Those Amazing Newfies

[coastcat]

• Bim = el-cheapo dried salted cod (the lowest graded fish)
  Pinchgut = a person who skimps on food. You know, the sort of person who would serve his guests bim.
  Rumper = turnip
  Swish = Pour hot water into an empty screech barrel. Any alcohol in the wood gets leached out into the water. Drink the alcohol-infused water. That's swish. Sounds nasty.
  Flacoon = pancake
  Lassy = molasses
  Proggins = collective term for food, similar to "grub"
  Hunchy = darned if I could find a definition anywhere
  

Fish, pork, pancakes, molasses, and rum... I don't think Newfie food has much of a shot at being the next trendy cuisine.

[maggiethecat]

• Hunchy  = darned if I could find a definition anywhere
  

But, should Jaybee pop in, I'm sure he can find one!

Again, thanks, Coastcat.

[Marlene]

The How to Be A Canadian is one of the funniest books I've ever read. Most of us here in Canada actually pronounce it Newfundland. Kinda like Torona intstead of Toronto. We slur a little bit up here.

I have actually tasted screech. It is some of the most potent stuff I've ever had. Woke up on my brother's couch at 3:00 am with no idea how I got there. (after two drinks of this stuff).

[maggiethecat]

Woke up on my brother's couch at 3:00 am with no idea how I got there.  (after two drinks of this stuff).

Well, at least it was your brother's couch! Very bad to pass out and wake up not recognizing the furniture!

Pronunciation in my parts growing up(Trois-Rivieres) was,( if I remember from my parent's Newfie chums), (something like): New fun LAN'.

Edited February 5, 2003 by maggiethecat (log)

[riboflavinjoe]

pronounce: New-fin-lan' with an emphasis on the NEW, so it is like newfin' lan'

almost like saying newfie, but newfin, then lan. at least that's the way we said it home...

[maggiethecat]

Got it , Joe! Actually much as I've pronounced it. but much better explained.

But accent on the last syllable, LAN, right?.

[jaybee]

And so, the newfies make a nocturnal culinary visit to the House of Mirth, and find Lily in, of all places, Church...let's spy on her...

The sight of Selden's dark Bim, in a pew almost facing her, disturbed for a moment the balance of her Proggins. The rise of her Rumper as their eyes met was succeeded by a contrary motion, a wave of resistance and withdrawal. She did not wish to see his Flacoon again, not because she feared his Hunchy , but because his presence always had the effect of cheapening her Lassy, of throwing her whole Pinchgut out of focus. Besides, he was a Swish, a living reminder of the worst mistake in her career, and the fact that he had been its cause did not soften her feelings toward him. She could still imagine an ideal state of existence in which, all else being superadded, intercourse with Selden might be the last touch of luxury; but in the world as it was, such a privilege was likely to cost more than it was worth.

"Lily, dear, I never saw you look so lovely! You look as if something delightful had just happened to you!"

Smiling, Lily agreed; "nothing like a Newfie meal to turn a girl's battered cod tongue to ambrosia, my dears."

Edited February 6, 2003 by jaybee (log)

[maggiethecat]

Besides, he was a Swish, a living reminder of the worst mistake in her career,

This is where I lost it. Not fair to make a Muffie do something as undignified as running to the john.

You're good. I may have a few foodstuffs still to post....could you sharpen your chops on Hunter Thompson? No....easier , Hemingway. Not! Drieser.

Many thanks, you cheeky thing,you.

[gknl]

One of my students is from New Foundland, so I emailed him the first list of things and he said he was trying to track them down. He also said that "Newfie" is considered to be derogatory, a slur, depending on the inflection. He said "Newf" was better. FWIW.

[maggiethecat]

One of my students is from New Foundland, so I emailed him the first list of things and he said he was trying to track them down.  He also said that "Newfie" is considered to be derogatory, a slur, depending on the inflection.  He said "Newf" was better.  FWIW.

Thanks for the research and the tip.

Newf is indeed a term of rough affection for the charming *really* people from The Rock. Newfoundlanders is probably the most politically correct.

Newfies is the most commonly used slang term. Never used derogatorially in my family, at least.

But often preceded by the word "crazy." Everywhere.

[riboflavinjoe]

yeah, the word newfie can be seen as a slur, no doubt. i tend not to use the word, but i also know that some of the people don't mind it. as they say, when in doubt, throw it out. so if you're not sure if you might offend someone, and are sensitive to that kind of thing, my advice would be to avoid the word, like the n-word, or the k-word, and so on...

[freddychef]

Well quite the response and I must say a bit off topic in some instances but fun just the same. I'm glad that Maggie recieved her postcard and that others were able to decipher the language. First let me outline this project I've began.

A couple of years ago I began to research cooking language in general for an anthropological research project (also at this website--not too many takers though!?). I wanted to look at the culture of the kitchen. When I returned to Nfld (mainly Irish, English, Scottish, French and Indigenous Mic Mac) I decided to look beyond the typical cooking terms, words etc that one could find in the online dictionary of the Nfld and Lab language(www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary)

I wanted to research all forms of slang and dialect that people had for their food stuff, methods of cooking and the like. That is where the postcard came from.

This project has snowballed into a longer than expected journey. I am now looking and gathering a lot more terms as I write.I have been putting this together in various ways and will hopefully do an art installation on the idea of lost culinary culture. All in all quite exciting to capture a piece of our past and hang on to it for the future.....freddychef

ps--some of these terms are verbs --methods, as opposed to types of food....

[maggiethecat]

I have been putting this together in various ways and will hopefully do an art installation on the idea of lost culinary culture. All in all quite exciting to capture a piece of our past and hang on to it for the future.....freddychef

Freddychef:

What a truly interesting idea. Truly, keep us informed. I'd love to see your installation

And glad to see you resurface!