On October 25th, 2003, The One Ring^[1] forums user Winged_Balrog complained about the line, writing:

I know it's not like me to be negative on these near-perfect films, but I absolutely can't hold this in any longer… This is the most horrible, anachronistic, out-of-place, unTolkien line in both of the films thus far. I liked both dwarf-tossing jokes, I wasn't bothered in the least by "Let us hunt some orc," but this line is in a whole different category, and I'm surprised it hasn't been complained about here more. Not only is it out of place, it doesn't even make sense! How do orcs even know what a menu is? Do they have fancy restaurants in Mordor? I guess they must.

Fans have continued pointing out the anachronistic line on social media up to the present day. On June 20th, 2013, Redditor Classh0le posted about it in /r/plotholes,^[2] writing, "Do orcs typically sit down and order fine dining? How do they know what a menu is? Can they even read?" On March 16th, 2017, Redditor waiting_for_rain posted a question about the line to /r/writingprompts, gaining over 9,300 points.^[3] The question reads, "In LOTR "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys" implies that Orcs know what a menu is, and have therefore been to a restaurant. What is a restaurant in Mordor like?"

The Tumblr account just-shower-thoughts^[5] originally posted the question, leading user yarking to joke "You probably need a reservation. One does not just walk in" (shown below).

On October 3rd, 2019, Twitter user @floozyesq^[4] posted a popular thread asking about the line, considering the implications about the line, adding, "with this single line, we are left to assume that the mighty Uruk-hai not only have the ability to read, but have also developed a society sophisticated enough to produce a tertiary economy, with a service industry."

Search Interest

External References