Korean Tuna & Rice Lettuce Wraps: Ssambap

For these common Korean lunch or snack foods, you can use head lettuce, butter lettuce, red lettuce, romaine lettuce, or some of more than one type of leaves, or even some of all types. Koreans often include some kind of meat, fish, or seafood in their lettuce wraps; and for this article, I used tuna. Sesame seeds are a common addition to many Korean dishes. 

Unless you make Korean style foods often, you will need "gochujang" Korean chili paste. It typically comes in rectangular plastic containers. You will also need "gochugaru" red chili flakes and "ssamjang" paste. "Ssamjang" paste is a spicy Korean paste made with a base of fermented soy beans. All of these Korean products can almost always be found in Asian stores, spice shops, and even in some supermarkets, especially those located in areas with people of Korean ancestry. None of these products is terribly expensive.   

Ingredients: 

 

For the tuna:

 

5 or 6 ounce can of tuna in water or oil, drained

1 heaping tablespoon FINELY chopped or grated onion

1 tablespoon gochujang Korean chili paste 

1 teaspoon Korean gochugaru red chili flakes

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Into a bowl, add the ingredients and break up the tuna, then mix everything together very well, take a taste and adjust the seasonings to make them satisfactory for you. 

For the rice: 

1 cup sushi rice

1 1/4 cups water

1 heaping teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

1/3 teaspoon salt 

Over medium heat, add the sesame seeds to a dry skillet; shake the seeds around in the skillet for about 2 minutes; remove the seeds to a small bowl or other dish, and set them aside briefly. To fix sushi rice, you only need a little more water than rice; therefore, for 1 cup of sushi rice, you will only need 1 1/4 cups of water. First, rinse the rice a couple of times. Then add the measured rice, measured water and the salt to a heavy bottomed pan. Let the rice sit for about 25 minutes, then put the lid onto the pan, and turn the heat to high. You can lift the lid to see if the water is boiling, and if so, then immediately turn the heat to low or very low, and keep the lid on for 12 minutes; at which time, you can lift the lid to see if the water is gone, then keep the lid on and remove the pan from the heat. Let the pan sit for 10 minutes, then remove the lid, add the sesame seeds and fluff the rice with a fork. (Note: Sushi rice has a somewhat sticky texture; so, it's not likely to be in individual grains like some other types of rice.)

To make the wraps:

ssamjang paste to top the filling

Take a lettuce leaf and place a tablespoon of the cooked rice in the middle of the leaf (Note: trim off any stem that prevents the leaf from being folded, and if the leaves are too large, cut them in half). Add a teaspoon of the tuna mixture to the top of the rice, then add about 1/2 teaspoon ssamjang paste to top the tuna. Fold up the lettuce around the filling and ... These wraps are supposed to be put into the mouth in one bite, and then chewed, but don't risk choking yourself.

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Icon-The origin of this word is unknown, but Ancient Greek had transliterated "eikon," meaning "image, reflection, likeness." Latin borrowed the word as "icon" with the same basic meanings, but later also, "image or portrait of religious individuals or religious events," which became most significant in the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity. English borrowed the word in the 1570s, and the meaning, "a significant person, event or object that serves as a symbol," was eventually added to the word's meanings. The early 1980s saw the use of the word in computer operations.

Chinese Hot & Sour Soup

You are likely to find this soup on just about every menu in every Chinese restaurant in America. There are lots of variations in recipes, with some using chicken in the soup, and others using tofu, and still others using meaty tasting mushrooms, and I guess you could call it the "deluxe version" with all of these ingredients included.

 

For this, you use the white part of the green onions in the actual preparation of the soup, and you keep the green part for finishing the soup and as a garnish.

 

 

Ingredients (6 servings):

6 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup thinly cut carrot (matchsticks)

4 green onions, white part only, chopped

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1/3 cup sliced shiitaki mushrooms 

1/3 cup firm tofu cubes

3 cloves of minced garlic 

3 tablespoons Asian chili sauce

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar 

1/4 cup rice vinegar (1/3 cup if you like a bit more tartness)

1 teaspoon sesame oil 

4 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with equal amount of water

2 large eggs, well beaten

green part of 4 green onion, chopped

In a pan, add the chicken broth, carrot, white part of the green onions, ginger, minced garlic, chili sauce, white pepper, soy sauce and brown sugar. Let come to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to simply maintain a nice gentle, but steady simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and tofu, and simmer another 5 minutes, then stir in the rice vinegar and sesame oil. With the soup still simmering, stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring until the soup thickens. Gradually add the beaten eggs, and then stir lightly after about 45 seconds. Add half of the green part of the onion and give it a quick stir. Remove the soup from the heat. Garnish each serving with a bit of the remaining green from the onions.

 

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Clerk (Clark/Cleric)-These words are related to "clergy." The ultimate origin of "clerk/clark/cleric" is uncertain, although Indo European "kleh," meaning "to cut down," is thought to be the ancestor by some. Ancient Greek had transliterated "kleros," which meant "a chip of wood used for casting lots," but then the expanded meaning of "something assigned by lots (land, farm, house, etc), inheritance,"^ which produced the transliterated Greek adjective "klerikos," meaning "of or about the clergy," as in religious usage in Greek, the word came to be applied to priests, who were seen as ordained by God's choice (lot). Latin borrowed the adjective as "clericus," meaning "of or about the priesthood, priestly," but it also used the word as a noun to mean "priest, member of the clergy." This was borrowed into Old English as "clerc," meaning "priest, clergyman." In those times, the clergy were some of the few in society who were educated; thus, they were used as record keepers of accounts and of other written documents. This idea of being able to read and write eventually superceded the meaning of "priest;" thus, those employed to keep records continued to be called "clerks," but without the "clergy" meaning at all. The idea of a "sales person" is from the latter part of the 1700s in American English. The verb form is from the noun in the mid 1500s and meaning "to provide the services of a clerk." "Clark" is from a spelling variant of "clerk" in the Middle Ages, which has remained as a popular family name dating from those times (also spelled "Clarke").

^ In this case, the idea of "inheritance" is seemingly from God, and this meaning connects the word to religion.

Band of Brothers: They Helped Defeat Hitler (Parts 1 & 2)

NOTE: "Band of Brothers" is a highly realistic World War Two miniseries from HBO. Part of the "realism" is the profanity used; so, if you are sensitive to such language, the miniseries is definitely not for you. Also, there are numerous highly bloody scenes of killed or wounded soldiers, and scenes of people in a concentration camp, who have been the subject of horrendous treatment. So here too, if you are sensitive to these kinds of scenes, it is probably a good thing if you skip viewing the miniseries. As for this article and those I'll be doing about the miniseries, I have tried to keep things from being too blatant.

_________________

      

The U.S. 101st Airborne Division is likely the most famous divisional unit in American history. The HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" focuses on the history of "Easy Company" of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, one of the components of the 101st Airborne Division during World War Two. Large scale paratrooper landings were a new part of warfare in World War Two, and the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was an experimental unit, established in 1942, to take the U.S. Army into airborne operations.

 

When I was a kid and a teenager in the 1950s and 1960s, there were naturally a lot of documentaries, movies and television shows about World War Two, so many of us knew at least a little something about the 101st Airborne Division, primarily because of their stand at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. One day in like the mid 1960s, my dad stopped to talk with a guy walking toward us with a cane. Unfortunately I can't recall his name now, but besides walking with a cane, he was very thin. He and my dad shook hands (they knew each other) and they exchanged a few words before he went his way and we went our way. My dad then told me the man's name and that the guy had fought in the Battle of the Bulge and that he had been severely wounded and that's why he was so frail looking. It then made sense to me why the man was so thin and gaunt, even 20 years after that terrible battle. All I remember is that he was in the Army, but I don't think he was in the 101st Airborne, as I think I would have remembered that.       

 

This very realistic HBO series is based on the book "Band of Brothers" by historian Stephen Ambrose. Remember, this is NOT a documentary nor an actual reenactment, but rather a series with characters representing the actual men, with their real names, of East Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Understand, when one of the men is killed or wounded, that was what happened to the real historical man, although there may be different recollections as to the details about what happened. So remember, some of the scenes and actions in the series are essentially reenactments of real historical events, but other scenes and dialogue have been created "to show the gist of historical events and to tell particular stories," but they aren't properly historical reenactments. Another thing to remember is, it can be hard to determine what "historical" means, as different participants may recall things differently. Further, the film industry has to manage scripts that fall within such and such an amount of time, and of course, within a budget. "It's my understanding," the survivors of the company who were still alive to see this series, generally liked it; however, that doesn't necessarily mean they agreed with everything in the series. The production people for the series chose to show, and to center attention on, certain men from the company, but not all, although some of the men get a mention or a line here and there, and some weren't mentioned at all. These men of the series represent millions of Americans who served in the armed forces back then, and also millions more from other parts of the world who helped to defeat Hitler and fascism. We owe all of these men, and women, for what they did back then. We owe them more than some people can even comprehend. Today, some people need a refresher course on opposing fascism; while others need to understand that "political correctness" is not the answer to everything. 

     

There are lots of characters in this series, all based upon the actual men who served in Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. It's best to watch the series more than once, because you'll become more familiar with the names of the men, so that when a name is mentioned, you'll be in a better situation to recall who that man is. Again, there are a lot of names and faces to remember, and it's tough doing that. The series does well with giving us information "on a number" of the company's men; thus, we feel for them, we worry about them and we are jarred when they are wounded or killed. You will love these men, and they love each other and support each other, and when one or more are lost, it hurts, but the company continues to fight, and we have to keep our composure and follow them in their efforts to defeat the evil of Hitler and Nazism. 

 

As I write about this series, I'll likely use a man's army rank on occasion, but for the most part, I'll use last names, just as the men do. The cast of this series is so large, I decided not to list it, as it would have been overwhelming, although I did decide to list just a few names of the cast who portrayed the men most seen, most heard and most heard about in the stories presented in this series. Some of the cast only appear briefly in an episode or two; so, I may well add their names in parentheses. Believe me, the whole cast is likely 10 or 15 times as large as those I've list here, and everyone did a great job. When I first watched the series on Blu-ray (I had already seen it on television previously), I didn't know that several of the actors were from the UK and Ireland. Then at some point, I heard one of these actors say some word, which caught my attention. "Where's that guy from," I asked myself. When I checked it, I found he was from England, but if it hadn't been for that one word, I would likely not have looked it up. That made me pay closer attention to any accents, but they were all just great, and I've got to believe that's not an easy thing to do. 

 

I have the Blu-ray edition of "Band of Brothers" which, besides having the entire series, has a couple of special features which allows you to watch the series with a time line at the bottom of the screen, with various "pop ups" that usually give information about the real life men portrayed at a given point or about historical information to add some background to the onscreen events. Then there is another special feature that has remarks from some of the actual men who served in the company, who tell about their experiences in the war as the series plays; so, when using this feature, it does block out the audio of the actual series during the times these comments are made.

 

Partial Cast

 

Damian Lewis as Lieutenant, then Captain, then Major Richard Winters

Ron Livingston as Lieutenant, then Captain Lewis Nixon

Scott Grimes as Private, then Sergeant Donald Malarkey 

Shane Taylor as Medic Eugene Roe

Donnie Wahlberg as Sergeant Carwood Lipton 

Michael Cudlitz as Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman

Frank John Hughes as Sergeant Bill "Wild Bill" Guarnere

Rick Gomez asTechnician 4th Grade George Luz

Kirk Acevedo as Staff Sergeant Joe Toye

James Madio as Technician 4th Grade Frank Perconte

Eion Bailey as Private David Kenyon Webster

Dexter Fletcher as Sergeant John Martin

Ross McCall as Technician 5th Grade Joseph Liebgott

Neal McDonough as Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton

Nicholas Aaron as Private Robert "Popeye" Wynn

David Schwimmer as Lieutenant> Captain Herbert Sobel   

 

 

Part One, "Currahee" lets us begin to learn some things about the individuals in Easy Company, by seeing them during their training in Georgia, North Carolina and then their further training in England (they sailed for England in September 1943), as they prepare for the invasion of Nazi-occupied western Europe. The training is hard and strict and led by Lieutenant Herbert Sobel, who, regardless of his skill at training the company, lacks a connection with the men, some (perhaps many?) of whom actually hate him, as he is petty and seems to love humiliating others. (Note: While none of us like to be humiliated, if you are facing a German Tiger tank, "humiliation" is not likely to be the foremost thing in your mind at that moment. Perspective.) Sobel falls into a place that makes matters difficult for him. The men don't like him, but they seem to be able to put their personal feelings aside for the good of their comrades and the unit; that is, until Sobel's competence as a combat leader comes into question. In leading the men in training exercises simulating combat, Sobel's failings, like being unable to read a map properly, become so great, the men don't trust him to lead them into real combat. Further, Sobel is insecure and he concocts a silly charge against well-liked Lieutenant Winters, who then tells Sobel that he chooses to appear for court martial, rather than just accept Sobel's punishment. This worries Sobel, as he knows the charge is petty. There's no reservoir of good will from the men toward Sobel to help them forgive him somewhat; so, something has to give. The non commissioned officers in the company know the feelings of the men and most of them decide to protest by asking, in writing, for Sobel to be replaced, or to have their ranks downgraded. They are aware that such a protest could cost them severe punishment, even execution, but their feelings are so strong, they go through with the protest. Remember, this was military justice, not the much different civilian justice. The regimental commander, Colonel Sink, boots one man from the company and demotes a man or two, but underneath, while he respects Sobel's handling of the training, even praising Sobel for it, he knows there is something wrong to have so many men willing to risk punishment. He tries not to embarrass Sobel by reassigning him to lead training at a military school. (Note: Sobel had been promoted to Captain a bit earlier.) The court martial of Winters is set aside and Lieutenant Thomas Meehan is then given command of Easy Company in place of Sobel. Throughout much of the company's training, Lieutenant Winters has been second in command and he has a good relationship with the men, who trust him, and that trust only grows over time. Finally, the men are assembled and given all of their equipment. The time for their first action has come and a huge task it is; the parachuting of the men into areas behind the main German defenses along the coastline in Normandy, France. One of the men, John Martin, receives a letter from his wife, who tells her husband that Bill Guarnere's brother has been killed in the fighting in Italy (Note: Bill Guarnere is a non-commissioned officer in Easy Company and the guys often call him "Gonorrhea" as a play on his own name). Now Martin must decide if he should tell Guarnere about his brother as they are preparing to be dropped into combat with the Germans in just a matter of hours. A little later, Guarnere mistakenly takes Martin's jacket, which has the letter about his brother in the pocket, and he reads the awful news about his brother. The men are ready, but the weather is bad, with rain and fog; thus, the operation is postponed, but the men must remain prepared to board aircraft when the Allied commander, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, tells the Allied forces to go, which he does and the men of Easy Company get into the transport planes for their jump into Normandy.   

 

Part Two, "Day of Days" has the men heading for Normandy on the transport planes in the early overnight hours of June 6, 1944. (Note: The Allies sent planes to Normandy ahead of the main drops to drop special teams, called "Pathfinders," to mark the drop zones and to position radio and special radar devices to help guide the transport planes to their drop zones. The plane with the Pathfinders tasked with marking the drop zone for East Company was shot down over the English Channel; thus, the company's drop zone was unmarked, so the pilots of the transports for the men were on their own. This information was provided in the time line special feature.) The German anti-aircraft (Flak) guns put up a terrible barrage of firepower, and with the drop zone unmarked, the low lying clouds make the aircraft fly lower and, thus, they are easier targets. Many of the planes are hit by German anti-aircraft fire, and we see a plane destroyed before its men can jump. This is the transport carrying Lieutenant Meehan, the company commander, but it takes quite awhile for the men of Easy Company to find out about Meehan and those others with him being killed. Easy Company's men jump, but the transports miss the drop zone and the men are scattered about and they can't form up as a complete unit in the first couple of days after the drop.

 

The first American paratrooper Lieutenant Winters finds after landing is Private John Hall of A Company (played by Andrew Scott), and as is said, Winters, Hall or both have been dropped outside their drop zones. They finally meet up with a few of the men, including two from the 82nd Airborne Division. Lieutenant Winters checks the map to see where they are in relation to where they are supposed to be. Winters and his few men head off, but they come upon a horse-drawn wagon with a group of German soldiers and the men ambush the Germans, killing all of them, with Guarnere at the forefront, firing before Winters gave the command. Guarnere keeps firing after the enemy troops are all dead and Winters has to yell at him to get him to stop, and he also tells Guarnere that the next time he'd better wait until he gives him the order to fire. (This is all heavy stuff, as we've seen American planes downed with their crews and paratroopers, the missed drop zones, the ambush of the German soldiers, and we know about Guarnere's brother's death, but now comes a small dose of lightness. We need it.) Remember, Private Hall isn't from Easy Company, as he hadn't found his own company. When he sees Guarnere's behavior, he asks Malarkey, "What's that guy's problem?" Malarkey answers, "Gonorrhea," and Hall says "Really?" Malarkey then explains, "His name's Guarnere,.. gonorrhea, get it?" Hall then asks, "So besides having a sh--ty name, what's his problem?" Guarnere hears this and shouts, "None of your f------g business, Cowboy!" (The first time I saw this scene, I couldn't stop laughing at this.) Guarnere's behavior during this action earns him the nickname of "Wild Bill." (Note: The Germans had much animal drawn transport like the wagon shown in this scene. Many of the German infantry units had only small numbers of motorized vehicles; thus, they had to rely on animal transport, with only German panzer divisions and panzergrenadier divisions equipped with large amounts of motor vehicles. American infantry divisions were transported by trucks supplied by each army headquarters, and they had mobile artillery and usually an attached tank battalion and a tank destroyer battalion or two; thus, in mobility, American infantry divisions were far more mobile than the average German infantry division stationed in France, where many of the infantry divisions were termed "bodenständig;" that is, "static, total ground units with few motor vehicles.")                      

 

Lieutenant Winters and his group of men arrive at the meeting point for the entire 2nd Battalion, and Malarkey meets a German prisoner who is from his home state of Oregon, but whose family had returned to Germany to help the German war effort. Just after Malarkey walks away from the group of German prisoners, he passes Lieutenant Speirs who walks into the midst of the prisoners and offers them cigarettes, which they take. The scene then returns to Malarkey as he walks away from the prisoner area on his way back to Easy Company. We hear machine gun fire and we see Malarkey turn and take a few steps toward the prisoners, and then, with a stunned look on his face, he says "S--t!" Malarkey gets back to Easy Company, but he is visibly shaken. He sees Speirs walk by, and Malarkey looks at the man with some fear in his eyes. (Note: There will be more on this incident in the next part.)

 

Winters represents Easy Company at a conference with the battalion commander, as no one yet knows about the death of Lieutenant Meehan and the men who were with him. Easy Company is given the assignment of taking out a German artillery battery that is firing down on the American troops on Utah Beach. Winters takes the few of his men who have found the battalion headquarters and they approach the German artillery positions. After Winters tells the men their jobs, they set out to implement taking and destroying the German guns (105mm guns). Firing starts and the first gun position is attacked with hand grenades, machine gun fire and rifle fire. Popeye Wynn is wounded in his backside, and they send him back to the battalion assembly area for medical treatment. The men capture the gun and Private Hall turns up (remember he actually belongs in another company) with TNT, and he and Winters destroy the German gun. The next gun is taken in similar fashion, and that gun too is destroyed. Winters sends another group, including Hall, to take the next gun, but Hall is killed in the German trench by a mine. Winters finds Hall's body and stops momentarily, as he is visibly affected, but the war doesn't wait, and Winters has to continue the fight. Lieutenant Speirs of D Company (also called Dog Company) and a couple of his men show up and Speirs asks Winters if he and his men can take the next gun, and Winters agrees. The men with Speirs fall, but Speirs captures the gun and that gun too is destroyed. Winters and his men head back to the battalion headquarters. 

 

Some of the men are in the back of a truck closed off with canvas flaps and Malarkey is heating some food for them. They have some Calvados, an apple brandy produced in Normandy (40% alcohol content). When Winters lifts the canvas and looks into the truck, he is asked if Lieutenant Meehan has been located, but he tells them Meehan has not been found. Gaurnere has been leery of Winters commanding, because Winters doesn't drink alcohol and Guarnere thinks Winters is a Quaker, but after the exemplary leadership of Winters that day, Guarnere accepts Winters wholeheartedly, as this scene shows, and it is another light moment amongst many tense or solemn moments. With Meehan missing in action, Guarnere asks Winters, "Doesn't that make you our commanding officer?" And Winters says 'yes.' Guarnere nods and one of the guys offers Winters some Calvados, but Guarnere says, "The Lieutenant doesn't drink," but Winters deliberately reaches for the bottle and takes a drink, which he has a hard time swallowing, and he asks if Guarnere will also have a drink, and Guarnere answers, "Yes sir." Winters starts to leave, but he then says to Guarnere, "Sergeant, I'm not a Quaker," and the guys all laugh, including Guarnere. Easy Company has its leader. (In some interview I heard somewhere with one of the actual veterans, he mentions that this was the first alcohol Winters had ever tasted.)   

 

Later, as the men get a brief rest, Winters struggles opening a can of rations and his friend Lieutenant Lewis Nixon helps him, but Winters, a quiet man to begin with, is unusually quiet, and Nixon asks why, and Winters tells him about Private Hall being killed. It's on his mind and he tells Nixon that Hall "was a good man ...  man? Not even old enough to buy a beer," Winters says. Winters is so affected by Halls' death, he then hands the opened can of rations back to Nixon and says, "I'm not hungry." Some lessons of life punch us hard in the gut.   

 

 

 Photo is of the HBO 2015 Blu-Ray Miniseries release ...

WORD HISTORY:

Turret-This word is related to "tower," the basis of which was borrowed from Latin into Old English. The ultimate origin of "turret" is unknown, but it goes back to transliterated Ancient Greek "turrhis," which meant "tower, elevated structure for observation and battle purposes," and this was borrowed by Latin as "turris," with the same meaning. This was taken into Latin-based Old French as "tour" (tower), and its diminutive form was "torete," meaning "small tower (as part of a castle or city wall fortification)." English borrowed the word as "touret, tourette," circa 1300, before the modern form. The second half of the 1800s saw the word used for "gun towers on ships," as metal became increasingly used on ships. The same terminology came to be applied later to tanks. It should also be remembered, there were still fortifications with gun turrets and machine-gun turrets in the 20th Century, with the French Maginot Line being especially noteworthy.       

Bread & Butter Pickles Sandwich

Bread and butter pickles were seemingly invented in Illinois during the early 1920s; at least, the type of pickles so commonly known by that name in the United States since that time up to the present. These pickles are also often called "bread and butter chips." The thing is, pickled cucumbers have been around for a LONG TIME, somewhere around at least 3000 to 4000 years. 

 

Sandwiches made of bread and butter pickles were common during the tough economic years of the Great Depression, as the sandwiches were cheap to make for many folks, and the limited ingredients were often already on hand to many families or individuals. I usually buy bread and butter pickles in brine spiced with whole dried red chili peppers from one of the stands at Cleveland's West Side Market, where the vendor sells them as "Sweet & Spicy." 

While white sandwich bread is traditional, you can certainly use whole wheat bread, or even rye bread, but rye bread will alter the taste of your sandwich; so, if that's okay with you, go for it!

Ingredients (per sandwich):

two slices of bread

2 pats of butter (or margarine), softened for easy use

6 to 8 bread and butter pickle slices, laid out on a paper towel to absorb excess brine

Butter one side of each slice of bread well. This will help to "waterproof" the bread from the pickle brine and keep the sandwich from becoming mushy. Lay the pickle slices (chips) on top of one of the buttered slices of bread, top with the other buttered slice of bread, buttered slice down. 

 

 

1) Bread & Butter Pickles Sandwich ...  2) Butter the bread clear up to the sides ... 3) With a chili pepper

WORD HISTORY:

Plateau-This word is related to quite a number of words. It is distantly related, through Indo European, to the adjective "flat" (smooth, level), a Germanic derived word, but in this case, borrowed by English from its cousin, Old Norse, and "plateau" is closely related to the "plat" of "platform," a word borrowed from French, to "plate," also borrowed from French, which had it from Latin, which had it from Greek ("platter" is based on "plate," but it was borrowed from the French that developed in English after the Normans arrived), and to "plaza," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from Spanish. "Plateau" goes back to Indo European "plet(h)/plat," which had the notion of "to spread (out);" thus, adjectivally  "broad and flat." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "platys/platus," meaning "broad and flat, widespread," and this was borrowed by Latin as "plattus," mean "flattened, flat," which gave Old French the adjective "plat," meaning "flat," and which was used as a noun to mean "flat or level surface of something," the diminutive form of which was "platel," and this later gave French "plateau" ('-eau' is a French diminutive progression from Old French 'el' from Latin 'ellus," ("ella" is the feminine form), from the Indo European diminutive "elos/olos," and the meaning of "plateau" being "flat/level piece of land elevated on at least one side above the land around it." English borrowed the word between the middle to late 1700s (sources disagree). The verb was derived from the noun in the World War Two era, with the meaning (often in the past tense) "for a person, group of people or business to cease to expand in some field, but rather level off, seemingly without potential to go higher," as in, "The last couple of decades have seen soda pop sales plateau, and then decline."  

South Indian Eggplant Curry: Kattirikkay Kari

This dish is a great way to use eggplant, but it is a tad oily, as eggplant is known for sopping up oil, but I tried to limit the oil, and I've seen recipes for this dish that use far more oil. Serve this dish with rice and flatbread.

 

Ingredients:  

2 medium eggplants, well rinsed and stem area cut off

1 teaspoon ground turmeric, divided use

2 teaspoons salt, divided use

6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

2 cups sliced or chopped red onion

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 medium green chili peppers (or 4 small), chopped

4 small tomatoes (or 2 medium), chopped

12 to 15 curry leaves*

2 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne or other hot ground red pepper)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 cups water 

2/3 cup coconut milk

chopped coriander (also known as cilantro) for garnish

 

Wash and dry the eggplant, cut it into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Add 3 tablespoons oil to a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant pieces, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric. Stir the eggplant around and turn it as it fries until it is browned (add 1 more tablespoon of oil during the frying); then, remove the eggplant to a plate or a bowl. (I empty the oil from the skillet, but you can leave it if you'd like.) I then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the black mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the the sliced red onion and saute until the onion softens, then add the tomatoes, the chopped green chilies, minced garlic and grated ginger; let cook about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes as they cook. Then add the other 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons red chili pepper, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and the curry leaves (or grated lime peel and torn basil leaves); stir well, then add water and stir well again. After 3 minutes add the browned eggplant, stir, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, stir, then stir in the coconut milk; cook a further 3 minutes uncovered. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, also known to many as cilantro. Serve with rice.

 

* Curry leaves are a common addition to southern Indian cooking. Just a few years ago, your chances of finding curry leaves outside of the Indian Subcontinent were likely not very good, but now curry leaves are much more available, including here in the United States, where they are sometimes frozen, but also they can be found fresh in a clear packet (they are not expensive and they keep well in the refrigerator). If you don't have access to curry leaves, you can substitute 1 tablespoon grated lime peel and about 6 basil leaves torn into smaller pieces. Understand, "curry leaves" have nothing to do with "curry powder," nor with "curries," the types of spiced dishes, except that on occasion the leaves are used in some curries.          

 

 

South Indian Eggplant Curry with a piece of methi thepla flatbread ...("methi thepla" is a flatbread made from whole wheat and fenugreek leaves, and it is popular in Gujarat, an Indian state in western India with a coastline on the Arabian Sea region of the Indian Ocean.  

 

WORD HISTORY:

Crater-This word is related to "grail" (cup), a word from Latin and borrowed by English via French; however, where Latin got the word is in question. "Crater" goes back to Indo European "kerh/kere," with the meaning "to mix;" thus also figuratively "to confuse." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek the noun "krater" meaning "bowl" ("a dish used to mix ingredients"),^ and this was borrowed by Latin as "crater," meaning "basin," with the later additional meaning of "opening at the top of a volcano;" that is, "a basin shaped opening." English borrowed the word in the early part of the 1600s with the "top opening of a volcano" meaning and the meanings then expanded to "depressions in the ground made by meteors and by the explosion of artillery shells (later by bombs dropped from airplanes). The verb form is from the noun in the mid 1800s, initially meaning "to make a crater," as in, "The bomb cratered just a short distance from our house," but the figurative sense became common in usage; that is, "to fall from a high position," as in, "After winning 3 games in a row, our team cratered in the standings by losing 9 of 10 games." 

  

^ Some feel that the ultimate Indo European source is the same Indo European source as for modern English "horn;" that is, "k(h)er," which had the notion "top of the body, head;" thus, "animal horn." Now, some animal horns were used as vessels for drinks, and wine and water were often mixed together in them.  

Lima Beans & Bacon

I've been making this dish since the mid 1990s and I use frozen green lima beans or frozen baby lima beans. Lima beans are named for the capital city of Peru, as the beans first were taken to Europe from Peru in around 1500. Of course, the interesting thing is, the Peruvian city name is pronounced as if "lee-mah," but the bean name is pronounced "lye-mah," as is the name of the city located in western Ohio. Why did this pronunciation difference come about? It may well have developed because the first exposure many English speakers had to the word was through the written word, which they then assumed to have a long 'i' sound, especially because not many English speakers were familiar with Spanish or Quechua, the South American Indian language of the Incas from which the word was derived.  

 

This is not a diet dish. Serve with boiled potatoes

 

Ingredients (6 side dish servings):

 

1 (12 ounce) bag frozen green lima beans or baby lima beans

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

3 tablespoons reserved liquid from the lima beans

12 slices smoked bacon

(optional) 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or other ground red pepper)

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

 

Cook the beans separately first per the instructions on the package of the brand you use. Generally, the lima beans are put into a pan, covered with water and the water is brought to a steady simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, with water added as needed. Drain, reserving three tablespoons of the cooking liquid.

To a shallow baking dish, add the lima beans, onion, cooking liquid, sprinkle on the cayenne pepper (if using), cover the beans with bacon slices, then sprinkle the brown sugar over the bacon, top with small pieces of butter scattered about. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 F for 40 to 50 minutes.

 

 

Lima Beans & Bacon along with fried potatoes and tomato slices ...

WORD HISTORY:
Truck/Truckle- "The most common modern meaning" of the noun is really American usage for a "hauling motor vehicle" (British usage for such a vehicle is "lorry"). This is only the history for the noun, for although the meaning of the verb form seems to tie in with the noun, they are really different words from different sources. The verb form means, "to deal or trade in something." The noun goes back to Indo European "dhregh," which had the notion, "to run, to move." This gave Greek "trekhein," which meant "to run," which then produced Greek "trokhos," meaning "wheel" (which made/makes devices move, run). This then produced Greek "trokhileia," which meant, "a collection of pulleys and wheels." This was borrowed by Latin as "trochlea," with the same general meaning. This gave French a form carried to England as "trocle," which was then borrowed into English and became "truckle," meaning "small roller type wheel." When cannons were put onto ships, they were mounted on "carts" on wheels, that also used a system of pulleys for a gun's recoil (the backward thrust of a gun when it is fired). The carts were termed "trucks," a short form of "truckle." The usage broadened to other carts and eventually was applied to heavy motor vehicles used for hauling in the United States prior to the outbreak of World War One in Europe.    

Tunisian Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce: Chakchouka

Also spelled shakshuka, this is a Tunisian dish, but common in other parts of North Africa and the Middle East, with many variations in recipes. It is eggs poached in a spicy, chunky tomato sauce.
Serve with pita bread or toast.

If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes with their juice.

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

2 cans (14 to 15 ounces each) tomato sauce

1/3 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (or halved grape tomatoes)

1 or 2 hot chilies (if you don't like much heat, use just 1/3 teasoon of ground cayenne pepper)
4 eggs

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 medium green bell pepper or anaheim pepper, thinly sliced 

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 heaping tablespoon sweet (smoked) Spanish paprika

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (also called coriander)

(optional) 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

 

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion slices and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for about a minute, stirring or shaking the skillet around. Add the red and green pepper slices and the hot chilies; saute a further 2 minutes. Add the fresh tomatoes and saute a couple of minutes, then add the tomato juice, cumin, sweet smoked paprika and just 1/2 teaspoon salt (at this time; you can add more later if you prefer) and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for a few minutes, then add 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (also known as coriander). Continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken (don't let it get too thick). Use a spoon to make some depressions in the sauce and crack an egg into each depression. Turn the heat to low and let the eggs poach in the sauce. Optionally, you can sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese over the finished dish. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Noise (Nausea)-For what has become a common word, the origin of this word is shaky, but I am convinced that this history has the strong possibility of being accurate; in which case, "noise" is related to "nautical," a word of Greek derivation borrowed by Latin and then borrowed by English via French, and to "navy," a word of Latin derivation borrowed by English via French. "Noise" goes back to Indo European "nau(s)," which meant "ship, boat." This gave transliterated Greek "naus," also meaning "ship, boat." This then produced transliterated "nausia/nautia" (by dialect), which meant "seasickness," and this was borrowed by Latin as "nausea," with the "seasickness" meaning, but seemingly also with the more general meaning, "uneasy feeling in the stomach, stomach discomfort;" thus also, "disagreeable situation;" thus, "quarrel, commotion, uproar." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "noise" meaning "fight, brawl, commotion, loud disagreement," but later expanded to "loud sound, generally unpleasant sound," not necessarily from a fight or disagreement; thus, "noise" (Old Occitan, also known as "Old Provençal," had "nauza" meaning "loud sound, quarrel"). English borrowed the word from French circa 1200, as "noice, noyse, noise." The meaning then added "nasty rumor, scandal" in the 1300s, and this was accompanied by a verb form "noisen," meaning "to gossip, to spread rumors," and the more general, "to make noise," but the usage declined along with the general meaning of "to gossip." By the way, "nausea" was borrowed by English directly from Latin in the early 1400s.

Greek Fried Feta Cheese & Honey Sauce

Greek feta cheese is often made from sheep's milk, but sometimes it is made in combination with some goat's milk. It is stored in brine, but there are also prepackaged containers of about 7ounces to about 10 ounces, also with the brine included. Greek honey, if you have access to it, "often" has a bit of a thyme flavor to it. If you like buying things online, you'll definitely find Greek honey there, at varying prices, from modest to expensive. 

It seems the basic idea for this dish originated on the Greek island of Crete, the largest of the Greek islands and one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean. The fried cheese will have a slightly crispy, crunchy crust.

 

Ingredients (about 4 servings as appetizers):

 

7 to 9 ounces Greek feta 

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup honey

pinch of dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

 

On a plate or in a shallow bowl, mix the pepper into the flour. Leave the cheese slightly damp and put it into the flour to coat the cheese; shake off any loose excess. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet, then fry the cheese for about 2 minutes per side until lightly browned (you don't want it too dark or burned) and a slightly crisp "shell" develops. Add the honey to a microwave safe cup or bowl, add the pinch of dried oregano leaves, 1/2 teaspoon orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice; microwave for 20 seconds. Serve the just fried feta with the warm honey sauce drizzled over it. 

 

 

The whole slice of fried feta ...

 

WORD HISTORY:

Acrobat-This word is related to several words, with the first part related to "acme," a word borrowed by English from Greek, to "acne," a word borrowed from Latin, which had it from Greek. The second part is distantly related to "come," a word from the Germanic roots of English. The first part of "acrobat" goes back to Indo European "ak," which had the notion, "be pointed, be sharp." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "akros," meaning "at the top point" (noun: "akron," "the highest point, the peak"). The second part goes back to Indo European "gwa" and its extended form "gwem," which meant "to walk, to go." The Indo European "gw" was rendered in Greek as 'b,' thus giving Greek the verb "bainein," also meaning "to walk, to tread, to step, to go." These parts gave Greek "akrobátis" (also transliterated as "akrovátis"?), which meant "rope walker, one who walks on tiptoes;" thus also, "tightrope walker." "Apparently" borrowed directly from Greek by French as "acrobate." English borrowed the word from French in the first half of the 1800s (circa 1830?). 

Sanford and Son Episode: Happy Birthday, Pop

"Sanford and Son" was a comedy series that originally aired on the NBC network from early 1972 until the spring of 1977. The show was based on a British show called "Steptoe and Son," that began in the 1960s. This American show was set in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In those times Watts had a predominantly, but not exclusively, black population, and indeed, during its years of original episodes, the diversity of the neighborhood was shown, while giving emphasis to the area's black majority. Today, Watts is a majority Latino neighborhood. 

 

This episode first aired on NBC in January 1972. Harold Fong, who plays the waiter in the restaurant, was a Chinese-American actor who played a lot of generally minor Asian characters in movies and on television from the 1940s through to the 1970s, but he was one of those actors people might recognize, but they likely didn't know his name. 

Episode Cast:

Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford 

Demond Wilson as Lamont Sanford

Harold Fong as the waiter in the Chinese restaurant

Jack Manning as the man seated at the next table in the restaurant

It's Fred's 65th birthday and he thinks Lamont has forgotten, and Lamont lets his dad go on believing that, until he surprises him with a new hat, a gray fedora (see 'Word History' below). Lamont also has a nice birthday card with the hat, and Fred wants to read the card out loud, although Lamont doesn't like that idea, as he thinks the card is mushy. Fred reads the card out loud and the father and son squabble a bit over Fred reading the card, especially when Fred tells his son the sentiment of the card means more to him than the hat. This prompts Lamont to say, "Okay, keep the card and I'll take the hat back!" Fred protests and Lamont says his dad is never satisfied. Things gradually calm down and Lamont tells Fred he's taking him out for his birthday, as he has a nice evening planned for the two of them to celebrate and to spend time together, and that first they'll be going out to get a drink, then Lamont has made reservations to a movie and finally they'll be going to dinner. Fred complains a little about having to wear a coat and tie, but things seem fine. 

 

So Fred puts on his suit and tie and wears his new hat and Lamont takes his dad into a nice upscale bar. Fred looks at the list of drinks and orders a Shirley Temple, and Lamont tells him that's a drink frequently served to children, and that Fred should order something else. So Fred asks if the place has beer on tap (also known as 'draught/draft beer'), but the bartender tells him they only have bottle beer, which brings a reply from Fred that, "I don't like bottle beer, it makes me burp; I don't like to burp." So the bartender goes to wait on other customers while Fred decides what he wants. When the bartender comes back, he suggests that Fred have an "Old Fashioned" (typically whiskey, sugar or simple syrup, water and angostura bitters), but Fred is unfamiliar with the cocktail and instead he takes offense at being called "old fashioned." Lamont settles things down by ordering the Old Fashioned for his dad and a martini for himself. Lamont comments about what a nice place it is, but Fred complains that they don't have a pinball machine. When Lamont tells him places like that don't have pinball machines, Fred says they might have it in the backroom, so he yells out, "Hey, do you have a pinball machine?" Lamont is embarrassed. The bartender brings their drinks and Lamont asks how much he owes. When the bartender says "Two dollars and fifty cents," Lamont gives the bartender $3 and tells him to keep the change. Fred is upset, saying, "We could have got a half case of muscatel for $3." (Note: Remember, this was 1972, and $2.50 for two cocktails was considered expensive back then. Many neighborhood bars in those times charged ten to fifteen cents for a glass of beer. $2.50 is equivalent to between about $17 and $18 in 2022. Also, in those days, muscatel had a reputation for being the drink of winos and cheap wine. Hic! Now wait a second, I said back then, not now! hahaha) Fred takes a drink of the Old Fashioned and right away he complains that it's too sweet and he says it's like syrup, but without the hotcakes. Lamont has had enough and he gets Fred and they begin to leave, but Fred can't go without turning and shouting, "Hey, get a pinball machine!" 

 

Lamont takes his dad to the movie theater to see "Fiddler on the Roof" (Note: This was the film adaptation of the major hit Broadway musical that had been released in the mid 1960s, and the film was also a hit. The story has to do with a Jewish family in western Russia in the early 1900s.) During the intermission, Fred and Lamont come out into the theater lobby with Fred complaining about the movie. Fred's bigotry comes out when he says you can't understand the movie unless you're Jewish. When the buzzer sounds to signal the second half is about to begin, Fred is surprised that there is more to the movie! He tells Lamont to go back into the movie and that he'll take the bus home, but of course, Lamont won't let that happen and he agrees to leave and to take his dad to dinner as promised. When one of the theater personnel tells Fred and Lamont the second half is starting, Fred replies, "The movie is too long ... get some cartoons on there!" 

 

Lamont takes Fred to a Chinese restaurant and Fred's bigotry makes another appearance, as he tells Lamont he heard that someone found soap in their Chinese food, because the Chinese cook and do their laundry in the same pot. Fred also has the waiter bring a third chair so Fred can put his new hat on it. The waiter takes the chair from the next table where a couple is not using it. Lamont does the ordering and when he orders fried wonton, Fred says, "I ain't gonna eat that, that stuff will kill ya," but Lamont calms things down and the waiter takes the order. Now Fred turns his attention to the couple at the table next to them, and he tells them about it being his birthday and he shows them his new hat. The man can't wait to get away from Fred as he already has his check, but when they stand up to leave, Fred grabs his arm and tells him they saw the movie, which he calls, "Fiddler Up A Roof." He also tells the guy if they haven't seen it, not to waste their money, but the man says, "I heard it was VERY good." Fred turns to Lamont and privately says, "He must be one 'em" (implying that the guy must be Jewish). The man wishes Fred a "happy birthday," and as the couple leaves, Fred says to Lamont, "That's a nice white fella." 

 

The waiter brings their food and Fred puts his finger into one of the dishes and smells it, "Ew, that smells," he declares, and he continues, "Smells like insect spray ... I'll bet they gave it a shot so that when it got out here, would nuthin' on the plate move." This upsets Lamont and he has hit the limit, so he gives Fred some money and tells him to go buy his own dinner, because he's leaving. He gets the check and the waiter asks Fred if he wants to take the food home, but Fred answers, "I don't like Chinese food, make me burp." Fred puts his hat on and covers up the food with a napkin. When Fred gets outside, there's a crack of thunder and it starts raining. Fred quickly takes off his hat and puts it under his suit jacket. 

 

The next morning, Lamont is waiting for his breakfast, but Fred comes down from the upstairs still in his robe. He tells Lamont he's not cooking breakfast, because he's retired, and he's expecting a good monthly sum from Social Security. Lamont questions whether that will prove to be true, because his father hadn't earned enough to receive a large amount. Fred gets the telephone and calls the Social Security office. He asks how much he'll be receiving each month, and while he waits for the person to look up his information, he tells Lamont the kitchen is closed due to retirement. The person comes on the line and Fred gets a funny look on his face and hangs up the phone. He asks Lamont, "How do you want your eggs?"          

Photo is of the 2002 Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment Season One DVD release (Columbia TriStar is now part of Sony Home Entertainment)

WORD HISTORY:

Fedora-This name for a type of hat with a crease in the crown and with a soft, bendable brim comes from the feminine form, "Fedora," of the Russian male name "Fedor." "Fedor" is "Theodore" in English, and the meaning is "gift of god," a compound form, with the first part going back to Indo European "dhes/dhehs," meaning, "god, deity;" thus also, "sacred, holy."^ and the second part going back to the Indo European root "do" (long 'o'), meaning "give."^^ The first part gave transliterated Greek "theos," meaning "god," and the second part gave transliterated Greek "doron," meaning "gift." Together these gave Ancient Greek the name "Theodoros," which was taken by Russian as transliterated "Fedor/Fyodor" (the 'th' was rendered in Russian as 'f'), and the feminine form "Fedora." In late 1882, a play by French dramatist Victorien Sardou called "Fedora," which he named after the main character, began a popular run of performances. In the play, the character Fedora wore a creased hat with a flexible brim. The character was originally played by then popular actress Sarah Bernhardt, which helped to promote the use of such hats among women and the name of the play and character being applied to the hat. This was borrowed into English (by American English) with that meaning by the mid 1880s.   

 

^ This part of "fedora" makes it related to "feast," "fair" (the noun form only, meaning 'gathering for selling, buying or a promotional event') and "festival," all words of Latin derivation borrowed by English from Latin-based French, and to "fest," a word borrowed from German, which had it from Latin, and to "theology," a word borrowed from French, which had it from Latin, which had it from Greek.  

 

^^ The second part is related to "dose," a word borrowed from French, which had it from Latin, which had it from Greek, and to "donation," a Latin word borrowed by English via French.    

Finnish Salmon Soup: Lohikeitto

This salmon soup can also be called salmon chowder, and it is a fairly common dish in some parts of Finland, which is understandable, as it is wonderful! You can certainly cut some of the fat and calories by substituting canned evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk) for the heavy cream. Of course too, you can adjust the salt and pepper amounts to your taste preference.

 

Ingredients  (5 or 6 servings): 

 

1 1/4 pound salmon, in bite-size pieces 

2 cups sliced leeks, mainly white and light green part

5 tablespoons butter

2 cups diced potatoes

1 cup chopped carrot

4 1/2 cups fish stock

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (remember, the butter and the stock have salt)

3 tablespoons chopped dill, divided use

 

In a heavy-bottom pan, melt the butter over medium heat, add the leek slices and saute until they soften. Add the carrot and potatoes and saute a further two minutes, stirring often (you don't want the veggies to actually brown), then add the fish stock, bring to a boil and adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer until everything is tender, but not mushy. Add the salmon pieces and simmer another 5 to 6 minutes. Add the cream, black pepper, salt and 1 tablespoon of the chopped dill, stir to mix in. Let the now cream laced soup heat up, but do not boil. Remove from the heat, top each serving with some chopped dill. 

 

  

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Normal (Norm)-The ultimate origin of this word is shaky, but it seems to go back to Indo European "gnoh/gneh," meaning "to know," making it a distant relative of English "know," "can" and "ken/kenning," which are all from the Germanic roots of English, and it is related to "quaint" and to "cognizance," both Latin-derived words borrowed by English via French. The Indo European form gave transliterated Greek "ginosko," meaning "to know." This seemingly gave transliterated Greek "gnomon," which meant "carpenter's square." Latin borrowed this from Greek ("perhaps" via Etruscan?^) as "norma" also meaning "carpenter's square," but also, "a pattern, a model." This was taken by Latin-based French as "norme," essentially meaning "pattern, model, something to be followed (a "rule," both "the piece of wood used for measurement and drawing straight lines," AND, "a policy to be followed"), and English borrowed the word by the 1820s. Latin "norma" (mentioned above) spawned the Latin adjective "normalis," meaning "done following a carpenter's square;" thus also, "done by the rule, done following a pattern or model;" thus, "done in the common way." English borrowed the word from Latin initially in a rather limited way as a mathematics (geometry) term for "having to do with perpendicular, being at a right angle" (later also used with the meaning "perpendicular" as a noun), but later with the meaning "having to do with doing things in the established or standard way," and the word's usage began to become much more common by the early part of the 1800s. The latter part of the 1800s saw usage as a noun for "the common state of something," as in, "The normal for our family is to eat dinner on Sundays at 4 o'clock," and adjectivally as, "A normal Sunday for us is to eat dinner at 4 o'clock." Close English relative, German, also borrowed "normal" from Latin during the 1700s, also meaning, "(pertaining to) normal, usual, regular, standard." Example: "Ich hätte gern(e) einen normalen Kaffee" ("I would like a regular coffee"). 

 

^ Etruscan is a mystery language, "possibly" related to some languages of the Aegean Sea area, including "Minoan." In ancient times, Etruscan was spoken in a fairly large part of what is now Italy, but it eventually died out when Latin came to the area, although some Etruscan words were borrowed into Latin. "Etruscan" lies behind the words "Tuscan" and "Tuscany" (Italian: Toscana), a region in western Italy, the regional capital being Florence (Italian: Firenze).      

Indian/Pakistani Braised Lamb in Gravy: Lamb Korma

The word "korma" means "braise" in Indian/Pakistani cooking. "Korma" recipes in northern India and in Pakistan generally vary from those in southern India, where coconut milk, and often ground cashews or almonds, are used, but the specific recipes, regardless of region, have numerous variations and preparation methods. Regular readers might recall that I love sauces and gravies, and I chose to do a "korma" with "gravy," but not every "korma" has gravy. What the people of the Indian Subcontinent call "gravy," Americans would call a "sauce," so don't let the terminology fool you into thinking this dish has some deep dark lamb gravy. Indians, both northern and southern, and Pakistanis tend to use meat cut into pieces still on the bones and the meat is likely to be "mutton;" that is, meat from a sheep that is in excess of one year in age, not the younger lamb that is now overwhelmingly common in the U.S (lamb is meat from a sheep a year or less in age). I understand the idea of cooking the meat on the bones, but I'm not much into then having to pick the meat off the bones when eating; so, I use lamb chunks and some separate lamb bones that can be cooked with the meat, but then easily taken out and discarded. There is a good deal of onion in this dish, but it is supposed to be that way, and part of the onion is sliced and part is finely chopped (in India and Pakistan, some smash or blend the onion into a paste, often with some other ingredients included). 

 

As I often mention about recipes from the Indian Subcontinent, the list of ingredient for this dish may seem intimidating, but if you cook such recipes anywhere near regularly, you will have most of the spices and other ingredients on hand. If you want to learn to cook recipes from the Indian Subcontinent, then the reality is, you are going to need to have these various spices and herbs anyway. Likely two of the less common spices to Americans are green and black cardamom. In more recent times, the small green cardamom pods have become more familiar to some Americans, but the far larger black cardamom pods are likely unknown to the overwhelming percentage of Americans. Sometimes cardamom is ground, but often it is used by cracking, crushing or slitting the pods to allow the cardamom to easily flavor the dish.  

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

1 to 1 1/4 pound boneless lamb meat, cut into bite size pieces (or use mutton)

couple lamb bones

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 heaping tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 tablespoons butter & 1 tablespoon oil (or 3 tablespoons clarified butter, aka ghee)

1 onion, halved and then sliced

2 inch piece cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

2 black cardamon, cracked 

5 green cardamon, cracked or crushed somewhat

6 peppercorns, cracked

1 or 2 dried red chilies, whole 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated 

1 cup finely chopped onion (white or red)

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1 cup heated water (a little more if needed)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (also known to some as fresh coriander)  

In a bowl or cup (I use my measuring cup), mix together the yogurt, salt, ground coriander, ground red pepper and turmeric. In a larger non reactive bowl, add the lamb pieces and then the yogurt mixture. Mix to coat the lamb pieces well, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours (or even overnight). In a skillet, add the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and saute until the onion starts to soften and shows some brown color (do not blacken the onions), then add the cinnamon stick, whole cloves, black cardamon, green cardamon, peppercorns and dried red chili. Saute for 90 seconds, then add the garlic, ginger and finely chopped onion, then add 1 cup heated water, stir well and bring to a simmer; adjust the heat so that the mixture just barely simmers; cover the skillet with a lid or foil. Let the meat slowly braise, stirring it occasionally. If you feel the dish needs a little more water, add a quarter cup of hot water, and mix it in well. When the meat is tender, you can add the cilantro and the mace and stir them into the lamb, or top the finished dish with the cilantro. I've generally found the lamb needs to cook for about 75 minutes, but I've also let it cook for 90 minutes on occasion. Serve with rice ...    

 

 

Lamb Korma with some turmeric and saffron rice ...

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Myrtle-This word "perhaps" is related to "myrrh," a word borrowed from Latin, which had it from Greek which had it from Semitic, where it meant "bitterness." The ultimate origins of "myrtle" are uncertain, although it "could" be from the same source as "myrrh."^ Transliterated Persian "murt/murd," meaning "myrtle," a type of evergreen tree or bush with fragrant flowers,"^^ and some other Indo European languages in that general greater Middle East area/Caucasus region have similar words, but where all of these words are from is uncertain, but naturally Semitic is a definite possibility, as it was/is right there by some Indo European languages/dialects. Whatever the origin, Ancient Greek had transliterated "myrtos" (myrtle, the tree/bush, but also seemingly for a twig or branch of the tree) and Latin borrowed the word as "myrtus" (myrtle, the tree), and this gave Latin-based Old French "myrte," and English seems to have borrowed the word as "myrt," but then was further influenced in pronunciation and, thus, spelling by French "myrtille," from Latin "myrtillus," the diminutive of Latin "myrtus" (see above), but which meant "blueberry" and "bilberry" (similar berries in appearance, but not taste), but this moved the borrowing in English to be "myrtle." (Exactly why the word for blueberry and bilberry had such an influence on a word for a tree or bush is a bit of a mystery to me, unless they were thought to be related?)  

 

^ While "myrtle" and "myrrh" are similar words, "myrtle" is a tree/bush/shrub, and "myrrh" is a resin from some plants, but not from myrtle, although people a couple of thousand years ago may not have seen that difference in the same way (just my opinion). 

 

^^ Persian is an Indo European language from the Indo-Iranian branch; thus, it is related to English, which is from the Germanic branch.     

Gilligan's Island Episode: Seer Gilligan

"Gilligan's Island" was a comedy that originally aired on the CBS television network from 1964 until 1967. The show's first season, 1964-65, was broadcast in black and white, but the show began airing in color with the 1965-66 season. The basic idea of the series was that seven people had been shipwrecked during a severe storm after the tour boat they were on sailed from Hawaii. The boat was beached on a small uncharted island where these seven representatives from various parts of American society had to learn to get along in order to survive. Gilligan was a good and well meaning guy, but no matter how great his intentions, he always managed to bungle things. The show was the creation of Sherwood Schwartz. After CBS cancelled the show and it ceased production, its original episodes began broadcast all over the world, something that has continued pretty much ever since. The show's popularity spawned three full-length movies in the late 1970s and early 1980s featuring all of the original cast, except Tina Louise, who remained embittered about how the show had damaged her career, as movie and television execs felt she was too tied to her "Ginger" character from the show, and this restricted the roles offered to her. Some of the other cast members were embittered too, until they came to realize how beloved they and the show were to so many people around the globe.    

 

This episode first aired in January 1966 and only the regular cast appears in the episode: 

Bob Denver ................. Gilligan
Alan Hale, Jr. .............. (the) Skipper
Jim Backus ................. Thurston Howell III
Natalie Schafer ........... Mrs. Howell, aka "Lovey"
Tina Louise ................ Ginger Grant
Russell Johnson ......... the Professor
Dawn Wells ............... Mary Ann

 

 

Comment: Interestingly, this episode was filmed and broadcast well before the Internet, but there is a connection between the two in a certain way. Some of the Internet tech people, like Mark Zuckerberg, saw the potential of the Internet as a great way to bring people together from all over the world, but he and the others seemingly DIDN'T see, or fully comprehend, the potential for negatives and misuse, something they perhaps wanted to be reserved just for themselves, when they took people's personal information and followed their every move on the Internet. No siree, none of this Mata Hari-like spying for these power hungry and money grubbing Internet lords, whose companies compiled profiles of each user; perhaps, the word "dossier" is even more appropriate. They sold malarkey to the public that they had to have all of this personal information to use targeted ads; thus, they wouldn't have to do the same as television, radio and the print media and compete with those entities head-on to get advertisers to use the Internet to market products and services on the Web. Then there were those who provided false information on the Internet, some doing so by mistake or by accident, but others deliberately floating misinformation for political purposes (think Putin, Trump and others). There are those who have become very wealthy and powerful people because of the Internet, and they know by controlling it, they may control us. If you think this isn't potentially serious, it is VERY serious, and with the likelihood that abortion will become illegal in several parts of the U.S., there is also "talk," right now just talk, about using people's internet records to track them down for abortion violations. If that happens, everything will be on the table, and control of all of us will be a fact, not a theory. (Note: To be clear, Mark Zuckerberg is not the only tech person involved in all of this, but his success has made him one of the best known, if not THE best known tech person, so I use his name here, fairly or unfairly, and I have no sympathy for him anyway.) 

The episode opens with the Skipper looking and calling for Gilligan, who is getting ready to build a birdhouse for a family of birds nesting in a tree. When the Skipper gets to Gilligan, Gilligan says, "The Professor's checking the lobster traps," and then, "I'm building a birdhouse." The astonished Skipper tells Gilligan he answered his questions before he could ask them, but Gilligan says "I can't read your mind," but the Skipper replies, "Well then how can you tell what I'm thinking?" Now even Gilligan looks astonished. The Skipper tests Gilligan again, and Gilligan reads his mind; so, the Skipper takes Gilligan to the others and tells them Gilligan can read minds, but the Professor says it's "a scientific impossibility." The Skipper has Gilligan read his mind again, and then the Professor gives it a try, and sure enough, Gilligan reads his mind too, then Mary Ann, then Ginger, then Mr. Howell. Now the question is, how does Gilligan do it? This is a question that keeps the Howells taking turns pacing back and forth, complete with an alarm clock to signal that it's the other spouse's turn to begin pacing. Mrs. Howell suggests it could be something in the food Gilligan eats; so, Mr. Howell decides he will eat the same things Gilligan eats. Gilligan is skinny, but Mr. Howell finds out that Gilligan eats a lot, so much, that when Mr. Howell eats the same, he unsteadily goes back to his hut and lies down on the bed, only to be told by Mrs. Howell that he has to get up, because it's time for dinner. hahaha 

 

Ginger puts on the psychologist outfit and begins to ask Gilligan about his childhood and his parents. Gilligan at times answers before she can ask the questions, as he all the while munches on some seeds he has with him. He offers Ginger a couple of the seeds, and she suddenly answers a question Gilligan hadn't yet asked. She now realizes these are not regular sunflower seeds. Ginger and Gilligan go to the rest of the group with the news about the seeds and the Professor tests Gilligan's mind reading powers again, as Gilligan quotes back a complicated scientific formula the Professor was thinking about. The Skipper decides to get Gilligan back to their hut so that he can try to find out the location of the bush with the seeds for himself, but Gilligan is too tired and he keeps falling asleep. Mr. Howell later sneaks into the hut and tries to make a deal with the half asleep Gilligan, where the two split things 70 to 30, and to which the greedy Mr. Howell says he won't let Gilligan take anything less than 30%. hahaha  After Mr. Howell, Ginger makes a sexy appeal too, but Gilligan begins snoring. The next morning the castaways are complaining how Gilligan has disappeared without telling them, but he comes back with bags of seeds for all of them, and they mob him. Now the real problems begin, as the little group finds out that reading the minds of others gives no privacy, and that people have thoughts that are not always noble, but they're just thoughts, not always put into action.

 

Mrs. Howell reads her husband's mind and she finds that he wants to steal her seeds. The Skipper and Gilligan are working on one of the huts, when the always clumsy Gilligan causes an accident with the Skipper, who then reads Gilligan's thought that it wouldn't have happened if the Skipper weren't so fat. Ginger and Mary Ann think bad thoughts at one another, although we don't know what it's all about, except that Mary Ann says she is glad Ginger could read her mind, because she's "too much of a lady to say those things." Gilligan goes to talk with the Professor just as Mr. Howell stomps off from an argument with his wife. Gilligan and the Professor talk about all the bad feelings between the castaways now, and the Professor even notes that these have been the most serious disagreements they've had since being shipwrecked. Gilligan says, "I thought we'd all get along really well if we could read each other's minds," and the Professor agrees, adding, "I thought these seeds might even help world peace," but he stops when he reads Gilligan's thought that this is "a stupid idea." The insulted Professor now stomps off too. Later, Gilligan hears and observes the other six castaways arguing among themselves even further, but they begin to run out of seeds. They decide to try to find the bush, but when they set out to find it, Gilligan has already gone there and sets fire to the seed bush. The Skipper, Mr. Howell and the Professor see Gilligan and the fire and they go to him. He tells them he is burning the bush and all of the remaining seeds. Gilligan tells them they probably think it's another dumb thing he has done, but that before the mind reading seeds, they never fought and argued like they have been doing, and that maybe without the seeds, they can all be friends again. While initially irritated by Gilligan's action, they now see the wisdom in what Gilligan has done, and they are no longer angry. With things back to normal, the Skipper tells Gilligan a series of things he has for Gilligan to do before he can go fishing, and the list is extensive. Gilligan asks the Skipper, "Do you know what I think?" The Skipper answers, "No," to which Gilligan replies, "That's good." hahaha   

 

 

 Photo is from the Turner Home Entertainment/Warner Brothers' Complete Second Season DVD Set 

WORD HISTORY:

Nautical-This adjective is related to "navy," a word of Latin derivation borrowed by English from Latin-based French, and and to "navigation," another Latin word either borrowed from that language, with French reinforcement, or the other way around.^ It is also distantly related, through Indo European, to a word no longer in English; that is, Old English "nowend," which meant "sailor," and which was from the Germanic roots of English. "Nautical" goes back to Indo European "neh/nah," which meant "boat," and this gave transliterated Ancient Greek "naus," meaning "ship," which spawned Greek "nautes," meaning "sailor." This produced the Greek adjective "nautikos," meaning "(having to do with) seafaring or naval matters," and Latin borrowed the word from Greek as "nauticus," with the same general meaning. French took the word from Latin as "nautique," and English borrowed the word as "nautical" in the mid 1500s, with the meaning "having to do with ships, seafaring or sailors." The "-al" ending was taken from French or Latin (see note below), and its origin is uncertain, although it "may" have been taken by Latin from Etruscan, a mystery language, "possibly" related to some languages of the Aegean Sea area, including "Minoan." In ancient times, Etruscan was spoken in a fairly large part of what is now Italy, but it eventually died out when Latin came to the area, although some of its words were borrowed into Latin.

^ As I've noted here on occasion, French is a Latin-based language with some Germanic influences. Back hundreds of years ago when English was more commonly borrowing Latin-derived words, many scholars knew Latin, but they also often knew French; thus, they were familiar with many of the words being borrowed, but it's sometimes difficult to tell which language a particular word was borrowed from, and "navigation" is one of those words, although both languages undoubtedly played some role in the word coming into English.