Tuesday, July 25, 2017

FROM PLANTATIONS BETWEEN THE POTOMAC AND THE CHESAPEAKE...

A curiosity. The Netherlandish speaker is occasionally guided amiss in his internet searches, because not everything is in Dutch. Which is a very great pity, and one wishes it were not so, but seeing as an awful lot of garbage has been written by severely demented people living in the United States and paranoid folks from everywhere in English, perhaps that is a good thing. Translation programs do not provide transparency; "is it nonsense because of the limitations of the translator, or is it really batshit?"

Some things just cannot be effectively translated.
The flavour of the writing goes to hell.
It is best read as written.

Among such is the prose of a Dutch pipesmoker and master of many things, Janneman. In spare and sober prose he lays out details for the curious, and particularly I would direct your attention to this article:
Pijptabak.

Anyone looking for descriptions of tobacco would do well to read it.


The article describes the types of leaf used, and what the blends are that can be made of them in an orderly and informative fashion, leavened occasionally with dry wit.


"In de loop der jaren heb ik mijn eigen smaak leren kennen, en ik weet bijvoorbeeld dat ik erg van Latakia hou, en whisky is een prima uitvinding maar hoort naar mijn idee in een glas en niet in tabak. "

[Translation: In the course of years I have learned about my own taste, and know for instance that I really like Latakia, and that whisky is an excellent invention but belongs as I see it in a glass and not in tobacco.]

------ Janneman, 14 Feb., 2009


I agree.

It is, and it doesn't.

He also recommends that you keep a notebook.

Which, sometimes, this blog is.




TOBACCO INDEX


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hier de link naar zijn volledige pijpenboek (met plaatjes!), waaruit dit topic op het prf een uitsnede is. Ook zeer de moeite van het lezen waard. http://members.home.nl/j.kusters/PIJPENBOEK.htm

The back of the hill said...

Courtesy of Anonymous above, a link: http://members.home.nl/j.kusters/PIJPENBOEK.htm.

Janneman's complete book for pipe smokers, with illustrations.

He points out early on that the pipe must be cleaned. Wise advice; you would not believe the smelly monsters people drop off for me to work over. Wet, putrid, gunk encrusted victims of perversion. Keep your pipe clean for yourself AND everyone around you,

He does NOT mention that the founder of the Missouri Meerschaum company was a Dutchman. Along with donuts and scalping (hair removal), corncob pipes are among the signal contributions of Hollanders to the culture of the United States.

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