Be advised that the translator went in a different direction because there was a pun (as is Ai's tendency) that was difficult to translate and thus made the translator take a different tack. Attempted to include more of a literal translation even though I have next to no Japanese knowledge, so added input is certainly welcome. Suyooo's notes are as follows:
Yikes, "About Monjayaki" definitely has been one of the hardest ones to translate so far. In the original joke, Ai claims the origin of the word "Monjayaki" (not the dish) is from the word "揉んじゃ" ("to rub", as you have to rub the Monja to spread it out thin - but spoken with a western dialect).
Hanamaru correctly calls her out on that since Monjayaki originated in Tokyo, not in the West (such as Okonomiyaki from Osaka), but Nozomi's mind is still stuck on the word she chose ("It's about rubbing, huh...").
So, for the translation, I had to find:
A pun
About (sic) a fact about Monjayaki that can be refuted by Hanamaru and also lead to a "haha sekuhara funny" joke
I hope I have found an acceptable substitute. It was extremly difficult, partially because of how specific it has to be (in the end I decided on a small lesson on the difference between Okonomiyaki and Monjayaki), but also because the Nozomi joke can't be too crude, since I'm writing dialogue for canonically underage girls here...! That's kind of a sore point for me, and it took several iterations until I had come up with something that didn't make feel physically sick.
I think I've read about it before, but I can't recall it...~Groping~That "~ja" explanation has a bit of a problem...didn't monjayaki originate in Kanto and not the West?
This is true – specifically, monjayaki is said to have originated in Tokyo's Tsukishima district. The dish is popular in the Kanto region to this day.Hey, do you know how monjayaki got its name?~Spreading~Because you need to rub it and rub it...
Monja (揉んじゃ) is an infinitive for "to rub". Ai is speaking that with something of a Western accent.~Spreading~Ah~! Sorry, that was a joke!!But "Ai" guess you got me!Rubbing...it's about rubbing, huh~About Monjayaki...I can't pass up any chance for a pun~...to spread it out so thin!!
Monjayaki is also thinner than its closest related dish, okonomiyaki, because while both use similar ingredients, monjayaki batter has extra dashi stock or water in it. (Source: Wikipedia) As a result, it behaves similarly to cheese that melts and then begins to harden again as it cools.