I've been administering self-tests in geography to students and teachers as a way to emphasize the importance of learning geography. I don't mean to be be pot calling the kettle black, but I've noticed these mistakes.
Apparently...
...Montana is really Washington
...California is actually a state known as San Francisco
...New Jersey is a city, not a state (I had to work hard to convince this guy otherwise)
...Mongolia is really Russia
...the Yukon Territory is actually Alaska
...Greenland is actually Canada and Canada is actually the US (on the map of a guy who is planning to go to the US next fall to get his Master's degree...not sure he'll be able to find his way there)
---and my favorite---
...New England is now located in Oklahoma
Just thought you should know.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Chicken and Dumplings for China
I've never eaten chicken and dumplings before, but as I was browsing recipes I realized that I had all the ingredients to make this. It turned out really good, so even though I've never eaten this dish before, I think I'm on the right track.
2 or 3 chicken breasts
1 cup frozen peas
1 carrot diced
1/2 cup onion diced
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp rosemary (leave it out if you don't have it)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fennel seeds
salt
pepper
1 liter water + 2 Chinese chicken jello shots
or 1 liter chicken stock
2 cups diced potato, yam, or sweet potato
For dumplings:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil or butter
2 tsp white sugar
4 tsp baking powder and one cup milk
or 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp white/rice vinegar + 1 cup milk
Dice chicken and cook in a pan with oil until cooked through.
Remove the chicken and set it aside.
In a clean soup pan melt 2 tbsp butter.
Saute onions in butter over low heat until translucent.
Add garlic and cook just until fragrant.
Pour in 2 tbsp flour and stir until it is all absorbed by the butter.
Turn up the heat and add one liter of chicken stock or water.
Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened.
Add cooked chicken and sweet potatoes and add the rest of the chicken stock.
Add bay leaves, rosemary, fennel, and some pepper
Simmer until potatoes are tender.
If you like your peas overcooked, add them now.
If using baking soda in the dumplings:
Pour one cup milk into a bowl and add one tablespoon of vinegar.
Let the milk stand to sour for five minutes.
Dumplings:
(Don't start on these until your potatoes are cooked through because you have to add the dumpling dough to the soup as soon as it's mixed up)
In a bowl mix 2 cups flour, baking soda or powder, salt and sugar.
Whisk until combined.
If using butter, cut butter into flour.
If using oil, slowly drizzle oil into flour while whisking.
Add milk/sour milk until a dough forms that is wet but not runny.
Check your soup. The dumplings soak up a lot of water, so you might need to add some more.
Drop dumpling dough by spoonfuls into briskly simmering soup.
Don't stir after the dumplings are added.
Reduce to simmer, cover and leave it alone for at least 10 minutes.
Uncover. If a toothpick comes out of your dumplings clean, it's ready to eat.
This turned out really well. I would upload a picture, but we ate it all already.
2 or 3 chicken breasts
1 cup frozen peas
1 carrot diced
1/2 cup onion diced
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp rosemary (leave it out if you don't have it)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fennel seeds
salt
pepper
1 liter water + 2 Chinese chicken jello shots
or 1 liter chicken stock
2 cups diced potato, yam, or sweet potato
For dumplings:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil or butter
2 tsp white sugar
4 tsp baking powder and one cup milk
or 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp white/rice vinegar + 1 cup milk
Dice chicken and cook in a pan with oil until cooked through.
Remove the chicken and set it aside.
In a clean soup pan melt 2 tbsp butter.
Saute onions in butter over low heat until translucent.
Add garlic and cook just until fragrant.
Pour in 2 tbsp flour and stir until it is all absorbed by the butter.
Turn up the heat and add one liter of chicken stock or water.
Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened.
Add cooked chicken and sweet potatoes and add the rest of the chicken stock.
Add bay leaves, rosemary, fennel, and some pepper
Simmer until potatoes are tender.
If you like your peas overcooked, add them now.
If using baking soda in the dumplings:
Pour one cup milk into a bowl and add one tablespoon of vinegar.
Let the milk stand to sour for five minutes.
Dumplings:
(Don't start on these until your potatoes are cooked through because you have to add the dumpling dough to the soup as soon as it's mixed up)
In a bowl mix 2 cups flour, baking soda or powder, salt and sugar.
Whisk until combined.
If using butter, cut butter into flour.
If using oil, slowly drizzle oil into flour while whisking.
Add milk/sour milk until a dough forms that is wet but not runny.
Check your soup. The dumplings soak up a lot of water, so you might need to add some more.
Drop dumpling dough by spoonfuls into briskly simmering soup.
Don't stir after the dumplings are added.
Reduce to simmer, cover and leave it alone for at least 10 minutes.
Uncover. If a toothpick comes out of your dumplings clean, it's ready to eat.
This turned out really well. I would upload a picture, but we ate it all already.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Eeew
At the vet...
Peter: We have to give Max half of this pill tonight. If he poops worm tonight, we give him the other half in a week. If he doesn't, we give it to him in a month.
Me: Boy, I hope he doesn't poop worms.
Peter: Me too. They can really be harmful for dogs.
Me: Yeah...
Peter: And of course, our neighbors' dogs could get them from him.
Me: Yeah...
Peter: They're probably bad for the environment.
Me: Yeah. Listen. That's true and all, but the only reason I don't want him to poop worms is because it would be really, really gross.
Peter: Totally.
Peter: We have to give Max half of this pill tonight. If he poops worm tonight, we give him the other half in a week. If he doesn't, we give it to him in a month.
Me: Boy, I hope he doesn't poop worms.
Peter: Me too. They can really be harmful for dogs.
Me: Yeah...
Peter: And of course, our neighbors' dogs could get them from him.
Me: Yeah...
Peter: They're probably bad for the environment.
Me: Yeah. Listen. That's true and all, but the only reason I don't want him to poop worms is because it would be really, really gross.
Peter: Totally.
Friday, February 17, 2012
When you assume...
There's an erroneous deductive leap that my Chinese coworkers sometimes make that I find disturbing. I'm not gonna lie. There's a McDonald's in the building where I work, and they serve delicious white fluffy soft-serve ice cream cones that taste like America. Often I stop there at the end of my munch break and pick one up, so I'm eating it in the elevator when I run into a coworker, who more often than not says, "Oh, you're eating ice cream for lunch."
Now, this is not a case of lost in translation. Further questioning reveals that they actually believe I am eating ice cream FOR lunch, not after lunch or as a part of my lunch. FOR. It's lunch time, and I am eating ice cream, therefore I must be eating ice cream FOR lunch. This faulty syllogism worries me. If I were in the hallway at two am would they think that I sleep in the hallway? See? Disturbing.
Anyway, I haven't written about this faulty deduction yet because so far there's been nothing to tell but what I've already told you. But today, the faulty leap was combined with...well, this:
Me: Hello.
Random Coworker: Ice cream is too sweet.
Me: Uh...
Random Coworker: I would never eat ice cream for (FOR) lunch. It's very fatty.
Me: I'm not eating ice cream for lunch.
Random Coworker: ...
Me: It's lunchtime, but just because I am eating ice cream doesn't mean this is my lunch. I just finished my meal, this is my dessert.
Random Coworker: I don't usually eat ice cream at all.
Me: I don't usually walk up to people and criticize what they're eating.
Random Coworker: ...
And for a bonus, this puzzling exchange, which took place just after...
Me: Hello.
Another Coworker: Lucy, do you know who this guy is?
Me: No. Is he Chinese?
Another Coworker: He's an ABC (American-Born Chinese). He's a baseball player.
Me: Oh, I'm not a big sports fan.
Another Coworker: He plays for the New York Knicks.
Me: That's a basketball team, not a baseball team.
Another Coworker: I know. I just like calling it baseball.
Me: I can see life is going to be rough on you.
Another Coworker: What?
Me: Nothing.
Now, this is not a case of lost in translation. Further questioning reveals that they actually believe I am eating ice cream FOR lunch, not after lunch or as a part of my lunch. FOR. It's lunch time, and I am eating ice cream, therefore I must be eating ice cream FOR lunch. This faulty syllogism worries me. If I were in the hallway at two am would they think that I sleep in the hallway? See? Disturbing.
Anyway, I haven't written about this faulty deduction yet because so far there's been nothing to tell but what I've already told you. But today, the faulty leap was combined with...well, this:
Me: Hello.
Random Coworker: Ice cream is too sweet.
Me: Uh...
Random Coworker: I would never eat ice cream for (FOR) lunch. It's very fatty.
Me: I'm not eating ice cream for lunch.
Random Coworker: ...
Me: It's lunchtime, but just because I am eating ice cream doesn't mean this is my lunch. I just finished my meal, this is my dessert.
Random Coworker: I don't usually eat ice cream at all.
Me: I don't usually walk up to people and criticize what they're eating.
Random Coworker: ...
And for a bonus, this puzzling exchange, which took place just after...
Me: Hello.
Another Coworker: Lucy, do you know who this guy is?
Me: No. Is he Chinese?
Another Coworker: He's an ABC (American-Born Chinese). He's a baseball player.
Me: Oh, I'm not a big sports fan.
Another Coworker: He plays for the New York Knicks.
Me: That's a basketball team, not a baseball team.
Another Coworker: I know. I just like calling it baseball.
Me: I can see life is going to be rough on you.
Another Coworker: What?
Me: Nothing.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Death Becomes Us
We took a long walk today and discussed...
Peter: Stinky stinky stinky!
Me: Hefty Heft Hefty!
Peter: What's that from, a Geico commercial?
Peter: Whitney Houston is dead!
Me: I know, it's so sad.
Peter: Steve Jobs, Kim Jhong Il, Whitney Houston. Maybe the world is going to end this year.
Me: Since it didn't end when Michael Jackson died, I think we're okay.
Peter: Stinky stinky stinky!
Me: Hefty Heft Hefty!
Peter: What's that from, a Geico commercial?
Peter: Whitney Houston is dead!
Me: I know, it's so sad.
Peter: Steve Jobs, Kim Jhong Il, Whitney Houston. Maybe the world is going to end this year.
Me: Since it didn't end when Michael Jackson died, I think we're okay.
Friday, January 20, 2012
How many air miles do I have, again?
So, we all know that my name is Christense, but I also sometimes go by Lucy because it is easier for people to remember and pronounce. Upon learning that I had two names, my new manager said:
Manager: So we can call you Lucy-Christense.
Me: No. You can't.
Manager: Why not?
Me: It's not a name. No one would ever be called that in English.
Manager: But it's cute!
Me: (ignoring the inappropriateness of the "cute" comment) It's not, it's ridiculous. Please don't use that name to refer to me.
Manager: But...
Me: Really. I don't like it.
A month later, upon learning that I didn't have a corporate email address:
Manager: So, we'll get you one. You can be lucychristense@domainname.com
Me: No, no I can't.
Manager: Of course you can! It's surely not taken by anyone else.
Me; First of all, I asked you not to use that name for me. Second of all, since all the other email addresses are Chinese names, then christense@domainname.com and lucy@domainname.com are probably not in use by anyone else, either.
Manager: Yeah, well, we'll get you an email address.
And then today:
Manager's assistant: Our manager got your email address done. It's lucychristense@domainname.com.
Me: But I specifically said I didn't want that email address.
Manager's assistant: You did?
Me: Yes.
Manager's assistant: Did you tell our manger?
Me: Yes, I did. You were standing right there.
Manager's assistant: Well, this is your email address.
Me: I'm not going to use that.
Manager's assistant: But our manager wants everyone to use a corporate email address.
Me: Then this one needs to be changed. That's not my name.
Note: This wasn't name censoring, Assistant really does always refer to him as Our Manager, not by his name. All this shuffle occurred after Our Manager came to the department, introduced himself using an English name, then suddenly asked everyone to stop using it (because he looked it up and realized it wasn't a name). Now he insists on being referred to only by his Chinese name, )which is fine). He also insists that I learn all employees' Chinese names and only use Chinese names when I talk to him about employees...no English names allowed, he says it's too much trouble for him to learn them (whatever, also fine). But apparently he also wants a similar degree of control over what I call myself. Oh well. I can out-stubborn any Chinese man...just ask poor Peter!
Manager: So we can call you Lucy-Christense.
Me: No. You can't.
Manager: Why not?
Me: It's not a name. No one would ever be called that in English.
Manager: But it's cute!
Me: (ignoring the inappropriateness of the "cute" comment) It's not, it's ridiculous. Please don't use that name to refer to me.
Manager: But...
Me: Really. I don't like it.
A month later, upon learning that I didn't have a corporate email address:
Manager: So, we'll get you one. You can be lucychristense@domainname.com
Me: No, no I can't.
Manager: Of course you can! It's surely not taken by anyone else.
Me; First of all, I asked you not to use that name for me. Second of all, since all the other email addresses are Chinese names, then christense@domainname.com and lucy@domainname.com are probably not in use by anyone else, either.
Manager: Yeah, well, we'll get you an email address.
And then today:
Manager's assistant: Our manager got your email address done. It's lucychristense@domainname.com.
Me: But I specifically said I didn't want that email address.
Manager's assistant: You did?
Me: Yes.
Manager's assistant: Did you tell our manger?
Me: Yes, I did. You were standing right there.
Manager's assistant: Well, this is your email address.
Me: I'm not going to use that.
Manager's assistant: But our manager wants everyone to use a corporate email address.
Me: Then this one needs to be changed. That's not my name.
Note: This wasn't name censoring, Assistant really does always refer to him as Our Manager, not by his name. All this shuffle occurred after Our Manager came to the department, introduced himself using an English name, then suddenly asked everyone to stop using it (because he looked it up and realized it wasn't a name). Now he insists on being referred to only by his Chinese name, )which is fine). He also insists that I learn all employees' Chinese names and only use Chinese names when I talk to him about employees...no English names allowed, he says it's too much trouble for him to learn them (whatever, also fine). But apparently he also wants a similar degree of control over what I call myself. Oh well. I can out-stubborn any Chinese man...just ask poor Peter!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Achoo At You!
Peter has a condition called the Photic Sneeze Reflex, which means he usually sneezes when he's first exposed to bright light, especially sunlight. It also apparently damages his memory since, for the first three years I knew him, he explained after every Photic sneeze, "I'm allergic to the light." After awhile, it drove me bonkers, which I think he mistakenly interprets as disbelief.
Peter: (walking into the bright bathroom from the dim living room): Achoo!
Me: You're allergic to the light!
Peter: That's right! You Google it! (These sentences all have exclamation points because we're shouting across the house)
Me: I believe you! I don't need to Google it!
Peter: You Google it!
Me: Fine! (fake typing) I Google it! I believe you!
Peter: You never did anything that fast in your entire life!
Me: Fine! (Google) Okay, it's on Wikipedia, it must be real!
I am with a student who is interning as an MD. He's got some famous quote he wants to translate into English.
Deak: How does this sound? "Life is the hymen between matter and spirit."
Me: (cough) Um, you need to look up that word again.
Deak: Which word?
Me: Hymen.
Deak: ...oh. Well, ah...
Me: Never mind.
And finally, I saw this sign on the back of a car the other day. I wasn't quick enough with my camera, but someone else was! Thanks to Asia Insider Photos for this picture!
Watch where you step! Happy New Year!
Peter: (walking into the bright bathroom from the dim living room): Achoo!
Me: You're allergic to the light!
Peter: That's right! You Google it! (These sentences all have exclamation points because we're shouting across the house)
Me: I believe you! I don't need to Google it!
Peter: You Google it!
Me: Fine! (fake typing) I Google it! I believe you!
Peter: You never did anything that fast in your entire life!
Me: Fine! (Google) Okay, it's on Wikipedia, it must be real!
I am with a student who is interning as an MD. He's got some famous quote he wants to translate into English.
Deak: How does this sound? "Life is the hymen between matter and spirit."
Me: (cough) Um, you need to look up that word again.
Deak: Which word?
Me: Hymen.
Deak: ...oh. Well, ah...
Me: Never mind.
And finally, I saw this sign on the back of a car the other day. I wasn't quick enough with my camera, but someone else was! Thanks to Asia Insider Photos for this picture!
Watch where you step! Happy New Year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)