Borscht

"Borscht" is a common eastern European soup, likely of Ukrainian origin, most often made in modern times from beets, although there are types without beets. Originally a particular type of parsnip was the main ingredient of the soup that developed into the varied modern recipes. Many Ashkenazi Jews lived in eastern Europe, and when Jewish immigration from the old Russian Empire to the United States increased significantly in the latter part of the 1800s and early 1900s, they brought both the word and the soup to this country. In those times, both modern Ukraine and much of Poland were part of the Russian Empire. In that time period, and especially after World War One, further immigration from (the) Ukraine and (the then) eastern region of Poland, spread the use of the soup in the United States. How likely Americans are to encounter "Borscht" on a menu will certainly depend upon where you live. I'm sure it is much more commonly seen in New York City and vicinity. Here in Cleveland I used to see it at restaurants in the city's northeast neighborhood of Collinwood, as many Lithuanians, and their descendants, live there. Also, the same was true in the city's near West Side neighborhood of Tremont, where there were many people of Ukrainian and Russian descent. And back on the East Side, I would certainly think it is common at places in the general vicinity of University Heights and Beachwood, as there are many people of Jewish background in that area, including many who immigrated to Cleveland from Russia after the fall of the Communist regime. I'm sure the same would be true in other places across the country where there are fair concentrations of people from these various backgrounds. This recipe, my own version, is based upon one from, "The Best of Russian Cooking," by Alexandra Kropotkin, published by Hippocrene Books, 2002. (The original edition was published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1964). I've made this simple by using both canned beef consommé and canned beets.

Ingredients:

2 cans/jars beets (14 to 15 ounces each, not pickled), with 3/4 cup of their liquid
2 cans beef consommé (10.5 ounces each)
2 1/2 cans water (use a can from the consommé)
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
1 teaspoon salt (you can omit the salt, as the consommé and beet juice have salt)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh or dried dill

Put the consommé, water, onion and carrot into a pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes. Strain the vegetables from the broth, then add the beet juice, the vinegar, the Worcestershire sauce and the salt and pepper. Bring back to a simmer and cook just 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the beets, which should be cut into somewhat smaller pieces, stir to mix in. I used canned sliced beets, and I halved the smaller slices and cut the larger slices into 3 or 4 pieces. The hot liquid will heat the beets (canned beets are already cooked). Let the soup cool, then refrigerate until chilled. Serve with a nice dollop of sour cream and sprinkle on some dill. You can eat the soup hot, too, by stirring in the sour cream after the soup has cooled a bit, or stir it in with each serving.      

WORD HISTORY: 
Cream-The ultimate origins of this word are unclear. It goes back to two separate, but similar, sources: Greek "khrisma," which meant, "ointment, oily healing substance." This was borrowed by Latin as "chrisma," with the same meaning. This gave the same word the additional "church Latin" meaning, "oil for anointing," which then contributed to Old French, a Latin-based language, "cresme," which meant, "oil for anointing, ointment." The French word also seems to have been partially derived from Latin, "cramum," which meant, "cream," "seemingly" from Gaulish, a Celtic language, "crama," which also meant "cream," from an original meaning of "skin, layer;" thus later, "cream," the layer at the top of milk (the saying is appropriate: "the cream rises to the top"). English borrowed the word from French in the 1300s as "creyme," although it took time to displace the native English word "ream," the original English word for "cream." ^ Notice too, the word carries both the meaning, "fatty thickened liquid of milk," and, "oily healing substance, salve, ointment." The verb form was derived from the noun and still means "to beat milk or cream into a thickened state," and thus also, "to completely defeat an opponent or enemy," a meaning which seems to have come from the American branch of English. 

^ For the history of the word "ream," use this link and see the "Word History" there: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/04/schnitzel-with-creamy-mushroom-gravy.html

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Five

 Likely you've heard of "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder," often rendered simply as "OCD." My friend mentioned several times that he has "OCD," and in his case, according to what he said, it has to do with cleaning and his truck, and how clean he kept things. I know on a couple of occasions he told me he had cleaned the house so thoroughly (and once he put it in the context of his truck), that he was worn out, exhausted. Now, whether he ever had a diagnosis of OCD, I don't know, although the mention of it several times made me wonder if, indeed, he had been diagnosed with the disorder, as he said it in such a matter of fact way. He is also a heavy smoker, which he told me helped to calm his nerves. When on a couple of occasions I mentioned how smoking is not good for his health, he got testy about it, but I've known many smokers in my life like that. As I have written in the previous articles about my friend, each of these things by themselves does not prove a troubled mind, but rather it is the combination of these things.

OCD is a disorder where a person repeatedly does things, sometimes, but not always, involving cleanliness. For instance, some people find it virtually impossible to stop constantly washing their hands within short periods of time. I knew a guy 20 years ago who was obsessed with cleanliness, and if you went to his apartment, I think you could have literally "eaten off of the floor," he kept it so clean. If someone touched his table, he would wipe it off within minutes. Now, this man had been severely beaten earlier in his life, and almost died. He suffered severe head injuries. Whether the injuries contributed to his condition, I don't know. Or whether the traumatic event of the beating he took caused anxiety that contributed to the condition is another possibility, or perhaps something of both. Since I did not know him before he was beaten, I can't say if he had such problems beforehand. I just offer this man's behavior as something of an example.

Word History:
Obsess-This word, related to "session," and more distantly to "sit," is a compound formed by "ob" and "sess." The prefix "ob" goes back to to Indo European "epi," with the broad notion of "near, toward, against." This gave Latin "ob," and the notion of "near, against, opposite," provided the further meaning, "before" (when people or objects are against/opposite one another, they stand "before" them). The "sess" part of the word goes back to Indo European "sed," which meant "to sit." This gave Latin "sedere," which meant, "to sit, to remain seated, to preside." The two parts gave Latin "obsidere," which meant, "besiege, remain opposite/before a place, occupy a place." Its participle form gave Latin "obsessus," which meant, "besieged, occupied." English borrowed the word as "obsess," meaning, "possess by a demon or spirit," in the very late 1400s. This meaning altered some over time to become, "focus one's thoughts on something to the extreme" (sort of "have one's mind be besieged or possessed by a thought").  

It's NOT Us Against Them

I chose this title, because too often many Americans seem to see issues in this "us against them" light anymore. I know many issues are tough, but they needn't always be the Fox News or MSNBC views, that it's either one or the other. It can be something of both. Can we learn how to compromise again, instead of pretty much reflexively choosing sides because someone from the opposite political party, or someone of a different race, religion, ethnic background, nationality, gender, sexuality, proposed it? There is middle ground, but this drive for dogmatic choices is dragging the country down. This idea of, "The opposing political party said they like "butter pecan" ice cream, so we have to like something else, we can't like the same thing," is what is making so many Americans uneasy, nothing can get done anymore. The thing is, while we're uneasy, we're all pretty much a part of the problem. Please don't look for reasons to oppose everything. Look for common ground and how that common ground can lead to solutions for our many ills. Those solutions may not always be perfect, but taking steps to solve problems is better than letting things fester.

WORD HISTORY:
Score-This word, closely related to "shear," and also to "share," goes back to Indo European "sker," which meant "to cut." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "skura/skoru," with the general meaning, "to cut a mark into something with an knife or other implement, to cut an opening into an object." This gave Old Norse "skor," which meant "notch." This was borrowed into Old English (Anglo-Saxon), in circa 1000, as "scoru," which had the meaning, "notch cut into an object representing 20." This then became "skore," before the modern version. The additional meanings for the word essentially broadened the idea of a notch representing 20 to, "keeping count of goals or points in athletic competition by 'marking' them onto wood or paper; marking down musical notes; an account/billing kept on record." Further, from the idea of marking down points or goals, the word transferred to a term for those very points or goals, 'a score,' which later came to be used also as a slang term for "to have sex," generally used more by men. The "cutting" notion remains in "to score meat, fish, bread;" that is, "to put a series of cuts into a food when cooking it." The verb form came from the noun in the late 1300s. Relatives of "score:" Icelandic "skora" (notch, groove), Danish "skår" (swath; that is, "a path or row 'cut' through brush and trees"), Norwegian "skår" (shards; that is, 'pieces cut or broken from a larger object;" it also means "indentation;" that is, 'a cut into the main body'), Swedish "skåra" ('a cut, a notch').   

Panzanella, A Salad of Tuscany

This salad is a specialty of Florence (Italian: Firenze), the capital city of Tuscany in Italy. Tuscany is a region of northwestern Italy famous for "Chianti" wine. The salad provides a good use for stale bread, especially for bread without all the preservatives, which gets stale after only a day or two. This is, of course, my own version of the salad.   

INGREDIENTS:

5 Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks/diced, or about 15 to 20 grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups bake shop Italian bread, dried for a day or two, or toasted, then torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
10 basil leaves, torn into smaller pieces
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil + 3 tablespoons more for the bread pieces
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Toss the bread pieces with the 3 tablespoons of oil. Put the bread pieces on a foil or parchment covered baking sheet and bake at 400 (F) for about 5 to 6 minutes, then let the bread pieces cool a bit. Mix the tomatoes, onions, basil leaves and bread pieces together. Mix the oil and red wine vinegar together, pour over the salad, then add salt and pepper. The oil and vinegar amounts are just a guideline, but I like more dressing on salad than perhaps some people, so use what you like. In Italy they trim the crusts from the bread, but I don't care, I do it my own way, although a funny thing happened then. A letter came from the Italian embassy asking me if I have seen the "Godfather" movies. I replied, "Only the first one." They answered with simply, "That's enough." What the hell's that supposed to mean?  hahaha

WORD HISTORY:
Tomato-This now common word goes back to Aztecan (Nahuatl) "tomatl." Spanish borrowed the word, as "tomate" from their colonial expansion in the New World in the 1500s. English borrowed the word from Spanish in the mid 1700s. There are two "general" pronunciations, even made somewhat famous in a popular song written by George Gershwin called, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," where the pronunciation differences were emphasized in one line. "Generally" speaking, Americans "tend" to pronounce the word as if, "toe-may-toe" (which actually often comes out like, "tum-ay-tah"). British pronunciation tends to be more like, "toe-mah-toe," with the "a" pronounced like the "a" of father. When I was younger, some Americans pronounced the word in the British style, but to be honest, that is quite rare in the U.S. anymore, at least in my experience, and I would say it would be considered a bit "high brow," if not downright "snobbish," nowadays.

Nate Thurmond

Oh Nate, I can't believe you are gone. How did we get to be so much older; it just wasn't that long ago that you wore number "42" for the Cleveland Cavaliers, helping our team in the "Miracle of Richfield," when the team almost made it to the NBA finals, including dramatic wins in several games. What a great player your were, and what a great representative you were for your hometown of Akron, Ohio. Thank you for the super times, you truly will always be, "Nate the Great."

For those unaware, Nate Thurmond was a basketball player in the National Basketball Association, NBA, for short. He played most of his career with the Golden State Warriors, but spent the last few seasons of his playing time with the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. His time with the Cavaliers saw the team win its first divisional title (1975-76 Central Division). This team went on to defeat the Washington Bullets in 7 games in the conference semifinals, as 3 of the Cavaliers' 4 wins, including game 7, were decided in the closing seconds of play, and was dubbed "The Miracle of Richfield." * Nate Thurmond was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.  Nate died July 16, 2016.  

* The Cleveland Cavaliers were an expansion team in 1970 and played their home games in downtown Cleveland at the Cleveland Arena on Euclid Avenue. In 1974 they moved into the newly built Richfield Coliseum in the suburban Cleveland community of Richfield. 

WORD HISTORY:
Miracle-This word, somewhat distantly related to "mirror," and more distantly to "smile," goes back to Indo European "(s)mei" which had the notion "to smile, be glad;" thus also, "be pleasantly surprised or astonished." This gave Latin "mirus," meaning "astonishing," which then spawned "mirari," with the meaning, "to be astonished." This then gave Latin the noun "miraculum," with the meaning, "object of wonder," with the further religious notion of, "object of wonder brought about by God's intervention." Old French, a Latin-based language, had "miracle," meaning "wondrous act," and English borrowed the word as such in the 1100s. The word still carries the religious notion in many cases.   

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

This dressing has grown ever more popular over the years, not only for use on salads, but also to go along with spicy chicken wings, especially "Buffalo Wings," and as a topping for various sandwiches, including hamburgers.

Ingredients:

3 ounces blue cheese (Gorgonzola or Roquefort are excellent)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk (if the mixture is too thick, add a little more buttermilk)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, garlic powder and pepper in a bowl (or you could use a blender). In a small dish, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and then add to the other ingredients. Mash the blue cheese in a dish, then add it in bits and pieces to the dressing, stirring so it won't clump together. Chill the dressing before serving.

I put a few pieces of blue cheese on top for the photo

WORD HISTORY:
Blue-This is a word, distantly related to "bleach," with an original English version, later influenced in pronunciation by a foreign borrowing, which itself was a roundabout borrowing from the same original Germanic source as the English word. If I haven't confused as yet, just give me time. The word goes back to Indo European "blehg," which had the notion of "shine, pale, bright." This produced Indo European "bleh," which meant, "shiny light color, yellow, blue." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "blewaz," meaning "blue," then this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "blæwen," meaning "light blue, bluish in color." Meanwhile, Old French had borrowed "blew" from the Germanic dialect Frankish, which supplemented its word "blef," also meaning "blue," but which had come to Old French from Latin "blavus," itself a borrowing from the Old Germanic form, "blewaz." The French form "blew" was carried to England by the Normans, and began to blend with the related native English word, and became "blewe, before the modern form. Modern French has "bleu." The other Germanic languages have: German, Low German and West Frisian have "blau," Dutch has "blauw," Danish, Swedish and Norwegian have "blå" and Icelandic has "blár." ‎

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Four

Let's face it, food is about as important as it gets for living things. Regular readers here already know I like to write about food and recipes from all over the world. Now, not everyone on the planet is a lover of such diversity in food, and my West Virginia friend is one of those "picky" eaters; "picky" being the word he frequently used to describe himself. The thing is, I'm not sure I've ever known anyone so "picky." He likes pizza, especially his own homemade, although he generally uses already made pizza dough, a convenience I also use many times, but not always. He likes French fries, plain home fries and pasta in butter. When I asked if he liked the pasta with cheese, he asked in reply, "Did I say anything about cheese?" It wasn't meant in any nasty way, and he was joking, although he most certainly meant just "pasta in butter," that's it. On the "plain" home fries, when I mentioned I make really good home fries, with several ingredients, he wrote back, "What's tough about making home fries? You cut up some potatoes and throw them into some hot oil, that's it!" You gotta admit, that's plain!

Now, if you're wondering what else was on his food list, that was really about it, but some conclusions can be drawn from things he told me he doesn't like: at various times he said, "I don't like soup, it's just flavored water." "I don't eat salads, I don't like vegetables, I don't eat fruit," and as for casseroles, "I've never eaten a casserole and never will .... it's all mixed in together, eeewww." And then there was his remark about chili, which he said looks like "vomit." When I once mentioned that I had stopped at a Chinese restaurant, he made the standard remark that I must like cat meat, but then he said how he NEVER eats food from such places (I took it that he meant Asian restaurants, but I didn't ask), because, "I read some things about how they fix food in those countries and NO WAY!" You can tell there's fear involved here and a mind focused on very negative things. We don't all like the same things, but if we allow our minds to become fixed on negatives, we deprive ourselves of some great experiences. Most of us will never get to visit other countries, but trying, or better yet, making, food from these places, even if not quite authentic, helps to bring us closer to how other people live.

If you add in my friend's very limited food choices with the things I've mentioned in the previous articles about him, you begin to see a picture of a man with some problems centered around fear and negativity.

The links to previous articles:

http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-friend-in-west-virginia-part-one.html

 http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-friend-in-west-virginia-part-two.html

 http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-friend-in-west-virginia-part-three.html  

WORD HISTORY:
Fruit-This word, closely related to "fructose," and more distantly related to the verb "brook," ^ goes back to Indo European "bhrugh," which had the notion of "to use, to make use of;" thus also, "to have the enjoyment of." This gave Latin the verb "fruor," which meant, "to enjoy, take pleasure in," and one of its participle forms was "fructus," which was used as a noun directly meaning, "enjoyment," but also had a secondary meaning of, "produce; crops," that is, the source of the "enjoyment;" thus also, "profit." Old French, a Latin-based language, rendered the word as "fruit," and English borrowed the word in about the mid 12th Century and its meaning gradually became the narrowed "seed containing part of a plant, usually, but not always, having a sweet taste." The definition of the word and its actual application by the general public has long been in conflict, as most people think of tomatoes and cucumbers as being vegetables, but most science people (botanists) view both as "fruits." Close English relative German has two words for "fruit:" "Frucht," which was borrowed directly from Latin "fructus," and "Obst," a Germanic word and close relative of now archaic English "ovet" (earlier it was "ofett"), which was gradually replaced by "fruit." The further extended definition of "fruit" from the Latin meaning continues, "profit, proceeds;" thus, "the fruit(s) of one's labor."

^ The verb "brook," with the meaning of "to tolerate," came from the idea of "to enjoy food;" thus, "to be digestible;" thus, "to tolerate (stomach wise); thus, to the more general sense of "tolerate." The verb in more modern times, at least in the U.S., is often used in the negative sense, "I can't brook his drinking and gambling." "Brook," like its distant cousin "fruit," once meant "to use," and its close German cousin, "brauchen," still means "to use."     

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki is a soy sauce based Japanese sauce used to glaze meats and fish before and during cooking. I love the sauce name, because I once had an acquaintance named Terry, who loved to talk, giving me the opening to dub him, "Terry Yackey." Hahaha! (RING! RING!) Me- "Hello." Voice on the telephone- "Hey Randy! It's Terry Yackey!" Me-"I'm going to be busy." Terry Yackey-"How long?"
Me-"Until I die."    

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup sweet mirin (sweet rice wine) * 
1 1/2  teaspoons fresh ginger, minced  
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 to 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds (toast them a minute or 2 in a dry pan; that is, NO oil)
(Optional) 1 or 2 teaspoons of dark sesame oil (it adds great flavor)

Mix all but cornstarch, 1/4 cup of water, sesame oil and sesame seeds, in a sauce pan and heat over medium low heat, simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and stir to make sure cornstarch is combined. Add to the sauce in pan and stir very well. Heat and stir until sauce thickens to desired thickness, add toasted sesame seeds, and sesame oil, if using, and stir well.

* Available in Asian markets, or in the Asian section of many supermarkets. 

 I put some of the teriyaki sauce on a white plate so it would show well. You can see the sesame seeds and maybe some bits of garlic or ginger.

WORD HISTORY:
Sesame-This word is for a plant that provides seeds used to obtain their oil, and the dried seeds are used to coat bread or rolls or as ingredients in some recipes. The word's origin is very likely the Semitic language family centered in the Middle East region. The most common modern Semitic languages are Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew and Tigrinya,^ but in ancient times it included Phoenician and Akkadian (spoken by the Babylonians). Phoenician was also spoken in North Africa by the Carthaginians, a people who had much contact with the Romans and Greeks. Ancient Greek borrowed the word, as "sesamon," from one of these Semitic languages, and then Latin borrowed the word from Greek as "sisamum." This gave French "sisame," and this was borrowed by English in the early 1400s, although its more general acceptance and usage in English did not occur until circa 1800, when the English translation of the Arabian Nights' story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" became popular, along with the magic words, "Open sesame!" 

^ Arabic and Hebrew are commonly known in much of Europe and North America, but Amharic is spoken in a large part of Ethiopia. Tigrinya is also spoken in parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea, another East African nation.

A Special Visit For Those Claiming Christianity

In "A Christmas Carol," written by English author Charles Dickens, his main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, a nasty old miser, is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Scrooge had lived his life in a lust for money, while being totally deaf and blind to the suffering going on around him. His accumulation of wealth left Scrooge the same bitter man he had been through the years, even as those in need took great solace in winning little victories for themselves and their families. Now you have to admit, being visited by one ghost could make a person take note of their life, but to be visited by THREE ghosts would be enough to scare Donald Trump out of his nightshirt ..... well actually, that would likely scare the ghosts. The ghostly visits changed Scrooge, and he saw life in a new way, free from his incessant worry about making more money. He found happiness in sharing and in making others happy.

In the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life," based on a story by Philip Van Doren Stern, the main character, George Bailey, is visited by a caring, but unsuccessful angel, named Clarence, who hasn't yet done anything significant enough to win his wings. Clarence grants George's despondent wish to have never been born; setting off a series of events that show how the world would have been without George Bailey. Like Scrooge was changed by the visits of ghosts, George is changed by the angel's visit, as he sees that he is not a failure, and that, indeed, he has had "a wonderful life" by helping others, often suffering some consequences to himself in the process. When George needs help, people from his past rally to him, as they remember him for the good person he has been.

Religion and politics are funny things. It is tough to "completely" separate the two. But for individuals, including politicians, invoking Christianity; in more recent times, mainly, but not always, Republicans, how would they deal with a visit from none other than Jesus Christ? For those of you who scoff at the idea of Jesus Christ, you miss my point, because these individuals do believe, or at least, say they believe, in such a religious figure. What might happen?

If Jesus Christ paid a visit to Republican Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, who has often touted his Christianity, would he congratulate Ryan for working to cut help for poor people? Would he say, "Paul, you keep helping those rich folks with tax cuts and subsidies, they need help. I'm glad you're so concerned with the plight of billionaires and millionaires. Ebenezer Scrooge forever! None of this George Bailey stuff in the U.S., selfishness is a virtue, not a flaw. And keep working, too, to make sure that EVERY American owns at least one gun, but hopefully several. Maybe you can give people a subsidy to buy weapons? Hey, there's an idea."

So... what do you think, Mr. Speaker?

WORD HISTORY:
Visit-This word, closely related to "vision," "video" and "visa" (more or less literally, "a visit permit that has been 'seen' and verified"), and also distantly to "wit," ^ goes back to Indo European "weid/uyd," which had the notion "to see, to know from seeing." This gave Latin "videre," a verb meaning, "to see, to look at." This then produced "visere," meaning "to go to a place to look, to observe." From this developed the verb "visitare," meaning, "to go to see someone or something." Old French, a Latin-based language, had "visiter," with the meaning, "to go visit, to visit to inspect or observe." English then borrowed the word (verb), seemingly as, "visiten," in the early 1200s.^^ The noun form lagged behind, and it took a couple of centuries before it was derived from the verb, likely with reinforcement from the French noun, "visite." ^^^ 

^ For the history of "wit," see my article at this link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-friend-in-west-virginia-part-three.html

^^ English verbs were conjugated differently in those times, with the infinitive forms "often" ending with "en." These forms did not need the additional word "to" as part of the infinitive (example: today in order to express the infinitive form, we have to say, "to visit," but back then, one needed only say "visiten" to mean "to visit.") Close English relative German still uses this basic form for most verbs. By the way, the German noun for "visit" is "Besuch," and English once used the closely related noun "bisæc" as the word for "visit." This was derived from the Old English verb "besecan," which is now "beseech;" that is, "go to someone (visit them) to beg them to do something." German has only retained the "to visit" meaning, as their word for "to visit" is still "besuchen." The "seech" part of English "beseech" is really just a form of "seek;" thus, "beseech" is sort of literally, "seek (someone) out."

^^^ In those times, French was quite an influential language in Europe, not just England, especially among the nobility and aristocracy. Likely almost all nobles learned French, and famous German, Frederick the Great, king of the German state of Prussia in the 1700s, preferred French to his native German, and he carried on a correspondence with French philosopher and writer Voltaire, but the two clashed when they actually met, as Voltaire's "free spirit" was much in conflict with Frederick's autocratic style. 

Tomato-Vegetable Soup

This nutritious soup can be served hot or cold. 

Ingredients (6 to 8 servings):

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium potato, cut into small chunks
1 medium sweet potato, cut into small chunks
1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes w/juice
5 to 6 cups vegetable broth
1  6 ounce can tomato paste
2 1/2 cups kale
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a heavy duty pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring until the onion is basically softened (do not let the onion/garlic brown).  Add the tomatoes, both types of potatoes, vegetable broth and tomato paste. Stir well. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add the kale, salt and pepper, and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, making sure the kale is well mixed into the soup. Serve hot, or let cool, then chill before serving. NOTE: If the soup is too thick for your preference, add some tomato juice or just water.

WORD HISTORY:
Kettle-The origins of this word are unclear, but it goes back to Old Germanic "katilaz" ("kettle, vessel that holds liquids, especially water"), but where Old Germanic got the word is very much in question. It could be a borrowing long ago from Latin, as that language had "catillus" ("small dish") a diminutive word derived from "catinus," which meant, "bowl, dish, pot." But as with the Old Germanic word, where Latin got their word is also unclear. Modern Greek has "chýtra," which also means "kettle, pot," so it is possible that there were varied forms derived from a common Indo European word or root. Anyway, the Old Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "citel/cytel," which meant "kettle." This then became "ketel," in some English dialects, with the change in initial consonant a likely influence from Old Norse (another Germanic language) "ketill," also meaning "kettle." Other English dialects spelled it "chetel," but in the end both forms became modern "kettle." Other Germanic languages have: German "Kessel," ^ Low German Saxon "kätel," Dutch "ketel," West Frisian "tsjettel," ^^ Danish "kedel," Icelandic "ketill," Swedish "kittel," all meaning "kettle," and Norgwegian "kjele," meaning "boiler" (a vat/vessel for heating and storing water).

^ As I've noted at times before, the high Germanic dialects underwent a sound shift, where often "t" or double "t" became and "s" or double "s." English, Low German and Frisian, all close relatives of German, did not undergo this same sound shift.

^^ The "tsj" of the West Frisian word is pronounced similarly to the English "ch" of "cheese, Charles;" which puts it very close in pronunciation to the one previous English dialect form of "chetel."       

Homemade Russian Dressing

This dressing is an American invention from over a hundred years ago, although whether it was based upon some Russian recipe originally, I do not know. In those times, however, many immigrants came to the United States from the old Russian Empire. It is similar to Thousand Island dressing, but the chili sauce and horseradish give this dressing some kick. Like other dressings, it can be used on sandwiches too, and it is commonly used on Reubens. Like many dressings, there are variations in recipes for Russian dressing, but the "very red" bottled version "seems" to be more of a commercial style, and it is far sweeter in taste than most Russian dressing recipes. 

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup tomato-based chili sauce (I use Heinz, just to give you an example)
2 tablespoons onion, very finely minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons white horseradish; that is, not mixed with beets *
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Chill before serving.

* If you tend to have horseradish on hand in your refrigerator, you might want to take a small taste before using it in the dressing, as horseradish often loses some of its "zip," once it has been opened and allowed to sit in the refrigerator for awhile. When I first bought the jar I used, it was one of the hottest jar's of horseradish I had ever tasted, and that takes some doing, because when I was growing up, horseradish was something we always had at home, and also at my maternal grandparents' house, where my grandfather and grandmother would render a verdict on each new jar of horseradish they bought. If it didn't make your eyes water and your nose run, they would say, "Not a good batch."  

WORD HISTORY:
Condiment-This compound, meaning, "sauce or seasoning added to dish," goes back to Indo European "doeh," which meant "to give." This gave its Italic offspring, and the derived Latin, "do," with the same basic meaning. This then gave Latin "dare," a verb meaning "to give." This then became the basis for the Latin verb "condere," which meant "to put ("give up") into storage," and then the altered form "condire," meaning "to preserve food with seasonings (salt and spices)." This then gave Latin "condimentum," with the meaning, "seasoning, sauce, seasoning sauce." Old French, a Latin-based language, had its form of the word as "condiment," and English then borrowed the word from French in the early part of the 1400s. The "con" part of the word goes back to Indo European "kom/ghem," which had the idea of "beside, near, together." This gave Latin "com," which also had the variant form "con;" thus, "condiment" is really pretty much literally, "seasoning sauce that goes together with something."

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Three

During much of our communication time, my friend seemed to have things together and he showed he was a smart guy; however, there were signs of a troubled mind, but the signs were "seemingly" minor. For example, he had trouble taking any joke or ribbing about himself, but he loved to do so to others, including me. Now on a given day any of us might get our feathers ruffled about a joke poking fun at us, but generally speaking I can take such jokes, and indeed, I often make myself the target of jokes. I had no problem with his jokes with me, and I even told him to kid around with me; that's me in every day life, joking and kidding, even at my own expense. But if I threw a little kidding his way, the anger flared, and a hot-toned email would come my way. Now, this is not unusual among people, as many folks can be thin-skinned, so I really didn't make too much of it, and when you like a person, you tend to overlook, or discount, some flaws.

WORD HISTORY:
Wit (witty)-This word, closely related to "wise," goes back to Indo European "weid/uyd," which had the notion "to see;" thus, "to know how to go, how to proceed." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "witanan," meaning "to know." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "witan," with the meaning, "to understand, to be aware of;" thus, "to know."This then became "witen," before the modern version. The verb is now pretty much confined to legal matters, in the form, "to wit;" with the meaning, "to make clear, to specify." While the verb form is no longer as common among most English speakers, the noun form continues as a pretty common word. It has the same Indo European ancestor, of course, which then gave Old Germanic "witja/wittja," with the general meaning, "reason, intellect, knowledge." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) both "gewit," meaning, "wits, sound mind," and "witt," "understanding, knowledge, sound mind." This then became "wit." By the 1500s, a further meaning of "able to craft a humorous story" had developed, although the similar development in close relative German is at least curious, as in German around that same time, "Witz," the German form of "wit," came to mean "humorous story, joke." Old English also had the derived noun "wita," meaning "a knowledgeable man;" thus, "adviser." The adjective "witty" comes from Old English "wittig," which meant "clever, crafty, wise," and it then became "witti," before the modern form. It followed along with the noun into the further meaning of "humorous, joking," in the 1500s. In modern English, the noun form is often used in the plural when referring to a person's mind, mental faculties, as in: "I'm losing wits," or, "Get your wits together." The other Germanic languages also have various forms, some of which are: German "Witz" (noun-a joke), "wissen" (verb-to know a fact), "witzig" (adjective-humorous, funny, witty); Low German Saxon "Weten" (noun-knowledge), Dutch "weten" (verb-to know), Danish "viden" (noun-knowledge), Icelandic "vit" (noun-sense), Norwegian "viten" (noun-knowledge), Swedish "vett" (noun-wit, sense).

Salad Niçoise, Sort Of

The word "niçoise" (pronounced: nee-swaz) simply refers to olives cured in the French city of Nice, which is located in the well known resort region of the French Riviera in southeastern France, along the Mediterranean coast.* So "niçoise" essentially means "from Nice, of Nice." The small dark olives are commonly grown in that general area of France. There are many variations on this common French salad, but I'm using my own "no cook" recipe. Often in France, fresh green beans are briefly cooked, keeping some crispness, for this salad, and boiled potato slices or chunks may also be added. Further, the dressing used is a vinaigrette, which includes Dijon mustard, but I used a little different homemade dressing. (Note: The mark under the letter 'c' in the French rendering of "niçoise" is called a 'cedilla,' and it indicates that the 'c' is pronounced as an 's.' Besides French, it is most notably used in Portuguese and Catalan, a language of eastern Spain and a part of southern France.)  

INGREDIENTS:

Niçoise olives (or other black olives in olive oil, or Kalamata olives)
3 Roma tomatoes, quartered (or about 12 to 15 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise)
1 small can chunk tuna in olive oil
5 anchovy fillets in oil, rinsed, left whole or chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 medium red onion, sliced thinly
salt & pepper to taste
a few basil leaves, torn into thirds or quarters
lettuce to line the serving plate
dressing (see recipe link below **)

Line a plate or platter with lettuce leaves (you can use any type: head lettuce, butter lettuce, Boston lettuce). Place the tuna in the center, then arrange the tomatoes, onions, red bell pepper, and olives around the tuna. Top the arrangement with the egg quarters and anchovies, then add the torn basil leaves, finish with salt and pepper, or leave this to the individuals to add per their own taste. I used no salt, as the anchovy fillets and dressing add salt, so I would be careful how much salt you add, if any. The salad dressing can be placed on the table in a dish with serving spoon, and the individual servings can be topped with the dressing per the person's own taste.
 
* On the Italian side of the border is the Italian Riviera, located in the Liguria region of Italy, but within the French Riviera is one of the world's smallest countries, Monaco.

** This is the link to the recipe article I did for French salad dressing: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/07/homemade-creamy-country-french-dressing.html

I used some whole black olives in oil, but the store was out of the other cured black olives they carry in their olive bar. I also added some Kalamata olives (the smaller brown colored olives), but they are in a brine. Niçoise olives might be difficult to find, so you may have to substitute other types. I kept the anchovies whole, so they could be seen in the photo, but you can chop them.

WORD HISTORY:
Sumptuous-This word, related to "consume," is a compound meaning, "splendid, seemingly expensive;" thus, "luxurious."  I will do its history from more recent to ancient. English borrowed the word from French "somptueux" in the second half of the 1400s. French, a Latin-based language, had the word from Latin "sumptuosus" (expensive), itself from Latin "sumptus," which meant "expense." This came from the Latin verb "sumere," meaning "to take, to acquire;" thus, "to buy." This came from the prefix "sub" (under, from below), the origins of which are unclear,^ and from "emere" (to take), "likely" from Italic^^ "emer/emo," derived from Indo European "em/um," with the notion of "take, acquire."

^ I "may" do a separate history of the prefix "sub," which "may" be an Italic form related to the Old Germanic word which gave English the modern word "up."

^^ Italic is a branch of the Indo European family of languages and includes Latin, Umbrian, Venetic, and others, most of which have died out. Latin's limited use today is mainly because its dialects evolved into several modern languages: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Catalan, Sardinian, and several others.

Homemade Creamy Country French Dressing

French dressing has been popular in the U.S. as long as I can remember, but it really seems to have been an American creation; at least the orange, or reddish orange type. This is my own version, and I think you'll like it. "Oui, oui!" 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup mayonnaise (reduced calorie is fine)
1/2 cup sour cream ("light" is fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola, vegetable or other generally neutral oil; that is, not highly flavored
3 tablespoons brown mustard
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (white or black*)

In a large bowl mix the mayonnaise and sour cream together. In another bowl, or in a blender, mix the sugar and white wine vinegar, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the oil, brown mustard, ketchup, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and white or black pepper. Mix very well, or better yet, blend it. Add the mayo/sour cream mixture and blend or stir very well again. Chill the dressing before serving.

* I use white pepper, but you can go ahead and use black pepper, see if I care! Just wait until I put a curse on you and you can't sleep until you change your recipe to use white pepper. 

WORD HISTORY:
Cup-This word, related to "cooper" ("a barrel maker"), goes back to Indo European "keup/kaup," which meant "a hollow (object)." This gave its Latin offspring "cupa," meaning "basin, tub, barrel," which then spawned Latin "cuppa" (cup). This was borrowed into Old Germanic, or directly into Old English, as "cuppe," also meaning "cup,"  and it was several centuries before it took on the spelling used today, "cup." Forms are present in many of the other Germanic languages: German has "Kopf," meaning "head," ^ Low German Saxon "Kopp" and "Köppken" (cup),^^ Dutch, West Frisian, East Frisian and Danish "kop" (cup), Swedish and Norwegian "kopp" (cup). I did not find a form in modern Icelandic, but "apparently" it once had "koppr," a form "apparently" borrowed from Low German.  

^ While rare, it can also mean "bowl." In many German dialects, including in Berlin, it is "Kopp." Further, the same source also gave German "Kuppe," meaning "knoll;" that is, "small rounded hill;" so interestingly, "an inverted cup shape," but the word "cupola," generally meaning "the dome of a building," is also from the idea of "an inverted cup."

^^ There is no standard form of Low German, only a number of related dialects, which are not always mutually intelligible. 

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Two

This is the second of a series of short articles I am writing about a troubled friend.

Anyone who knows me will know I like to help folks talk through their troubles, and my time in property management gave me many an opportunity to do so.* I believe my friend wants to do the right things, and in the first few months of our communication, he showed concern for others, but his emotional/mental condition, his "demons," are tough for him to overcome. When his imagination gets the best of him and he lashes out at people, he finds it EXTREMELY difficult, if not impossible, to say, "I'm sorry." He's highly temperamental, sometimes over the silliest things. It's tough to help a person talk through their problems, when they can't bring themselves to admit they did anything wrong. Not only that, he accuses others of suffering from what are HIS emotional problems. More on this later. From what I have experienced, his attacks on people are purely verbal, not physical; and I hope that is truly the case, because he is a big guy, but with his instability, I cannot say that with one hundred percent confidence, as with any of us, when we lose our tempers, we might well do things far beyond our typical behavior. 

* For my dealings with troubled veterans, this link is to an article I did on that subject:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-veterans.html 

And on other troubled tenants: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2014/03/tolerance-on-mental-issues-often-easier.html

WORD HISTORY:
Stable-This word, distantly related by way of Indo European to English "stand" and "stall," goes back to Indo European "sta," which had the notion of "stand, set in place." This gave its Latin offspring "stabulum," meaning "place for animals, a stall," but also, "hut, dwelling or public establishment." ^ This gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "estable," also meaning "(animal) stall." English borrowed the word circa 1200.

^ The noun "establishment" and the verb "establish," are close relatives of "stable," and both are also of Latin derivation.