User Comments - orangina

Posted on: Grab Some Veggies From the Store

pinkjeans, I think what we have here is an excellent example of how extremely regional produce names are. Which is frustrating and fun when learning a new language! I would say the buddha's hand I know is least like a lime of any citrus. It is about 8-10 inches long. Here is another view, from underneath:

Wikipedia says: "The peel of the fruit can be candied into succade. In Western cooking, it is often used for its zest. The inner white pith is not bitter as is usually the case with citrus, so the fingers may be cut off and then longitudinally sliced, peel pith and all, and used in salads or scattered over cooked foods such as fish.The fruit may be given as a religious offering in Buddhist temples. According to tradition, Buddha prefers the "fingers" of the fruit to be in a position where they resemble a closed rather than open hand, as closed hands symbolize to Buddha the act of prayer. The origin of Buddha's Hand is traced back to Northeastern India or China."

Posted on: 把 Humbug

I asked a Cantonese friend today about the L and N differences, and what sounded more natural to her. I have been saying nei ho all this time and wondered if it sounded weird to everyone. (I only know about 6 words in Cantonese but I like to use it even if we have to use Mandarin to communicate. I feel like it is acknowledging my friend's preference even if I am incapable of continuing in Cantonese.) She had me repeat it several times, and I finally said "nei with an N or lei with an L." She said, "I don't think Cantonese people would hear the difference." So I am going to stop worrying about it now.

Posted on: Grab Some Veggies From the Store

bodawei,

Yes, with maturity and a larger knowledge of Jim Croce's repertoire comes scepticism. But perhaps the fear made the blackberrys all the sweeter.

And 小胡瓜 is zucchini. "Why do people in small towns lock their car trunks? If they don't their neighbors will fill them with zucchini." and many other lame jokes have been inspired by this tasty but too proliferous squash.

Posted on: 把 Humbug

In American ice lolly is popcicle. Lolly is never used on it's own but is used in lollypop, a specific kind of candy. Carbonated soft drinks are indeed soda, pop, or soda-pop, but there are regional differences. I gather on the east coast they don't say pop. The soda of scotch and soda is called soda water when on it's own. And I find it weird that a biscuit would be a snack or dessert. Biscuits go with gravy or butter or jam.

I did enjoy the "ice lolly" in the recent lesson. :-D

I would like to put my vote in for "quark" as favorite particle... "Three quarks for muster mark!"

Posted on: Grab Some Veggies From the Store

@ bodawei

Yeah... well... I can have all the 小胡瓜 and 黑莓 I want. My friends and I used to climb the fence to the auto junk yard on my street and sit on an old truck eating 黑莓 till our hands and teeth (and clothes) were purple... Looking out for the mean dog guarding the place. In retrospect I don't remember ever actually seeing the dog. Maybe that was a lie to keep us out of there...

Posted on: Grab Some Veggies From the Store

@bodawei

Is this a choko? Related to cucumber? I have heard them called choyote. The buddha's hand I know is a citrus. I can see how they each earned the name, though.

Posted on: Grab Some Veggies From the Store

bodawei, is this the 佛手瓜 you refered to? What did Australian 50's mothers do with it? We sold it occationally at the high end grocery store I used to work at (not something you would normally find in the US) and the produce guys said it was good for zesting and candying. It has always rather intruiged me.

Posted on: Grab Some Veggies From the Store

xuchen, you might have reason to be concerned about a vegan diet bacause of vitamin B deficiency, but there are vegan options to supplement your Bs... made from yeast. That one is important for brain health. Based on your avatar, I don't think iron deficiencies are a likey concern (more of a girl problem). I have friends who swear they don't feel like they get enough protein without meat. Having not lived in their bodys' I cannot argue with them, but I have never felt that way. I wish I could quote some more scientific info to you but I loaned my favorite vegi book to a friend. I do know that the theory that you have to carefully combine foods has been disproven. Your body can hang on to the enzymes from the rice in one meal and add them to the enzymes you get from the beans in another meal. No need to eat them together except that it is tasty that way. Just like with any eating 方法 you have to be balanced. I went to college with a religiously motivated vegitarian who ate a lot of Taco Bell (they don't use lard in their beans) and candy bars. I don't think everyone has to be vegitarian, but it is worth a try if you feel it is right for you! Benjamin Franklin would switch back and forth every few months/years, apparently partially based on a craving for his wife's potroast!  I feel the same way about salmon...

Posted on: What's up?

我有一个朋友常常说，“什么上，狗.” 当然， 他开玩笑！

wo3 you 3yi1ge4 peng2you chang2chang2 shuo1, "shen2meshang4, gou3." dang1ran2, ta1 kai1wan2xiao4!

I have a friend who often says, "what's up, dawg." Of course, he is just kidding.

He also doesn't say it to people who don't speak english fluently, only ABCs and chinese language learners of an appropriate age for such talk. And I don't believe he would seriously say it in english.

Posted on: Excited About Traveling

cuiyuxuan, thanks for your help! I guess I just like to be vauge sometimes and it seems chinese won't allow me to do that! (hehe! I thought about "pilgramage" too. Not quite the vibe I was going for!)