To mark our independence from Britain, today we should speak Dutch, and enjoy cups of strong tea with scones, clotted cream, and fruit preserves. Absolutely NO cucumber sandwiches!
Of course most of you are going to have potato chips, burned turkey franks, undercooked beef patties, plus pie and icecream.
Very possibly with beer.
The sad fact is that 4th. of July celebrations are, like Thanksgiving, about too much stereotypical food. And a profound cause for panic.
NO CURRY, FISH AND CHIPS, OR BANGERS!
Especially here in SF. No barbecue, because of fog. And meat. And guilt. And gluten. And so 'not green'. And all kinds of things. Pie and ice cream mean dairy, flatulence, the brutal exploitation of our fellow beings ('bovine Americans'), as well as being a trigger for weight-obsessives, lactophobes, and people into meaningful food for a sustainable planet.
Care for some festive broccoli?
This blogger will probably have a late lunch by himself in Chinatown. Then smoke a pipe. Perhaps another cup of milk-tea, followed by another smoke.
In the evening, he will return home across Nob Hill, where every vantage point will be occupied by throngs of people trying to see the fireworks in the fog (booming sounds, giant pastel light poofs), many of whom did not bring enough clothes to keep warm.
I'm not sure if I'm social enough to appreciate large groups around me on festive ocassions anymore, and I think I would rather have pastries and a cup or two of milk-tea instead of the traditional stuff.
There's something pleasant about loneliness.
It's far less of a celebratory let-down.
Albeit without any potato salad.
I kind of miss the salad.
I'm trying not to 'bah humbug' your holiday, but really, I am seriously 'bah humbugging' your holiday. Sorry.
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THE AIR IS CRUNCHY!
Perhaps it's the weather. There were fewer people than normal about in Chinatown. The chachanteng where I went for lunch had four tables...
2 comments:
And yet why is this post in English? Is it, perhaps, that despite your proud Dutch ancestry, you are incapable of writing Dutch?
Hey, prove me wrong. Try to write a Dutch version/translation of this post.
U weet wel zeker dat ik vloeiend Nederlands spreek en schrijf. De reden waarom dit alles in het Engels werd geschreven is dat hoewel Nederlanders over het algemeen Engels erg good verstaan kunnen, Engels taligen over het algemeen nauwelijks een woord in 'n andere taal begrijpen ("ketchup" uitgezonderd, natuurlijk, want het is oorsprongkelijk een Chineesche term).
Het zou mischien beter zijn als U vroeg of ik het niet in het Nederlands, maar in Kempisch dialect kon schrijven ..... maar dat zou teveel kreativiteit vereischen, en bovendien ook minder leesbaar zijn.
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