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Das eine Blech lehnte am Tischbein, und auch das andere war fast leer.

English translation: one of the trays was leaning against the table leg and the other was almost empty, too.

10:36 Sep 27, 2009

German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature

German term or phrase: Das eine Blech lehnte am Tischbein, und auch das andere war fast leer.

It's from this text:

Als ich in die Küche zurückkehrte, kniete der Sohn auf dem Tisch. Auf einem jener Kuchenteller, die nur wenig größer sind als eine Untertasse, hatte er einen Kartoffelkuchenturm errichtet, neben dem der schiefe Turm zu Pisa senkrecht gewirkt hätte.
Ich sparte nicht mit Stimme.
Ob er denn nicht sähe, dass der Teller zu klein sei.
Er legte sich mit der Wange auf den Tisch, um den Teller unter diesem völlig neuen
Gesichtspunkt zu betrachten.
Er müsse doch sehen, dass der Kuchen nicht auf diesen Teller passe.
Aber der Kuchen passe doch, entgegnete er. [[[Das eine Blech lehnte am Tischbein, und auch
das andere war fast leer.]]]
Ich begann, mich laut zu fragen, was einmal aus einem Menschen werden solle, der einen
Quadratmeter Kuchen auf eine Untertasse stapelt, ohne auch nur einen Augenblick daran zu
zweifeln, dass sie groß genug sein könnte.

The speaker's son is kneeling on the table and erecting a tower of potato pie on a dessert plate. The pie is too big for it and he has cut it into small pieces to fit there. The speaker is standing at the door and watching the process, bewildered that such a thing might be possible.

Michelle P
Russian Federation

English translation:one of the trays was leaning against the table leg and the other was almost empty, too.

Explanation:
Just seems right. Can you be more precise about where the question lies? Maybe I am missing something.

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Note added at 2 days19 hrs (2009-09-30 06:18:59 GMT)
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http://www.oetker.de/oetker/html/default/debi-7vadm7.de.html

Here is recipe for Kartoffelkuchen i found randomly. 71000 more on Yahoo!

Selected response from:

Sonja Marks
France
Local time: 11:24

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +9

one of the trays was leaning against the table leg and the other was almost empty, too.

Sonja Marks

Summary of reference entries provided

Sonja is right

Henry Schroeder

Kartoffelkuchen= Kartoffelpuffer

Johanna Timm, PhD

Discussion entries: 4

Answers

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +9

one of the trays was leaning against the table leg and the other was almost empty, too.

Sonja Marks
France
Local time: 11:24
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

franglish: it would be the backing trays, yes

2 mins

agree

Henry Schroeder: Yes, this is right, what the speaker means is that the cake fits on the plate because he has been able to empty one baking pan/tray and the second baking pan is also almost empty. The empty pans are proof the cake fits. I didn't get it right away either.

4 mins

-> Thanks again Henry!

agree

Helen Shiner: Could they be cake tins - perhaps like a sandwich cake with two layers, one baked in each tin?//You are right - I guess it depends on the size of the cake!!

48 mins

-> Thanks Helen. Could be. I prefer trays because I magine them as being quite long to lean against the table leg.

agree

Jeanette Phillips

50 mins

-> Thanks!

agree

gangels

3 hrs

agree

Birgit Gläser: "cookie sheet" would be the American version, and they could not be pans or tins, those would be "Form" as in "Springform" (for a round cake without a hole in the middle). Blech always is the flat thing that fits exactly into the oven

4 hrs

agree

Goldcoaster

4 hrs

agree

Clive Phillips: In UK we'd call it a baking sheet, I think. Potato cake is a new one on me - is it savoury or sweet?

5 hrs

-> i looked up Kartoffelkuchen and there are many sweet recipes to be found. A bit like having sweet potato dumplings I suppose.

agree

Blaess

6 hrs

Reference comments

13 mins

Reference: Sonja is right

Reference information:
As I tried to explain in my agreement.

The empty baking pans (as we said in my family in America) are proof that the cake fits. He has already emptied one and tossed it on the floor. The other is also almost empty as he piles the pieces up. It is a rather illogical argument, but fits with the humor the author intends.

Henry Schroeder
United States
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 88

2 days5 hrs peer agreement (net): -1

Reference: Kartoffelkuchen= Kartoffelpuffer

Reference information:
I am confident that “Kartoffelkuchen” is not a pie, but a tower built of Kartoffelpuffer (potato latkes). We used to build towers like that as children and would always have competitions to see who built the highest one! Latkes are typically baked on a pan and then placed on baking trays and put in the oven to be kept warm.

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Note added at 2 days5 hrs (2009-09-29 16:34:55 GMT)
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sorry about the double posting here and in the discussion box! My reference comment did not show for 10 minutes, so I decided to post in the other box.

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Note added at 2 days5 hrs (2009-09-29 16:36:27 GMT)
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a slight correction: they are baked "in" a pan on the stove with lots of oil, not "on" a pan as I wrote above. The recipe explains it well.

Reference: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Latkes-1...

Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: