A Question

Remember those word association tests one needed to take in school? If not, here is an example:

red is to crimson as blue is to:
a) sienna
b) wisteria
c) cerulean
d) sepia

If as a child you were the proud owner of a large box of Crayola crayons, you will automatically know that the correct answer is C. I remember my first big box, the one with 72 crayons and a sharpener built into the back. It was so cool to say to my friends, "Could you pass me the periwinkle?" or "I need the maize" instead of "Are you done with the pale blue?" or "I need yellow." Oh, the simple joys of childhood. Now the kids are more interested in computer games, downloading music, or exchanging cell phone numbers. Times change. 

But just to take you back to the good 'ol days (for those of you old enough to remember them or even those of you who are old enough to remember the good 'ol days before mine), I am going to present a word association question today. It is not a multiple choice question. It is this:

What do these three things have in common--fishing for herring eggs in Alaska, eating Bircher Muesli in the Black Forest, and cooking with Mexican chilis.      ??????

Well, you probably notice right away that all three include a food item. Herring eggs, Muesli, chilis. And three places are mentioned. Alaska, the Black Forest, and Mexico. But what if I added the term "Spaghetti-Fresser" to the mix? That would certainly change things. A food is mentioned but not a place.

So let me tell you. All these subjects will be featured in the upcoming edition of Language/Place which has the theme "food". The story about a Southeastern Alaskan family's tradition of fishing for herring eggs and the adventures of experimenting with chilis in Mexico are two of my favorites. I think you will enjoy reading them as well.


And guess what? Your blog post could be included, too. The original deadline was November 20 but has been extended until the end of November. The blog post should feature something related to language or place (or both) as well as a food or foods. The post could be a true story, fiction, poetry, or even a journal entry. Be creative. If you are interested in taking part, submission guidelines can be found HERE.

Speaking of language, place and food, let me close with this statement. After a four week stay, my in-laws are flying back home tomorrow. For our last evening together we enjoyed good conversation and excellent food (I had the seafood risotta) at Restaurante DaVito in the small village of Michelau. A perfect evening.