Well, it looks like rainy season is almost upon us yet again. Definitely not my favourite thing about living in Japan! Although perhaps I should be used to rain, as my hometown, Manchester, has a reputation as the rainiest city in the UK. The grey skies and drizzly rain in Manchester are completely different to the torrential sudden downpours in Japan though!

I think I look back at summer in England with slightly rose-tinted glasses…I remember beautiful sunny days and clear blue skies, but in reality the weather in the photo above is more typical of British weather. Overcast skies and lots of rain and puddles! One great thing about British summers, though, is the long evenings – it stays light outside until 10 or 11 o’clock at night at the height of summer. I suppose there is a downside to this though – in winter, it starts to go dark at 3 or 4pm. Perhaps if I compare it to the dark, overcast, drizzly winter in England…hot, humid, downpour-filled rainy season in Japan isn’t so bad after all!

Definitions

Almost upon us - Is here/arriving very soon. Used for events/seasons, not people!  

Used to – Accustomed to. Very useful expression – eg. I didn’t like natto at first, but now I’m used to it.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/used+to

Has a reputation as – Is famous for/well known for being like something

Drizzly - Drizzle means to rain gently. Drizzly is the adjective of drizzle.

Torrential – When used to describe rain it means very strong or heavy

Sudden downpour – A quick rainstorm. I often hear Japanese people say ‘squall’ which has the same meaning, but I’d never used this word before I came to Japan!

Rose-tinted glasses – To look at something through ‘rose-tinted glasses’ means to see it in a too positive way

http://www.allwords.com/word-look%20through%20rose-tinted%20glasses.html

Overcast skies – Grey sky which is completely clouds, with no blue. Very typical in my hometown unfortunately!

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/overcast

Puddle - Small pool of rainwater

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/puddle

The height of summer – The middle of summer

Have you ever wondered how many words there are in the English language? It seems like a fairly straightforward question, but actually there is no generally accepted answer. Estimates vary hugely, ranging from 250,000 words to over 1 million words. Don’t worry though – this doesn’t mean you have to know 1 million words to be able to speak English fluently! Actually, most of these words are never used in normal daily life – it’s estimated that the average educated person uses between 20,000 and 60,000 words.          

Although these estimates are very vague, I think it’s safe to say that one thing that’s definitely true is that the English language has a lot of words! In fact, it has more words than most (maybe all) of the other world languages. Compared to Spanish, for example, English has twice as many words.

Like England, the English language has a very long and eventful history. One of the reasons English has such a rich and varied vocabulary is because it has constantly ‘borrowed’ or ‘loaned’ words from other languages over the past 1500 years.

The beginning of the English language is around the 5th century. Germanic tribes in England spoke what we call ‘Old English’, which only had around 50,000 to 60,000 words. Although we call this the beginning of English, it is actually very different from modern English in many ways. For example, this is an extract from an Old English poem, ‘Beowulf’:

Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon

As you can see, it’s impossible to recognise this as the English language we speak today!

The first big influence on English was from the Viking invasions. The Vikings were groups of people from Scandinavia who invaded England by ship between around 793 and 1066. Their language, ‘Old Norse’, had a big impact on Old English. A lot of Viking words which entered the English langauge were related to shipping and farming, and many place names in England have a Viking influence. Words which were introduce to English by the Vikings include Die, dirt, husband, skirt and sky.

The Norman (French) Conquest of England in 1066 was the next big influence on the English language. Actually, for the next 300 years, the Royal family and nobility in England spoke French, although English was still spoken by the common people. Many borrowed French words in English are related to the law, government, religion and cooking, and often are formal words. Some examples of French words which became English are – government, evidence, prayer, enemy, marine, navy, soldier, beef, boil and butcher. When there are two words in English with the same meaning, the more formal word is often of French origin.

There are thousands and thousands of words in English borrowed from Latin. Many of these words entered the English language during The Renaissance. The Renaissance was a cultural movement in Europe that involved the revival of learning based on classical sources. From the beginning of the 16th Century it had a big effect on English, introducing many new words, from Greek as well as Latin. Words that entered the English language at this time include - allusion, anachronism, democratic, dexterity, enthusiasm, imaginary, juvenile, pernicious, and sophisticated. Latin words in English are often formal words, and related to religion, culture, and science amongst other things.

By the time of Shakespeare, in the mid to late 16th century, English was recognisable as the language we speak today, although it was still to undergo many changes. Recently, there have been several words ‘borrowed’ from Japanese, including sushi, futon, sumo, tofu, tsunami and karaoke. Although be careful when you say these words as the pronunciation sometimes changes! Karaoke, for example, sounds more like ‘ka – ri – owe – ki’.

English is always constantly changing and developing and borrowing new words. Nobody can ever speak ‘perfect English’ because ‘perfect English’ doesn’t exist!  I think it’s important to focus not on speaking ‘perfect English’, but on using English as a communication tool – sometimes it’s not what you know but how you use it!

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Definitions

Straightforward – Simple and easy to understand

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/straightforward 

Estimate – Approximate guess

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/estimate

Vague – Not clear

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vague

It’s safe to say – This expression is often used in in casual conversation, meaning that something is true, and cannot be disagreed with. For example, ‘It’s safe to say George Bush isn’t the most popular man in Iraq’.

Eventful – Many things happened. For example, ‘I had a pretty eventful day – I got a new job, and got engaged!’

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eventful

Rich – Rich means to have lots of money, but it has many other meanings. In this context, it means varied and full of value.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rich

Germanic tribes – Groups of people from Northern Europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_peoples   

Extract – This word has many meanings. Here it means part of a poem.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/extract

Impact – Influence or effect on something

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impact

Related to – To be associated to, or have a connection with

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/related

Norman Conquest – Invasion of England by William the Conqueror, from Normandy in North West France

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Conquest

Nobility – People in the upper class, with titles – for example, Lord, Lady, Duke, Duchess

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nobility 

Common people – Normal people (not in the nobility/upper classes)

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/common

Formal – Not casual

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/formal

Latin – Language spoke in Ancient Rome

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/latin

The Renaissance – Cultural movement which started in Italy in the Late Middle Ages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance

Revival – Restored to life

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/revival

Shakespeare – English poet and playwright

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

Undergo – To experience

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/undergo

I’ve never really been a fan of McDonalds, but after I read a fantastic book this weekend called ‘Fast Food Nation’, I think I’ve sworn off eating fast food ever again!!

Fast Food Nation describes how fast food restaurants have changed the face of America (and increasingly the rest of the world). From 1970 to 2001 the amount of money spent on fast food in America increased from $6 billion dollars to $110 billion dollars. Every day in America, 1 out of every 4 people visits a fast food restaurant. Unbelievable!! 

It’s not surprising that obesity is such a huge problem – it is the biggest health threat in America: about 65.2% of adults in America are overweight and 30.5% are obese.

What shocked me most was what actually goes into the food.  McDonald’s customers can always rely on their Big Mac to taste the same where ever they are in the world. McDonalds use this as a selling point, but I have always thought it a bit disturbing that I can eat a Big Mac in Tokyo and it tastes exactly the same as one in Thailand, Brazil or England.  

The reason is because the taste isn’t from the ingredients like beef, lettuce or tomato. The food is processed so much that most of the flavour is lost. The taste mainly comes from man-made chemicals added to the food. Strawberry milk shakes might taste like strawberries, but the strawberry taste actually comes from 49 different chemicals, not the real thing!

What do McDonald’s french fries and hamburgers have in common? They both contain beef flavouring!!!

The taste of a French fry is mainly due to the cooking oil. In the past, McDonalds used beef fat to cook their fries (which meant they had more beef fat per ounce than a hamburger….and were definitely not vegetarian!!) However, after people complained about the amount of saturated fat, they decided to use vegetable oil instead. To keep the popular taste though, they added beef fat chemical flavouring to the fries…mmmmm! Would you like some beef fat chemically flavoured fries with your burger? Maybe not!

It’s really difficult for most people not to eat fast food at least occasionally, because it’s so cheap and convenient. Especially in today’s world where people work so hard and don’t have time to cook. I think it’s worth reading this book though, so you know exactly what you’re eating next time you’re tempted to visit a fast food restaurant!!

If the English version seems too daunting, there is a Japanese translation available instead!

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Definitions

Food for thought – This expression describes something which makes you think, eg. ‘The book I read gave me lots of food for thought’

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/food+for+thought 

Fan – to be a fan of something means to like it very much, eg. ‘I’m a big fan of The Beatles’.

Sworn off – to have quit doing something/say that you will never do something again

Change the face of – change the appearance/character of something, usually in a big way

Increase – to make bigger/greater

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/increased

Obesity – The condition of being obese (very fat)

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/increased 

Obese/Overweight – to be overweight means to weigh more than what is considered normal. To be obese is bigger than being overweight,  and obesity is considered to be a medical condition/problem.

Goes into – is added to/put in 

Processed – Changed using special procedures

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/processed

Have in common – shared characteristic

Saturated fat – the bad kind of fat in food!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/saturated%20fat

Tempted – to be attracted to

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tempted

Daunting – appears too difficult/scary to do

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/daunting

English Version

http://www.amazon.co.jp/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0060838582/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/250-9756905-7180249?ie=UTF8&s=english-books&qid=1176554560&sr=8-1

Japanese Version

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%95%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E3%81%8C%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E3%82%92%E9%A3%9F%E3%81%84%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8F%E3%81%99-%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF-%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A5%E3%83%AD%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC/dp/479421071X/ref=pd_bbs_2/250-9756905-7180249?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176554560&sr=8-2

‘I can’t be bothered’ is for situations where you don’t want to waste time or energy doing something. You can use it whether you complete an action or not. For example:

I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but one of the best things about living in Japan is the food. Especially after being brought up in England on a diet of frozen chips and fish fingers.

I love the way there is such a great mix of food here… and normal portions! I’m always shocked when I go back home by the mountains of food people put on their plates…

As most of my friends here know, I am a big kinpira gobo addict. I love it, especially after one of my good friends gave me a great recipe and the ingredients to make it, and I realised how simple it was to prepare. Now I cook it at least once a week without fail!

I’ll share my (friend’s) recipe with you:

Gobo and Carrot cut into strips (I always cheat and buy the ready prepared packs in the supermarket)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons sake

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons akazake (or 1 tablespoon mirin combined with 1 tablespoon brown sugar)

Teaspoon sesame seeds

½ Teaspoon chopped dried chilli (more or less depending on how spicy you like it!)

Fry the vegetables in the sesame oil for two minutes.

Add the sake, soy sauce, akazake, sesame seeds and chilli.

Cook for another 30 seconds.

That’s it, ready…serve and enjoy!

I could eat this until the cows come home….

Let me know what you think about English food! Feel free to ask any questions and share your favourite recipes so I can branch out from cooking kinpira gobo!

Itadakimasu!

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Definitions

Cliché – an overused expression.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cliché

On a diet of – ‘On a diet’ doesn’t always mean trying to lose weight. Here it means I often ate chips and fish fingers.

Fish fingers – Battered ‘fingers’ of fish which are very popular in England.

Chips – British English meaning French Fries (We call potato chips ‘crisps’)

Portion – Amount of food served for one person http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/portion

Mountain of food – BIG portion of food! (can also be used for ‘mountain of work’ eg. I had a mountain of work to do today)

Addict – A person who is addicted to (can’t stop) doing an activity http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/addict

Ingredients - Food used in a recipe

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ingredient

Until the cows come home – Expression meaning for a very long time

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/until+the+cows+come+home

Branch out - Vary or change

http://www.answers.com/topic/diversify-branch-out-broaden

Itadakimasu – There isn’t really an equivalent to this expression in English. I’m often asked if there’s something to say instead, but sadly I can’t think of anything. Some families in England say a prayer (although this isn’t so common these days) but generally we start with a compliment about the food (mmmm…looks good!) or just tuck in (start eating)!