it's been a while....

i went to KL for crystal report training yday... got back today.... i met up with kai yday... yeah... after so long... it must have been 4-5 yrs ago when i last saw him... we met up at secret recipe... had lunch.... he held my hands.... looked into my eyes... i let him hold my hands.... somehow it felt comfortable.... and warm.... after lunch, we walked around centrepoint.... holding hands like couples do... put hands over each other's waist and shoulders.... at one point, he just turned me around and hugged me.... it felt right.... and comfortable.... as if we have been doing it for quite some time.... while still holding me close, we kissed.... in the mall.... we kissed again later.... he wanted to take leave but i wouldn't let him... he wanted to ask me to go to the emergency exit but i refused... probably bcoz i was afraid.... he didn't turn up for lunch today due to work commitment.... things are not going to be the same again.... i have never expected it coz everytime we planned to meet up, something would come up.... but yday was unexpected.... first time we met up without any interruptions.... i can't believe it myself..... dear diary, what will happen from now on? things will never be the same again between us....

I just discovered the wonders of asparagus!

Fresh Asparagus
Lightly steamed or boiled, fresh asparagus is a tasty, nutritious side dish. In North America, fresh asparagus season begins in March or early April and ends around late June or when the hot summer weather begins. Asparagus, imported mostly from Mexico, Chile or Peru, is now available all year round, but you'll find a good supply of fresh "home-grown " asparagus at reasonable prices in supermarkets this time of year. Most of it comes from Washington, California and Michigan. Depending on where you live, you might also find bunches of fresh asparagus grown in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota or Oregon at your local markets.Asparagus has a high natural sugar content. Shortly after harvesting, its sugar starts turning to starch. Spears soon lose their snap, moisture and sweet flavor. That's why asparagus that's fresh from the garden has a unique taste that's superior to others. Home gardeners and those who shop for locally grown asparagus consider it a springtime delicacy. Fresh asparagus sold at farm stands and farmer's markets is usually cut, sorted, trimmed, and banded, just as in a supermarket, although it's sometimes sold loose and untrimmed in a box or basket. Garden fresh asparagus is sweet and tender and takes only a few minutes to cook.
In the U.S., green asparagus is by far the most common kind. White asparagus is covered with a mound of loose soil while growing to block sunlight and prevent the production of chlorophyll which would turn it green. White asparagus is very popular in Europe, but only rarely sold here. There's also a sweeter purple variety of asparagus that's quite rare.
Botanically, asparagus is an edible member of the lily family. The name "asparagus" is a Greek word, meaning stalk or shoot. It was first cultivated in ancient Greece, where it was used as an herbal medicine to cure toothaches, prevent bee stings and more. The Romans loved asparagus for its medicinal purposes and culinary qualities. They grew it in their courtyards and in their many conquests, spread it to other nations. King Louis XIV of France built special greenhouses to grow asparagus year' round. During the Renaissance, it was considered an aphrodisiac and banned from the kitchens in most nunneries!
Asparagus has been promoted as a cure for rheumatism and as a natural remedy for blood cleansing. Throughout history, there been many claims of its healing abilities and medicinal qualities. Medicinal benefits like these have not been proven to be true, but asparagus is a nutrient rich vegetable that does provide great health benefits.
An average serving supplies 60% of the USRDA for Folacin, a B-Vitamin that helps in the duplication of cells for growth and repair of the body and in reproducing blood cells in bone marrow. It's also a rich source of antioxidants - Vitamin C and Vitamin A, and Phytochemicals. Of all fruit and vegetables that have been tested, asparagus has the highest amount of the phytochemical - Glutathione, a potent anticarcinogen and antioxidant. (Phytochemicals, "Phyto" meaning plant, are compounds that slow the development of cancer and heart disease and strengthen the immune system.) Asparagus is also high in potassium, thiamin and fiber. It contains no fat or cholesterol and it's low in sodium and low in calories, with only 25 calories in 6 spears.
When shopping for fresh asparagus, look for crisp, firm, straight green spears with closed, compact tips. Check the bottom of the spears for signs of excessive drying. Avoid spears that have spreading tips and those that are yellowish, soft, or wilted. Choose a bunch with spears that are a uniform diameter, so all will cook in the same amount of time.
Thick or thin? If you've have some experience growing or cooking fresh asparagus, you probably know that this is a vegetable that breaks the rules. Thin does not mean young and tender. Thick does not mean old and tough. While thick or thin spears can be equally tasty when asparagus is very fresh, and spears that are old will be tough, woody and tasteless, regardless of how thick they are, when buying fresh asparagus, choose the thickest spears. When everything else is equal, fat asparagus is more tender than skinny asparagus. Both have firm, fibrous strands outside, but thick spears have more succulent, tender pulp inside .
To decide how much asparagus to buy or how much you'll need for a recipe......
About 15 spears (of average thickness) equals about 1 pound of asparagus.
1 pound - trimmed, peeled and cut in small pieces equals about 3 cups
1 pound makes 2 to 3 servings.
Cook fresh asparagus as soon as possible for the best flavor. If you don't use it the day you buy it, keep asparagus chilled and moist until you do. When left unrefrigerated, fresh asparagus loses vitamin content along with its flavor and snap. Before refrigerating, remove rubber bands or ties, trim about 1/4" from the bottom of the spears; rinse in cool water to remove dirt and sand. Shake off excess water; wrap a moist white paper towel around the cut end of the stems and place in a plastic bag or a covered food storage container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. depending on the freshness at time of purchase. If the tips should become slightly wilted during storage, lay them in cool water for about 10 to 15 minutes to rehydrate before using.
Preparing Asparagus Remove the band. Wash the asparagus under cool running water, a few spears at a time, to remove any soil or sand.
Remove tough areas at the bottom of the spears
Use a paring knife to trim about an inch from the lower end of each stem, or....
Snap-off the lower ends....Hold the top half of a spear in one hand and grasp the bottom half with your other hand. Bend lightly and the tough lower end will snap off where it meets the more tender part of the spear. Although this method sometimes produces more waste, the otherwise discarded ends can be cooked and pureed to use in soup.
Peeling Fresh asparagus can be eaten without peeling, but some people prefer it peeled. Peeling is usually recommended for white asparagus, since it has a tougher, more woody stem. Peeling away the tougher skin near the bottom of the spears will help them cooking more evenly. To peel asparagus use a standard vegetable peeler and peel downward toward the base.
12-in. Asparagus Platter
Cooking AsparagusVery fresh tender asparagus can be eaten raw. Rinse, trim and/or peel as desired. Use in salads or serve chilled with a veggie dip.
Asparagus can be steamed, boiled, stir-fried, microwaved, roasted, or baked into quiches, casseroles, and other dishes. Fresh asparagus does not require much cooking time. Overcooking causes it to lose nutrients, color and flavor. Like most cooked fresh vegetables, it tastes best when it's lightly steamed and served with a little butter and salt to taste. Asparagus is also good seasoned with chives, parsley, chervil, savory, or tarragon. Add a little lemon juice; top it with regular, low fat, or fat free yogurt or sour cream; or add a small amount of very lightly browned slivered almonds... no recipes required. For those who want more variety, see the list of asparagus recipes below.To Steam Asparagus Steaming in an upright position is the ideal cooking method, since it allows the spears to cook evenly. The tougher bottom of the spears can cook thoroughly in boiling water while thinner delicate tips are lightly steamed. Wash, trim, and peel as desired. then tie spears together with a string or a strip of heavy aluminum foil. Add about 2" of water to a deep, narrow cooking vessel such as a percolator. There are also tall, narrow pots made especially for steaming asparagus, with an inner basket to hold it upright while steaming. Bring the water to a rapid boil. Add the asparagus, standing the spears upright with the lower end of the spears in the water. Cover the pot and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Boil Asparagus Lay trimmed asparagus spears in a large skillet with 1" to 1-1/2" of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook gently, uncovered, over low heat for about 5 to 7 minutes. Season and serve.
Stir-Fry Asparagus Slice asparagus spears diagonally into 1/2" slices, leaving tips whole. Heat 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet. Adjust heat to medium high; add cut asparagus; cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender-crisp.
Cook Asparagus in a Microwave Oven Arrange asparagus spears around a microwave safe baking dish, as spokes on a wheel, with tips touching or overlapping in center of dish. Add water, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup, then cover with a vented lid, a domed plastic cover made for the microwave, or plastic wrap, turning back a small area along the edge for steam to vent. Microwave on full power for 4 to 7 minutes for about 1 pound of fresh asparagus spears; 3 to 5 minutes if cut in small pieces. Stop to stir or turn about halfway through cooking time. Remove from microwave oven at end of cooking time. Season, then cover and let stand 3 to 4 minutes before serving.
Grill Asparagus For grilling you'll need fairly thick spears. Place wooden skewers through several spears, side by side, to make a rack of asparagus. Place on top of the grids and grill for the suggested time. Brush with herbed butter when the grilling is almost complete. Grilling woks or baskets, like the one on the right, also work well with asparagus.
Roast Asparagus Asparagus can also be roasted. Preheat oven to 450º. Arrange spears in a shallow pan with a little olive oil. It takes less then 10 minutes until spears are tender-crisp; check for desired tenderness after about 5 minutes.
Preserving Asparagus
Freezing Fresh asparagus can be frozen for later use. If properly frozen soon after picking, asparagus retains most of its nutrients. Wash fresh tender spears and trim bottom ends. Cut spears into lengths that will fit into freezer bags or containers. Sort according to thickness.
Asparagus must be blanched before it's frozen. To blanch asparagus, immerse thin spears in boiling water for 2 minutes, medium spears for 3 minutes and thick spears for 5 minutes. As soon as spears are removed from boiling water, cool quickly by immersing in ice water for about 5 minutes. Drain, then pack into freezer bags or freezer containers, leaving no headspace. Seal, label, and freeze . Asparagus can be frozen for up to 8 or 9 months. Don't defrost frozen asparagus before cooking. Keep it frozen until you're ready to cook it. If frozen asparagus thaws, it must be cooked right away. Never refreeze it.
Home- Canning Canning will destroy some of the flavor, but it is an acceptable means of preserving fresh asparagus. It must be canned using a pressure canner.
Wash and trim spears. They may be canned as whole spears or cut into pieces. Boil asparagus for about 3 minutes, then pack in canning jars while still hot. Add salt, 1 teaspoon for quarts and 1/2 teaspoon salt for pints. Add boiling water to jars, allowing 1" head space. Place caps on jars and place jars in a pressure canner. Process quarts for 30 minutes Process at 10 pounds of pressure - quarts for 30 minutes and pints for 25 minutes. Like all canned foods, home-canned asparagus should be stored in a cool, dry place and used within a year.

English Usage

Friday August 8, 2008

You say ‘tomahto’ and I say ‘tomayto’

Ramblings
By Dr LIM CHIN LAM

 

ENGLISH is used in many countries — originally Britain, then the countries that started off as colonies, dominions, and protectorates of Britain. It is now used, to varying extents and to various degrees of proficiency, in the rest of the world.

The native English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and those in which English is used to a large extent (India, Malaysia, Fiji, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, etc.) each have their brand of English. Even then, these different Englishes are generally intelligible to the users of English at large.

But are they?

Let us look at British English (BrE) and American English (AmE, specifically North American English), the two most widely used kinds of English. The English spoken in other countries generally follows BrE or AmE — but with its own peculiarities. In Malaysia, the English we use is of the British variety.

BrE and AmE differ in many areas which I can but try to classify and summarise, with limited examples, within the constraints of this column.

Same words, different pronunciations

The word herb is pronounced HERB in BrE but ERB in AmE.

Other examples: chance (CHAHNS/CHENS – the same difference in vowel sound also in class, command, dance, grass, past); fertile (FERTYL/FERTL); consortium (KONSORTIEM/KONSORSHIUM); route (ROOT/ROWT), schedule (SHEDIUL/SKEDIUL); and so on.

Same words, difference in spelling

Nowadays, the ligatures “æ” and “?” are rarely encountered. BrE tends to separate out the conjoined vowels in print while AmE reduces them to the single letter ‘e’.

Examples: anaemia/anemia, diarrhoea/diarrhea, encyclopaedia/encyclopedia, foetus/fetus, oedema/edema.

Furthermore, AmE tends to differ from BrE in the following ways.

· dropping silent vowels [axe/ax, acknowledgement/acknowledgment, furore/furor/]

· dropping a vowel from a digraph [caulk/calk; gauge/gage, mould/mold]

· reducing doubled consonants to a single consonant [waggon/wagon]

· trimming off unsounded letter clusters [dialogue/dialog, programme/program — except that both BrE and AmE use program to refer to computer software]

· adding, for words ending in an unstressed syllable with a terminal ‘l’, a suffix beginning with a vowel without doubling the final ‘l’ [travelled/traveled, counselling/counseling, medallist/medalist, councillor/councilor, marvellous/marvelous. Note, however, that in words such as compel and propel, where the last syllable is stressed, the BrE-styled compelled and propellant also apply in AmE.]

· choosing –or over –our [colour/color, odour/odor].

Yet, against its common practice of trimming off vowels and consonants, AmE actually adds on a consonant by doubling it in such words as enrol/enroll, enrolment/enrollment, instil/instill, and skilful/skillful.

Other differences are in respect of deletion of vowels [caulk/calk, gauntlet/gantlet]; word-ending –ce/se [defence/defense; pretence/pretense]; and verb suffix –ise/-ize [BrE accepts both, e.g. realise and realize, but AmE normally admits only the –ize suffix; furthermore, AmE extends the –z- ending to words not formed with the original Greek verb suffix –izein, e.g. analyze (BrE analyse), paralyze (BrE paralyse) and advertize (BrE advertise); and differentiation between noun and verb [BrE noun practice, verb practise but AmE noun and verb practice; similarly BrE licence (noun) and license (verb) as against AmE license (noun, verb) — but advice (noun) and advise (verb) and device (noun) and devise (verb) are differentiated in AmE, as in BrE)].

And still there are other differences: -que/-ck [cheque/check, racquet/racket]; ph/f [sulphate/sulfate, draught/draft], -re/-er [centre/center, theatre/theater, manoeuvre/maneuver, calibre/caliber, fibre/fiber]; and a miscellaneous group of one-offs [aluminium/aluminum, candidature/candidacy, jewellery/jewelry, kerb/curb, ketchup/catsup, sceptical/skeptical, storey/story].

Same words, different meanings

Some BrE words seem to have acquired a different meaning after crossing the Atlantic Ocean. For example, dumb means “mute” in Britain but “stupid” in the U.S. The word mad means “insane” in Britain but “very angry, furious” in the U.S.

Homely, meaning “simple and ordinary” in BrE, becomes a disparaging attribute in AmE where it means “unattractive”. The adjective nuts, used predicatively (Are you nuts?), apparently does not exist in Britain but it means “crazy” in AmE.

Different words, same meaning

Americanisms include the use of words different from those used in British English.

For example, in AmE, funny = odd/peculiar, mad = angry, and nuts = mad/crazy. The Americans can be funny (i.e. odd). They can make you mad (i.e. angry) or drive you nuts (i.e. crazy).

Because different words are used for the same things on either side of the Atlantic — and are likely to cause confusion — I take the trouble to put up a longer-than-usual list of examples, as follows:

aerial (BrE) = antenna (AmE),

brinjal = eggplant,

barrister/solicitor = attorney/lawyer,

bill (e.g. for restaurant meal) = check,

boot (of car) = trunk,

conscription = draft,

crossroads = intersection,

counterfeit/false = fake/phoney,

flyover = overpass,

full-stop = period,

fuss = hassle,

groundnut = peanut,

joking = kidding,

leave (of absence) = furlough,

letter-box = mailbox,

maize = corn,

pavement = sidewalk,

petrol = gasoline,

post-mortem = autopsy,

prison = penitentiary,

ragging = hazing,

refuse/rubbish/waste = garbage/trash,

tap = faucet,

taxi (from “taxicab”) = cab (from “taxicab”),

toilet = lavatory/restroom,

torchlight = flashlight,

truant (play truant) = hooky (play hooky),

wrecked (as of a car in an accident) = totaled.

Is that all?

I have thus far covered — adequately, I hope — BrE and AmE differences in words as they are pronounced, as spelt, and as differing in meaning. But the divide between BrE and AmE is not only in words. I shall cover other aspects in a future article.

 

updates...

my father in law has been diagonised with cancer relapse... he went to the hospital yesterday for chemotheraphy.... so far he has been taking it ok... i hope he can manage the 6 times chemo the doc has prescribed for him...

meanwhile, i've been busy with my new job....

why?

I am feeling angry, frustrated, irritated... y does he like to take care of ppl's children when the parents can just enjoy themselves every weekend...??? why....? call me selfish, but i do nt feel it's the right things for the parents to do... dunno why... am i fated to be with him? my life seems to go downhill from there, no matter how positive i might be... why issit that i dun have children til now? isit fated? or isit bcoz god have something else in store for me???

life lessons...

Been at new job for 2 weeks now... Still dunno my real function there haha... just does things here and there a bit... bosses are quite nice to me, which makes me feel more stressed that i need to perform exceeding my expectations... colleagues are not bad too...

i just realised the newspaper vendor is the son of the corner sundry shop owner at bukit serindit. it's been shocking considering that they looked quite well off.... i guess it's the same everywhere... we see people and make assumptions... but sometimes things are not as they seem... which brings me back to the Brats workshop.... the only lesson i remember vividly... Dun trust everything you see... Understand to the end before making a choice/judgement...

one week ...

just went for kia yin's wedding... saw chong wei and the gang... it was quite a grand one... but the food is real slow...

the other day i talked to tai and she told me a lot of things happening at Vis... Apparently, Pang is having headache over stuffs... co 's future, the thinking of the HODs (who's apparently against him now)... plus Aw has resigned and they still have not found anyone to take over my place. Yvonne went for second interview at K***** and i think he will have a bad time if she left too. I think he is thinking of leaving the company as he has many offers waiting for him but seeing the current situation, i dun think he will leave at the moment...

i sent him an SMS to sort of cheer him up and asked him to do what he think is right. Although we weren't close in Vis, i had great respect for him and i think he appreciates me too... as he told tai, he has lost an arm... That day, i couldn't really sleep when i thought of the stuffs he must be going thru... not easy...

Anyway, i've been at the new co for a week now. So far, it's ok. Given an office by myself, i needed some time to adjust. Bosses are quite good to me and this results in the other staffs being wary of me. I knew they are still figuring out what i'm doing there and why i enjoy all the privileges LOL but at least they are civil to me...