LINGUISTIC RELATIVITY

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis holds that the language you use influences how you think about the world, essentially straightjacketing your welt-anschauung within the parameters set by that language. A more nuanced version says that how and why you learned a language will often determine how you use it (even if you are talking to yourself).
That explains why I swear in Dutch when mumbling.

Or talk about food in gibberish.

Postulation: the best language for a pork chop is Cantonese.

The afterthought is in Indonesian.

With very little English.


Ngo yiu yat go jyu paa dengan sambal purtegis over rice.

猪扒

In this picture you have to imagine for yourself the rice as well as the Portuguese sambal (hot chilipaste fried with coconut cream, stinky shrimp paste, curry spices, and a squeeze of lime).

"I want a porkchop with hot sauce over rice."

The condiment and starch (as well as porcelain and utensils) are automatic mental defaults. They can be taken for granted. The porkchop is the key element.


A jumped-to conclusion: English is not a very good language for talking about food

Toad-in-the-hole. Spotted dick. Boiled baby. Black pudding.
Rumbledethumps and mucky drippings.
Mushy peas.


Haggis.



AFTERTHOUGHT

It might also explain why Americans eat so much junkfood and absolute crap. Crusty sugar objects, chicken nuggets, fast food burgers, factory plastic pastries and pizza, apathetically jumbled together "salads" with ranch dressing (!), beef jerky, fried crunchy discs flavoured with sour cream and onion .......



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