Sign Language,3

Today, the video is about fruits.

Enjoy learning ;)

Sign Language,2

Hi again, I show you another Sign language video about drinks which probably can be useful and interesting to learn new things.

Please remember, not to miss the next video about Sign language

The origin of Hamburguers

Hi everybody! I have been surfing on the Internet searching for some interesting information for the blog and I have discovered some curious facts about the origin of a very popular food: HAMBURGUERS.

I have read that hamburguers probably existed in the Ancient Egypt. In the earliest XX century, some archeologists discovered a sort of bun with a baked meat pie inside an Egyptian mummy´s sarcophagus.In addition, it is also known that hamburguers were part of the Tartar gastronomy. In other words, we can assume that hamburguers aren´t an up-to-date dish.

Hamburguers, as we know them nowadays, were born in Hamburg in the 1880s and they gradually became the food of poor immigrants to the USA. It was a plain and tasteful food made up with minced meat and served in a bun.

Once I have told you all these facts about the hamburguer I would like to comment on the morphological aspect of the word itself. The term `hamburguer´ is a clear example of false etimology since `-burguer´ has been interpreted as a kind of suffix which attaches to the erroneous base `ham´. This morphological missanalysis sometimes made people think why hamburguers did not taste of ham.

British dishes as English places

The great variety of Bristish regional cookery is reflected in the names of its dishes. Many regions have their own particular speciality in savory and sweet dishes, or they are famous for their regional agricultural products.
For example, cheeses are produced in many parts of England. In fact, Cheddar cheese, of strong taste and very salty, is the most popular variety. It comes from a town of Somerset, in the west of England. Among other types of cheeses are the Cheshire, Lancashire, Stilton and Wenskeydale.


Cornwall, located at the southwest of England, is famous for its `Cornish Pasties´, which are small pies filled with meat, potatoes and vegetables. It is the traditional lunch of the workers of the region.




As I have said before, there are many other dishes named according to English places. Some of them are:


-Lancashire Hotpot, which consists in a saucepan filled with meat and vegetables covered with sliced potatoes.











-Welsh `Rarebit´, molten cheese on a slice of toast.











-Bath Buns, sweet bread rolls that contain spices and dried fruit.

`LES ROSBIFS´

One of the most well-known English dishes is the Roast Beef, which is eaten traditionally on Sundays and is accompanied by a Yorkshire pudding. This typical dish, which is served with roast potatoes, vegetables and a gravy made up of the meat juices, is so popular in England that the French normally refer to Bristish people as `Les Rosbifs´.

The meaning of eating, in some special day, a special kind of food in more or less amount

In the different places of the world take place some events like the New Year. Depending on the day that people celebrate, they eat a dish or another.

In China people eat eight, ten or twelve dishes of food at New Year. It means double the luck. A lot of food at New Year has a special meaning. Seaweed (sheets of dried Porphyra used in soups or to wrap sushi) means good luck and long noodles mean long life. They eat vegetables and don't use knives to cut things, if you use them; it means the end of your good luck.

In Russia, people put a lot of food on the table; it means that the New Year will be happy and plentiful. At 11.59 o'clock people open champagne and wait for the clock to strike twelve. Then they make a toast and they wish good luck and happiness for everyone.

In Spain people eat twelve grapes, one with each chime of the clock at midnight. It means good luck for the New Year.

But I have to tell you that it's difficult to eat twelve grapes in twelve second, people usually have a mouth full of grapes at the end. Surely it has happened you and I recommend you changing the grapes for something sweeter and smaller.

I hope you write your experience!

What will you be eating if you order an apple pie in a restaurant?

It can result very strange to hear this expression in a restaurant if you are a Spanish man but I tell you that the word “pie” in English doesn’t have the same meaning that in Spanish. We can find some tarts that have this name, because “pie” in English means “pastel”. Some examples of this dishes will be:

-Apple pie: a tart filling with apples.

-Shepherds, Chicken, Mushroom, Steak and Kidney pie: tarts filling with meat, mushrooms, steak and kidneys.

Don’t frighten if you hear this while you are having lunch, it’s a typical British tart and you shouldn’t relate its meaning with the Spanish one. Its smell and taste obviously is better thanthe Spanish “pie”.

You can read more about Shepherd’s pie in this page: http://eatshutup.blogspot.com/.

It’s an article written by Mª José Gómez Guerra.

Differences betwen jelly, jam and marmalade

Some people tend to confuse the names of jam, jelly and marmalade. Although they can seem the same food they have some differences between them. For instance, the first one, jam, is a thick, fruity spread made with the whole or cut fruits and sugar. Jelly is a clearer and more sparkling spread because it is made only with the juice of the fruit and sugar. Finally, marmalade, which is frequently confused with jam, is made with bitter Spanish oranges, specifically Sevillian oranges!

Sign Language,1

Not everyone can communicate through speech language by different reasons as deafness, although this is not longer a problem because another type of language exists: Sign Language.

The following video shows us some words which everyone should know to communicate with deaf people, especially in social and cultural sites as restaurants, theaters, cinemas…but it is not yet…

If you are interested to learn some words to try communicate with a new kind of language, you must not miss the following videos that I am going to publish about Sign language and food.

Sustainable agriculture

According to wikipedia, sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. It has been defined as "an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term:

• Satisfy human food and fiber needs
• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends
• Make the most efficient use of non-renewable resource and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
• Sustain the economic viability of farm operations
• Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.

 This short movie, entitled "Back to the start" shows the unnatural conditions of farming and agriculture nowadays. And how  beneficial for both nature and mankind would be to go "back to the start". The soundtrack of the video is the song "The Scientist" performed by Willie Nelson. you can read the lyrics here

Another British Tradition: The Pudding

Baked or steamed, whether pie or tart, flan, flummory, or fool, the Traditional British Pudding conjures up images of love and home for many. No meal could ever be complete without this dish, served with warm custard or thick cream.In this day of ultra healthy eating and doing without, many forget what simple pleasures can be had from finishing a meal with one of these simple dishes.

Ask a Brit what comes to mind when you mention Traditional British puddings and the responses are nearly universal: comfort, home, love, family.

From one woman I talked to, "We used to have treacle sponge, jam sponge, roly poly, spotted dick, bread and butter pudding, proper rice pudding. What I call proper puddings.They remind me of home'. I recommend to everyone to taste it!!!!! It's irresistible and so delicious!!!!!!

What food was "invented" or discovered in England?

1762: The sandwich was invented in England.

We have a town named Sandwich in the south of England. John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich invented a small meal that could be eaten with one hand while he continued his nonstop gambling.

1902: Marmite was invented in England.

Marmite is dark brown-coloured savoury spread made from the yeast that is a by-product of the brewing industry. It has a very strong, slightly salty flavour. It is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it type of food.

HP Sauce was invented in England at the end of the 19th century by Mr FG Garton, a Nottingham grocer. He was down on his luck and couldn't pay his bills, so when Edwin Samson Moore, owner of the Midland Vinegar Company, offered to cancel his debt with the company and pay him £150 for the recipe, plus the use of the name HP, Garton jumped at the chance.

Moore had been looking around for some time for a sauce to manufacture and market. He liked both the taste and the name of Garton's HP Sauce, which had an appropriately patriotic ring to it. The HP stood for Houses of Parliament, as it was rumoured that the sauce had been seen gracing the tables of one of the dining rooms there.

Worcestershire Sauce (Worcester Sauce)

1837 John Lea and William Perrins of Worcester, England started manufacturing Worcester Sauce (Worcestershire).Worcester sauce was originally an Indian recipe, brought back to Britain by Lord Marcus Sandys, ex-Governor of Bengal. He asked two chemists, John Lea and William Perrins, to make up a batch of sauce from his recipe.

TAKE AWAY FOOD (eat out food)

Take-away meals are very popular and most towns have a selection of Indian, Italian, Chinese and Greek Restaurants. You will also find Macdonalds, Burger King and Subway. Fish and Chips Fish and chips is the classic English take-away food and is the traditional national food of England. It became popular in the 1860's when railways began to bring fresh fish straight from the east coast to the our cities over night. The fish (cod, haddock, huss, plaice) is deep fried in flour batter and is eaten with chips. Traditionally, the fish and chips are covered with salt and malt vinegar and, using your fingers, eaten straight out of the newspaper which they were wrapped in. Now-a-days small wooden forks are provided and the fish and chips are wrapped in more hygienic paper.

Did you know???

When you are in Britain and someone asks you 'would like a cuppa', they are asking you if you like a cup of tea????

If someone says 'let me be mother' or 'shall I be mother', they are offering to pour out the tea from the teapot?????

Is the fruit healthy?

Nowdays , fruits are related with good eating habits which provide to our nutritional properties, high level of water and low calories.

However, what happens when the fruit is not in good conditions?.

This is the case of United States where the panic is in the country because there are many infected melons by "listeria bacteria" Listeria is a common bacteria but it can couse several illness, especially amonth the elderly, the very young and people with compromised immune systems.

23 people have died and 116 are in the hospital suffering flu,muscle aches and sometimes diarrehea by those melons.

Then, how we can consider fruits as healthy fruit for our health? This question leads us to think that we must not follow established pattern between language and food because not every food is healthy as it seems....so, be careful ! because a single fruit as melon is able to kill 23 people...

Checking my articles I found a song related to an old post that I published about Irish cuisine: “Colcannon” I invite you to listen it.

Well did you ever make colcannon,
made with lovely pickled cream
With the greens & scallions mingled
like a pitcher in a dream
Did you ever make a hole on top
to hold the meltin' flake
Or the creamy flavoured butter
that our mother's used to make

Chorus

Oh you did, so you did
so did he and so did I
And the more I think about it
sure the nearer I'm to cry
Oh weren't them the happy days
when troubles we knew not
And or mother made colcannon
in the little skillet pot

Well, did you ever take potatoe cake
and boxty to the school
Tucked underneath your oxter with
your books, your slate and rule
And when teacher wasn't looking'
sure a great big bite you'd take
Of the creamy flavoured soft and meltin'
sweet potatoe cake

Chorus

Well did you ever go a courtin' boys
when the evenin' sun went down
And the moon began a peepin'
from behind the Hill O' Down
And you wandered down the boreen
where the clúrachán was seen
And you whispered lovin' praises to
your own dear sweet cáilín

Chorus

The Haggis Song

Hi everybody! I forgot to show you a funny song about `haggis´, the Scottish dish that I mentioned before so here it is!!

How can I say "A falta de pan buenas son tortas" in English?

There are a lot of sayings in Spain that people use to express something that doesn't coincide with the literally sense of the used words. If you try to translate this one into English, you can have some problems. You will obtain something like this: "Lack of bread, cakes are good". But there is a way to say this saying in English:

"Half a loaf is better than none".

Be careful with your translations! And I have to tell you that I prefer some cakes that none!

IRISH CUISINE (II)

· THE IRISH STEW

It is another traditional peasant dish which has evolved from a basic lamb, potato, carrot and onion stew to more elaborate versions approaching gourmet status. Some versions may have different meat substituted for lamb or mutton. As with any recipe, feel free to modify it to meet the needs and tastes of your own family.

Ingredients

§ 1 lb lamb shoulder, cut into cubes

§ 3 medium or 4 large potatoes

§ 2 medium onions, roughly chopped

§ 2 large carrots, cut into quite thick pieces

§ 3 cups stock

§ Small knob of butter

§ Fresh parsley

§ 2 Bay leaves

§ Sprig of Thyme

§ 1 lamb bone, the larger the better

§ Salt and pepper.

The lamb bone is optional, but does add a lot of flavour.

For the stock, chicken or vegetable will do, lamb is ideal. If you are using stock cubes rather than home-made stock, leave out the salt when seasoning – they tend to be very high in salt already.

Also you will need a large casserole dish with a tight fitting lid.

Makes enough for 3-4 people for a light meal. Serve with fresh bread rolls to mop up the delicious juice.

Method

Melt the butter in a pan over a fairly high temperature and fry the meat until it is browned all over, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to the casserole. Fry the onions on the same pan for about a minute or two, remove them to the casserole just before they start to brown.

Pour half the stock into the pan, turn the heat up as high as it will go and scrape the pan as the stock boils to get all the meat juices. Pour both portions of stock over the meat and onions; add the bay leaves, the thyme and the lamb bone. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cover and put in the oven for about 45 minutes to one hour.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut potatoes into three pieces.

Remove the stew from the oven. Add the carrots, mixing them in well with the meat, and then lay the potatoes over the top of the stew. Return to the oven and cook for another 45 minutes or so – check whether it is done by testing if the potatoes are cooked through.

Before serving, remove and discard the bone, the thyme and the bay leaves. Pour off the cooking liquid and leave to stand for a few minutes. This will bring the fat to the top and allow you to remove it.

Return the defatted liquid to the stew, mix the potatoes into the rest of the stew and stir in a handful of roughly chopped parsley. Return to the oven for about 10 minutes.

Note that the sauce is not thickened – if you get a stew with a thickened sauce, it may be very nice but it’s not Irish stew!.

If you decide to cook , the following video will help you from a visual manner ! So, Bon Appetit !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBJLXgFpMQY

A Scottish dish...Haggis!

Have you ever been to Scotland? If not, you should visit it and try its national and savoury dish called ‘Haggis’. Its origins are not so clear but it is very popular thanks to the poet Robert Burns who wrote the poem Address to a Haggis. This peculiar Scottish dish is served with the Burns Supper on the week of January 25^th in order to commemorate Robert Burns as the national poet. ‘Haggis’ consists of a sheep´s pluck; specifically, heart, liver and lungs. That is minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt and simmered inside the animal´s stomach for three hours. It is also traditionally served with neeps and tatties.

You can find some variants of the same dish, for instance, the haggis burguer (a patty of dried haggis served on a bun) and the haggis pakora (available in some Indian restaurants of Scotland).

Traditionally, ‘Haggis’ was a humble dish for poor people but now it is available everywhere and you can buy it in lots of supermarkets which sell ‘Haggis’ served in artificial casings or tins and containers for your micro-wave. So if you want to try it, you have no excuses!

IRISH CUISINE (I)

Irish cuisine can be divided into two mainly ways:

· Traditional dishes which are based by simple food.

· Modern dishes which can be found in hotel and available for tourist.

The main ingredient of Irish cuisine is potatoes.

One of the most famous traditional dishes of Irish cuisine is “Colcanno” although it is also cooked in the west of Scotland.

· -Colcannon

Colcanno consisting of mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage with scallions, butter, salt and pepper added.

It can contain other ingredients such as milk, cream, leek, onions and chives.It is often eaten with boiled ham or Irish bacon.

At one time it was a cheap, year-round staple food, though nowadays it is usually eaten in autumn/winter, when kale came into season.

Probably, when you see the photograph, you just think “I will not eat never in my life” but I am sure that Colcannon is going to surprise us if we eat by the combination of ingredients.

And remember, everything is not like it seems...

If you want to know more about how to cook Colcannon, you can wacth the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyqlYIWjnnQ

Is it 'Spanish Tortilla' more than an omelet?

'Tortilla' is a traditional dish from Spain which was translated into English as being an omelet and I was a little surprised because there is a big difference between them. First of all the Spanish dish have more than one ingredient while the British dish has just one ingredient. The omelet is a dish made of beaten eggs quickly cooked with oil, and sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables or meat (often ham). The Spanish tortilla is a dish consisting of a thick egg omelet, made with potatoes, onion, and pepper and then fried in olive oil. So, the Spanish dish is more than a simple eggs omelet and people who came to visit Spain remain impressed by the Spanish tortilla. What is interesting is that, sometimes people are not very curious to eat the Spanish omelet because they are thinking that it is just an omelet but when they taste it they get surprised and really enjoy it. To my mind, the right answer of this question is that the 'Spanish Tortilla' is more delicious and better than the other one.

'Cotton Candy'-'Candyfloss'-'Fairy Floss' or 'Sugar Spun'?

Here we have three different words: cotton candy from UK; candyfloss from US; and fairy foss from Australia but , in fact all of them should have the same name: SUGAR SPUN ,because all of them are only sugar. Even if kids love them mums hate them. So, people should take a careful look of what these candies are: only sugar!!!!!!!

NEW ZEALAND

VERSUS

AMERICA

Probably, the most of the people in the world who is not native assumes the differences between British English and American English, but this is not the only thing, because there are large differences in the same language. However, it will depend on the country in which we are.

New Zealand is another country in which exists owns word that can distance us from American ones.

The following words summarize some of the large differences between New Zealand English and American English.

NEW ZEALAND	AMERICA
brown bread	wheat bread
white bread	white bread
mincemeat	ground beef
beef patty	salisbury steak
blue vein cheese	blue cheese
brawn	head cheese
bacon rasher	bacon slice
(hot) chips	(french) fries
hot dog	corn dog
American hot dog	hot dog
fish fingers	fish sticks
crayfish	lobster
shrimp prawn	shrimp
filled roll	hoagie sub (New York) poor boy (Louisiana) hero
spring roll	egg roll
biscuit	cookie
porridge	oatmeal
icing sugar	powdered sugar
golden syrup	molasses
candy floss	cotton candy
soft drink	soda pop (Chicago) soda pop
sweets lollies	candy
smarties	M and Ms
jelly	jello
jam	jelly
capsicum	bell pepper sweet pepper
beetroot	red beet
swede	rutabaga
telegraph cucumber	English cucumber
spring onions	green onions
rock melon	cantaloupe
kiwifruit	kiwi
tasty cheddar cheese	sharp cheddar cheese
to grill	to broil
to barbecue	to grill
takeaways	takeout carry out
chilly bin	cooler ice chest

British vs Australian words

BRITISH ENGLISH

VERSUS

AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH

The following list summarizes one of the most important differences between British English words and Australian English words related to food:



The basic word "food" in British English is "tucker" in Australian one; another basic expression in British English would be "Have you eaten yet?" the same expression in Australian English is "Did you eat yet?"

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BRITISH ENGLISH	AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH
BANANA	NANA
BISCUIT	BICKIE
CHICKEN	CHOOK
CHOCOLATE	CHOKKIE
SANDWICHES	CUT LUNCH
SAUSAGE	SNAP
SHARK MEAT	FLAKE
TASTY FOOD	NUM-NUM
TOMATO SOUCE	DEAD
VEGETABLES	VEGIES
VEGETABLE EXTRACT	VEGEMITE