Okay, so we all speak a form of English and in the US I have
had trouble understanding Southern Speak, Hawaiian Pidgin, Boston Brogue and
innumerable other dialects of the English language as abused in the states and
around the world. But my husband
yesterday had a wonderful exchange that left us laughing all evening.
He is employed in a job where he had to be fitted for a new
suit. At the allotted time he met the
seamstress and began the process of getting the shirt, tie and trousers fitted. After wearing the stock items for a while as
she measured and pinned, she asked if he would “(he thought she said) put your
shoes on.” So he walked into the private dressing area to retrieve his shoes
and put them on, assuming she needed to check the length of the trousers with
footwear. She looked at him rather
quizzically and said, “(he thought she said) touch your toes.” Surprised he
replied, “Touch my toes? Why?” “No, no”
she responded quickly trying not to laugh, using her best slow enunciation, “I said TUCK - your - SHIRT - I - want to -
determine - tie - length.” “Oh” he
responded, “I thought you were going to catch me in a Kiwi head lock when I
bent over.” The whole room erupted into laughter, and the seamstress turned
many shades of crimson. They all became more relaxed with the laughter and the fitting
proceeded.
The people of NZ have been very hospitable with our
difficulties understanding some of the accented words. I spend a lot of time saying, “I don’t really
hear well.” Smiling seems to bridge the
communication gaps most readily.
Ampalaya (bitter melon) is soooo tasty!
Dinner last night was inspired by using the curried rice. I decided to make a traditional Filipino
bitter melon dish with ham. This dish is call Ampalaya con carne
with egg. I started with the fragrant
triad of sliced onions, and chopped garlic and ginger. To that I added sliced sweet peppers and
sliced ham. Using oil I brought it to a
nice sizzle allowing the ham edges to darken.
Adding a dollop of milk to a well whisked egg I quickly covered the
frying vegs and ham tossing the mixture together as the egg cooked covering
each bit of ham and vegs. Then I
sprinkled sesame oil and soy sauce over the cooked meal to taste. Bitter melon
is considered a medicinal food for diabetics to lower blood sugar and has many
other indications to better health.
However, it is contraindicated in pregnancy.
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| Bon Appetit! |
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