Why is it that salad always tastes better away from home? I can't be that bad at making salad. Yet, even when I get the same ingredients, it's never as good as the salad at restaurants. The best place to go for a salad here in Vancouver is Insalata in the food court of the Pacific Centre. They have a great selection of fresh ingredients: veggies, meats, seafood, nuts, cheese and fruit. And about a dozen different dressings. You pay by weight and you can get a great salad for about $8.
Here's a little information for all you trivia buffs. The word "salad" comes from the Latin word for salt "sal" and the Romans (world's best Latin speakers) ate their fresh veggies with a salt dressing. Another little aside. The word "salary" also comes from the Latin word for salt because the Roman soldiers were sometimes partially paid in salt which was quite valuable in ancient times. Hence the expression someone is "worth his salt." Ain't education great? The Prairie Crocus learned about that in her other life when she taught thirteen-year-olds about ancient Rome.
Another good place to go for a salad and cold buffet is Griffin's in the Hotel Vancouver. Their selection is not as extensive but it includes cold crab, prawns, pasta salad, greens, veggies, soup and dessert for $27. A bit pricier, but also good.
I went out for lunch at Insalata the other day and I noticed on my way home how young people, especially Asians, like to wear t-shirts with words on them. Mostly the Caucasians like tour t-shirts from their favourite bands or funny sayings like, "I'm with stupid >>>>>>>" Or, "I'm more of a hands on guy." There are also some racier ones, but, hey, this is a family blog. I don't want to get an R rating.
But the Asian youth like to wear either brand name tees like Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch. I see more of those than any other brands, so they must be the height of cool. Okay, I can understand why they want to wear the clothes that tell the world how cool they are. I wonder if they realize they are unconsciously providing free advertising for those companies. Maybe they don't care, Crocus!
But I really don't understand why they wear tees on which are printed meaningless English phrases. I've seen a few, but this day I saw one on the bus: IN BORN DAYS THE SURF. What does that mean? Is it just printed noise? Is it a bad translation from another language to English? Should it be: BORN TO SURF? Or is there some aspect of the Japanese, Korean or Chinese culture that I just don't get?
And speaking of clothes and shopping, I saw a rack of clothes in the mall with a sign that said: 4.99 and up. Out of curiosity I checked. Every piece of clothing on the rack was priced at 29.99! I suppose they could have put one item on the rack for 4.99 and it sold right away, but really, I don't think so. I guess truthful advertising really is an oxymoron.
And at Sears they have a shoe sale: CLEARANCE, BUY 2 PAIRS, GET 1 FREE. How can they call it clearance when the very same shoes are there every time I go and the sale has been there since I moved here in April! That's 4 months, people. Why haven't the shoes cleared out by now? Has no one bought any? Do the shoes magically reproduce at night when the stores are closed?
I see by Gary's blog that Crocus' niece, the lovely Noni, and her lovely man John have got themselves engaged. Congratulations to you both! Happy August to all.
As advertising blather becomes the nation's normal idiom, language becomes printed noise. ~George Will, quoted in Stephen Donadio, The New York Public Library: Book of Twentieth-Century American Quotations
What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehoods to deceive the public; ethical advertising uses truth to deceive the public. ~Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 1964
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Musings of a new Vancouverite
