What is in your cup?

[happy_terd]

last cup of coffee of the evening.

[Stitchawl]

Extra smokey Lapsang Souchong from McNultey's for a cold, rainy afternoon...

Just right!


Stitchawl

[catsittingstill]

Hot water with lemon juice.

I have a cold :-(

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I woke up one mornin' when the sun didn't shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
And the straw boss said "Well, a-bless my soul"
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store.

Nasty, snow/rain morning, just right for hot tea. Maybe I'll bake some muffins to go along with it. No hurry to go riding this morning...



Shel, do what I do when I can't find something I want... Make it yourself. In this case, take a strong black tea (a Ceylon will work but Assam might be better,) and add a few drops of your favorite fruit flavored syrup! A liquor store probably will have the largest selection of syrups. Don't use too much or the sweetness will affect the flavor of the teas.



Oh, the visual mental images one can create with just the written words is simply amazing...

I agree that in today's world it pays to speak/read as many languages as you can. Being a native English speaker, learning French and Spanish came fairly easily. German had to be beaten into me, Hebrew too. Fortunately, learning Japanese was made easier by living in the country, as was Thai and Bhassa Malay. Trying to learn Korean on my own was simply nuts!

But it was all worth it. I can now ask for directions to the toilet in many different languages. And if you don't think that's really important, you haven't traveled enough!

It's also helpful when trying to order a cup of tea and get it served the way you want it served rather than the way the rest of the local folks insist upon drinking. In Malaysia, tea and coffee are ALWAYS served in a glass that has been pre-filled to the half-way mark with sweetened condensed milk!


Stitchawl

Well I was contemplating making a cup of the apricot black tea I got from Adagio and mixing it with a cup of Peach Passion CS. (I'm sure ProfCrash is biting her tongue and sitting on her hands now...)

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

if you have good access to Celestial Seasonings, try their Mandarin Orange Spice




go into the bathroom turn the shower on as HOT as possible, do not get in the shower, just sit on the stool in the steam for as long as possible

Love orange. Hate spice... LOL. I tried someone's (it wasn't CS) orange spice blend and it tasted like black pepper. No more.

Originally Posted by bjones6416

I apparently really like bergamot, because Earl Grey is one of my favorite teas so far.

As for the language thing, I am truly embarrassed at my lack of language skills among all of you multilingual people. I can't wholly blame the educational system here, but it historically hasn't been high on the priority list of things to teach. Yes, you generally get a language class in elementary and high school (my school taught Spanish -- the only choice), and I took a few quarters in college, but wasn't in-depth at all. I haven't used the little bit I knew until recently when the population here has become more diverse, and I'm now taking evening classes to try and get up to speed. It is very common for the people born in this part of the country to not know ANY other language besides English, and I hate that.

(When my nephew's Thai in-laws were here for a visit, they got very tickled at our difficulty in picking up on the tonal aspect of Thai. Change the tone and you may accidentally say something VERY different I guess! )

Sure, Betty, I'm multilingual! I speak Texan and US English! . I used to be able to count change back in Spanish, but I didn't use it and lost it.

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Sure, Betty, I'm multilingual! I speak Texan and US English! . I used to be able to count change back in Spanish, but I didn't use it and lost it.

Hey, me too! My native language is Southern, but I speak US English enough to get by! Heck, I'm not as ignorant as I thought.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

Hey, me too! My native language is Southern, but I speak US English enough to get by! Heck, I'm not as ignorant as I thought.

LOL!! There ya go!

[beppe]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I woke up one mornin' when the sun didn't shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
And the straw boss said "Well, a-bless my soul"
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Love orange. Hate spice... LOL. I tried someone's (it wasn't CS) orange spice blend and it tasted like black pepper. No more.

this more along the lines of cloves and cinnamon, not pepper

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

...As for the language thing, I am truly embarrassed at my lack of language skills among all of you multilingual people.

I know how you feel Everyone in Belgium is supposed to speak at least 2 languages. Flemish is my mother language, English my second language and I can make myself understood in French if I have to. Although I speak what we Flemish call 'hairy French' (actually 'French that has hair on it' would be a more accurate translation ). Not really a good thing considering I work at a Belgian federal institute and have lots of Fench-speaking colleagues.

I would love to learn some more languages, for some reason I always liked Swedish. But I don't have time to take classes and I'm also not very good at language. I prefer math and science.

In my cup: double cappuccino.

[maianhvk]

Geezzz, it startled me that you are all multilinguals - exceptional beppe, Stitchawl and latinandgreek to name a few. I'm so worried that I can only use 2 languages better started running soon!

to sum up your suggestions, the language I should start is either French or Spanish. I'll learn both of them, French first then the other. Italian and Russian sounds appealing but it's not easy to learn them here, so... que sera, sera.

however I definitely stay away from hieroglyphs (Chinese, Japanese... or are they pictograms??)

and just one more question on languages: is it because I'm a beginner or the French speak too fast? I remember my first time listening to English, of course I was small and knew very little about English, but it sounded pretty nice and easy enough for a 9-year-old kid to catch up. But my first time listening to French is completely different, I was overloaded though I was 18 at the time! I couldn't even figure out where they were speaking in the scripts, not to mention the odd accent and the meanings of the words! I'm a little bit scared to come back to French, frankly.

oh I forgot, I'm having double mocha latte

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

Geezzz, it startled me that you are all multilinguals - exceptional beppe, Stitchawl and latinandgreek to name a few. I'm so worried that I can only use 2 languages better started running soon!

A person should speak at least two; mother tongue plus a language that is common to your home area. Maianhvk, that you already speak two (Vietnamese and English) well is great. But if you plan to travel, it's a good idea to learn a bit of other languages as well.

and just one more question on languages: is it because I'm a beginner or the French speak too fast?

Native French speakers, especially those from France, speak faster than any other language I've ever heard! And I think when talking with non-French speakers they tend to talk even faster just to be mean!

I studied French in high school and often used it in Quebec, but when I first visited France, the speed of the language spoken there left me far behind!


Stitchawl

[maianhvk]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

And I think when talking with non-French speakers they tend to talk even faster just to be mean!

that explains a lot!!

I need to know that I'm not the only one to have troubles catching up with the speed. Like I'm happily riding bike on a road and suddenly it turns to be F1 race track, or at least Tour de France!

[GeoffC]

First Coffee of the morning - the Universal Language ....

[astra]

Originally Posted by beppe

The ones that French to prounounce that sound shape their mouth like the rear anatomy of the chicken

Oh my!
This one is favourite of my wife because she enjoys making fun of beautiful girls with small shaped mouths, by pointing her finger and saying: you won't like this one ha-ha-ha you won't, her mouth has a shape like the rear anatomy of the chicken (knowing well that I love full lips )

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I can't stand bergamot so when I read what you wrote I couldn't understand why I liked the Ahmed tea so much!!
So I ran into the kitchen and looked at the tin...:
I had picked up the wrong package! . Thinking I was grabbing Ahmad English #1, I actually took Ahmad's English Breakfast tea which was right beside it! I guess this turned out to be a lucky break for me because if there had been even the slightest taste of bergamot I would have thrown it all away immediately. So for the past couple of days, all my praise and raves about Ahmad's was actually for the English Breakfast tea! Who knew?

Remember that I mentioned having tried Ahmad before and not liking it... It must have been the English #1, as if it had any flavoring to it other than pure tea I wouldn't have even finished the cup!

But I'm on my second mug of Ahmads already, and loving it. No flowers... just tea!

Okiedokie. This one is sorted then.

Would you believe it? I complained to my wife yesterday. I told her that this guy who lives in Japan (she knows about you already) used to tell us he doesn't like bergamot but now he says he loves #1. She immediately picked up the source of my frustration: inconsistency. Being a logical robot and more loyal than a dog, I always notice it

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I agree that in today's world it pays to speak/read as many languages as you can. Being a native English speaker, learning French and Spanish came fairly easily. German had to be beaten into me, Hebrew too.

You know Hebrew? Wow! Impressive. It is an odd language and not an easy one for English speaking people. Easy for Russians to speak it. The same sounds. When I speak in Hebrew I have a heavy Russian accent but everyone understands me without a problem. No th English nonsense, no other English antiques such as if it is daughter you say d-a-u-g-h-t-e-r, no dote...etc., (what can you do if the written language is lagging 300 years behind the spoken one?, although the younger generation takes it easy: To be or not to be, innit?). Easy to learn grammar for any logical brain, because it is like a math. Remember 9 formulas and you are good at it
You have an impressive list of foreign languages because they are so different in nature.

Originally Posted by bjones6416

As for the language thing, I am truly embarrassed at my lack of language skills among all of you multilingual people.

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Sure, Betty, I'm multilingual! I speak Texan and US English! . I used to be able to count change back in Spanish, but I didn't use it and lost it.

Ladies, I am going to contradict all wise and smart people and say it (yes, I know, I am a lazy ass and probably have proven what Einstein says in my signature more than it is allowed for one person): If English were my first language, I would never ever waste my time on learning another language. If you have spare time, why not to learn....geography? history? astronomy!!!? Something really interesting and useful!

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

The old joke is;
What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks three languages? Trilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks one language? American.

You could add Brit here

They stopped teaching English language in schools some ...20-30 years ago? 16-17 year old don't know what is verb, noun etc. How can you learn another language if you don't know the basics of grammar of your own language? (well, if you have an aptitude you probably talk like a parrot)

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

VERY different, and sometimes embarrassing!
The word for 'water buffalo' is the same sound (with a different tone) than the slang word for 'penis.' You have to be verrrrry careful when you ask someone to hold your water buffalo...
Being deaf, I can't hear them very well, but Thai uses five tones!

I have heard the same about Chinese? (don't know which one )

[astra]

I have been so preoccupied with replying that I have forgotten to mention that I enjoy a cup of Assam Mangalam