| Blogs > swallowtsui > Hopping Swallow 鍋爐焰焰 |
|
Cultural Difference #1 Tricky Language Tricky Food Analogy (a 60% translation fm forwarded email by a friend w/ 40% my own words) See how different btw east and west in food analogies: West: Food is used in analogies to describe the beautiful side of human: For US Americans: that Baguette (long French bread) means a French prodigal (unruly man). In English: a woman is peach/cherry; a lover is honey, milk, grape or chocolate. (Am I correct, can you give me more?) East: for Chinese, especially us Cantonese of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, any analogy related to food is not a good thing. A is a chicken; A male is a duck. An old woman is an old lotus root. A man who falls in love with an older woman is one cooking the old lotus root. A woman who falls in love with an older man is one digging an ancient well  Who is blunt in reaction is a dead fish. Whose eyes have no energy are dead fish’s eyes. A stupid is a roll of rice. An easily deceived person is a turtle. A nasty guy who harasses little girls is a golden fish vulgar. Who depends on prostitutes to make a living is a male tortoise or female tortoise. A corpse is a dead fish. A fat person is a piece of pork steak. A slim is sparerib. A fatty face is a water-puffed bread. A fat, short person is a winter-melon (wax/white gourd). A puffy body is a riceroll wrapped in big leaf. Too small breasts are fried eggs. Fat, short fingers are emperor’s bananas. Oh, a sausage is a disliked/disgusted guy. Ouch, look how Cantonese make the ugliness out of food! So, mostly, westerners use food analogies to speak of love, pretty bodies, and traits on lovers. Why cant we? Is it becoz that our food is not so elegant? Oh, not 100% despaired, I finally figure out two very rare, neuter food analogies related to love and virtue: 1. Sugar mixed w/ beans,to describe two lover being close and sticky to each other; oil mixed in water, the status that two lovers are drifting apart, separated 2) Silks remain there after the lotus root is cut apart: to describe two separated lover still keeps secret contact and some loving feelings for each other. 3) Kong Rong Giving His Pearl This proverb came fm an ancient story. The little boy Kong Rong had the chance to choose fm three pearls. But he chose the smallest one and gave the big ones to others. It reflects kind of Chinese virtue to give precedence out of courtesy. p.s. Chinese, esp. Cantonese are superstitious on food during celebration occasions such as festivals,CNY,weddings, birthday banquets. The food will be given lucky names based on a similar pronounciation of the food. |
|||
5/9/2006 10:37 am |
I used to call my little girl "Little Pumpkin"...it made her mom angry. Calling babies "pumpkin" in English is not a bad thing. My little girl was never ugly or bad-tempered. "Ho bak" means "pumpkin" in Korean Han Gul. If I call a Korean "ho bak" it means the person is ugly. Later, I would tease my wife and call my little girl "bae chu baby"...  A "bae chu" means "cabbage". In America, some kids' toys were called "Cabbage Patch dolls"...but the toys were not from the garden. If you call someone the "apple of my eye", that means it is a pleasure to look at them. More food fun with language! 
| ||
5/9/2006 4:13 pm |
I wrote one day that I had an appetite for a beautiful woman... and some of the commenter nearly went crazy with negativity... and assumming it meant some for of disregard.. If I said.. today I have an appetite for a honey, with fried eggs... some would think i'm crazy or lying.... but that would be a great appetite to have ... at least for me.. 
| ||
|
...sharing some of the terms I have encountered... vegies - a comatose state lame duck - is a weakling roast pig - a perspiring fat boy who lacks an apple on his mouth going bananas - weird act or comic gesture fish sauce - stinky smell of someone been long out from a bath... dried fish - lady's scent after a long excercise... weanies - man's thing compare to a small hotdog
| ||
|
Touch Melt w/your honey and eat yr fried egg w/a fork? Hahaha
| ||
5/9/2006 10:00 pm |
I had a confusing, funny experience a few weeks ago. Some of our gate guards are from Uganda, men from inner Africa. They replaced US guards on our checkpoints. Anyway, three of us stopped at a Ugandan checkpoint. The other two men with me were (are) older and plumper. The Ugandan guard took one look at the plump guys and said... "I want your weight." We wondered what he was talking about...so he repeated himself, and gave us a big smile. I suppose in Uganda, skinny people are poor & plump people are prosperous. We thought the comment referred to affording enough food to eat...at least we hoped so. We three guys knew of Idi Amin...for a minute there, we thought we were someone's lunch!  ...and a comment on eclectic gourmet's examples.. If I called someone a fruit salad, it would be an insult regarding the person's sexuality or mental state....or both.
| ||
|
Goan, Sorry, i made mistake. Oil mixed w/water is the status that two lovers drifting apart, seperated. I will amend it. Thank you guys and gals for your interesting contributions to this topic. Welcome more so that we can compile a long usable list for language learners and travellers to dif. countries.
| ||
5/10/2006 6:03 am |
cinder, that was very funny... I'd panic if I though about Idi Amin. it's good you were not standing near the cafeteria...
| ||
5/10/2006 6:05 am |
I'd probly find a way to melt it, but no untisels for me.
|
