Tuesday, February 08, 2005

37 words for "belch"

Perhaps you've heard that the Innuit language has 37 words for the various states of "snow." I have no idea if this is myth or truth. I learned it in the context that human beings assign narrowly defined distinctions to things we hold most dear, yet we have only one word for "love" in the English language to describe all the ways people are capable of loving.

Another cultural mythoid holds that South Pacific islanders belch after eating to express satisfaction with their meal, and gratitude to the person who cooked it. This leads me to wonder how restaurant critics on those islands write reviews. Are there 37 words for "belch?"


(This is what happens when the mind is allowed to wander unsupervised instead of writing about the wonderful Peking duck we enjoyed at Lu Din Gee Cafe in San Gabriel last Saturday. A review with photos is coming, I promise)

Before you and your Samoan linebacker and/or restaurant-reviewer brothers get your panties all in a bundle, let's make clear I'm just playin' here...

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