Chinese Cucumber and Nappies —中華きゅうりとオムツ－

My son graduated from his nursery and started primary school recently. 

His old nursery wanted to help their former students adjust to their new environment.  And what do stressed people look to for comfort?  They often look for comfort in food.  People are reassured by the familiar smell and taste of a favourite dish. 

So the nursery school has given us a recipe book containing the most popular dishes prepared for the students over the last few years. 

My wife and my son together made the first of these nursery dishes at home last night.  The first dish they prepared from the recipe book was “Chinese cucumbers.” 

It is a very simple dish of sliced cucumbers, flavoured with a little sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sesame.  It was nice.  I felt transported to the nursery as I ate it.  I could almost smell the wet nappies and hear the chaotic screaming of a room full of toddlers.  I just hope it reassured my son.

 

Vocabulary:

a primary school – This is British English.  In American English, it is called an elementary school.  In Britain, students attend primary school from about the age of five to about the age of eleven.

A toddler – a young child who is just beginning to walk

 

Troubles with egg toast －エッグトーストの問題－

Bakeries are difficult places for a blind customer to navigate. 

First of all, there are narrow aisles, where customers push past each other to look at the different breads, pastries, sandwiches and so on which are on offer.  You are scared to bump into someone and knock over a tray of freshly baked croissants. 

Then there is the problem of the ever changing menu.  The bakery I often go to used to have a lovely lemon pie, which I would always buy when I went there.  Then they stopped making it, and I found a tomato pie.  They stopped making that too, and I have had to switch to an apple pie. 

Sometimes the item I want is unavailable, and I have to ask the staff questions such as, “Do you have anything that is a little bit similar to an apple pie?  Something sweet, but not too sweet.  Nothing with lots of sugar on it, and no whipped cream.  Something with fruit, maybe, or chocolate.  But not the cheap chocolate spread, and not if there is too much of it.” 

I am sure that they hate having me as a customer.  But it is very hard to describe exactly the kind of things you like.  That’s why I like to find something nice and then stick to it. 

So I was very disappointed to find that the bakery’s “egg toast” option had disappeared.  For a few months now, whenever I have gone to the bakery, I have always ordered egg toast, an apple pie and a coffee.  But apparently there is a real shortage of eggs in Japan at the moment due to avian flu. 

“Do you have anything that is a little bit like egg toast?” 

The staff member sighs.

 

Vocabulary:

an aisle – a passage between shelves of goods in a supermarket or other shop with many products (eg. “You can find the tinned foods in Aisle 4, next to the dried fruit.”)

avian flu – also known as bird flu, a kind of influenza which spreads easily among birds

 

The Power of Bacon －ベーコンの力－

Yesterday I ate a very interesting doughnut.  It was a cinnamon and bacon doughnut.  It was basically sweet, but with little flakes of bacon on top.  If it sounds strange, just think of the common American breakfast of bacon and pancakes.  If bacon goes well with maple syrup and pancakes, then why not with cinnamon? 

My wife bought that doughnut for me because she knows that I am addicted to bacon.  The best part of a holiday is the thought that I can have a fry up with breakfast at the hotel every morning. 

So to celebrate the power of bacon, I have decided to introduce some English idioms involving bacon.  See if you can guess what they mean.

 

1 – to bring home the bacon. 

This is a casual phrase.  It means to be the (main) source of a family’s earnings.  For example, “I don’t really want to work, but somebody has to bring home the bacon.”

 

2 – to save someone’s bacon 

This is a casual phrase.  It means to help someone out of a dangerous or very difficult situation. 

For example, “You really saved my bacon yesterday.  Thanks for reminding me of my wife’s birthday.  I had totally forgotten.”

 

3 – like a doughnut without bacon 

This means to be lacking some key ingredient.  For example, “Your smartphone doesn’t have a camera?  That’s like a doughnut without bacon!” 

Okay, let me be honest.  I made that last one up.