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Ich bin ein Berliner

Fresser

By Fresser
in Food Traditions & Culture

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Fresser

Fresser

Posted
Posted

As I was bicycling through the Botanical Gardens today, I thought of President Kennedy's famous malapropism: "Ich bin ein Berliner." Roughly translated, this means, "I am a jelly doughnut." :shock:

What are your favorite food-related expressions?

There are two sides to every story and one side to a Möbius band.

borschtbelt.blogspot.com

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

Well, in English, there are always expressions like "Too many cooks spoil the broth," though I don't have much occasion to use that one. There's a nice Malay expression, which unfortunately doesn't translate very poetically into English:

Banyak udang, banyak garam.

Banyak orang, banyak ragam.

Lots of shrimp, lots of salt.

Lots of people, lots of kinds.

Food is the hook, but it's really a statement about the diverse characters of people.

Also, the first pantun (a traditional type of poem with two rhymed couplets) I was taught in Malaysia uses food as a hook:

Cempedak diluar pagar

Ambil galah, tolong jolokkan.

Saya budak baru belajar

Kalau salah, tolong tunjukkan.

Again, the translation won't be so poetic:

Cempedak [a strong-tasting type of jackfruit] outside the gate

Take a pole, please knock it down.

I'm a child who just started studying

If I'm wrong, please point it out.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Pan

Pan

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Posted

I just thought of another good English one:

The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Mayhaw Man

Mayhaw Man

Posted
Posted

I have always thought that this was basically brilliant and very true:

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

Here's another:

It's easier to get flies with honey than vinegar.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Alex

Alex

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Posted

...a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted
Texas weathercaster's old saw: Chili today, hot tamale.

I presume that means a hot day?

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Mabelline

Mabelline

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Posted

Life is just a bowl of cherries.

Quicker than boiled asparagus (OK, I liked " I, Claudius")..

Slower than molasses in January.

An apple a day...

There's more than one way to sk..... oops.nevermind.

fifi

fifi

Posted
Posted
There's more than one way to sk..... oops.nevermind.

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

There was my LOL to start the day.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

Pan

Pan

Posted
Posted

I saw the I, Claudius series on TV, but it was a long time ago. What does "Quicker than boiled asparagus" mean?

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted

It was one of Augustus' favorite expressions...it meant pretty damn quick. Actually in the books he says it a lot more. But I think Seutonious says he actually used it, so Robert Graves made it part of his character.

I hope that's the correct spelling for Seutonious

fifi

fifi

Posted
Posted

A few weeks ago, one of the documentary channels (History, History International, A&E?) ran the whole I, Claudius straight through, marathon style. The weather was lousy so I watched it while doing some stock making and experimenting in the kitchen. I had loved the series when it first came out. The difference this time was that I noticed the food more. I read somewhere that they did a lot of research for the series to get the domestic scenes historically correct. That was really interesting. And, of course, it was the mushrooms in the end.

You can actually buy the whole series on DVD here. I didn't realize that it was made in 1975. Amazingly, it doesn't look dated to me.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted

The stories are two of my alltime favorite books, which got me restarted on Robert Graves, Talbot Mundy, Robert E. Howard, and L Sprague deCamp. Last winter I checked out all 7 videos and watched straight through. And yep, I think the old novels give a lot more credence to the food.

jhlurie

jhlurie

Posted
Posted
As I was bicycling through the Botanical Gardens today, I thought of President Kennedy's famous malapropism: "Ich bin ein Berliner." Roughly translated, this means, "I am a jelly doughnut."  :shock:

What are your favorite food-related expressions?

Malapropism? The man just got hungry in the middle of his speech and wanted one of those famous German jelly donuts his staff had told him about! He was comparing himself to one to convey how much he wanted one!

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

Laughing Goddess

Laughing Goddess

Posted
Posted

And one from Johnny Carson: "He's two tacos short of a combination plate." :biggrin:

And, if you're interested in how fast molasses can travel in January, check out the story of Boston's Great Molasses Flood of 1919: http://www.mv.com/ipusers/arcade/molyank.htm

(For those who haven't heard of the molasses flood, yes, it really happened. The wave of molasses that went through the city was estimated to be eight feet high and travelled at 35 miles per hour).

Busboy

Busboy

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Posted

Is that a banana in you're pocket, or are you just glad to see me?

Playing hide the salami.

A nice tomato.

Bust a cherry.

Beefcake and cheesecake.

(Note to self: Get mind out of gutter)

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted

HE/SHE's so ugly they fed em bisquits with a slingshot.

HE/SHE's so sorry they had to tie a porkchop around their neck so the dog would play with em.

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