Sunday, September 16, 2007

Yoyo had a temperature!


Yoyo was sick the second day she arrived in Australia. Her body probably got confused: it was a moist and warm summer not a while ago, and within 36 hours we have to deal with a dry and chilly South Atmosphere spring?

Obviously the weather change is not the only thing she has to get used to.

With his usual seriousness of conducing scientific research, MM measured Yoyo's body temperature then announced, "You have a temperature (104F)!" If we were in the States, MM would have said "You have a fever!" But he insisted in saying everything in a proper, aka, Australian way because, well, we are in Australia. Here is a list of things Yoyo have learned so far that bear different names.

US Pharmacy = OZ Chemist;
US (car)Trunk = OZ Boot;
US Restroom = OZ Toilet;
US European cucumber = OZ telegraph cucumber;
US Papaya = OZ Pawpaw;

(Below added on Sept 23)
US downtown = OZ CBD;
US Cantaloupe = OZ rockmelon;
US Romaine lettuce = OZ Cos Lettuce;
US Napa cabbage = OZ Wombok !

(Below added Oct 12)

US basement = OZ ground floor;
US 1st floor = OZ second floor;
US Linens = OZ Manchester;
US Peppers = OZ Capsicum
US (Potato) Fry = OZ Chip.


Here comes the most confusing one: Entree in fact is an equivalent of appetizer in the U.S.?! Make you think Australians just have better appetite in general and they don't have any problem in digesting a second main course after the first one/Entree (means main course in the States)!

P.S. Yoyo is back to her feet hopping again after a 12 hour sleep. She certainly started nibbling again, although she is not well enough to eat two entrees in a row. She has never been able to do that when she was 100% herself anyway.

2 comments:

Rafi (S) said...

Hope you're feeling better. If MM was being consistent he would have said "you have a temperature of 40 celcius" not "104 fahrenheit"...

BTW I can never understand why Americans call the toilets "bathrooms" or "restrooms". Toilet is already a euphemism anyway (means getting dressed in French) and while you do get dressed after doing what you do, you certainly don't bath there... In Hebrew they're called "sherutim" which means "services". A good euphemism I think.

Yoyo said...

Hi Rafi,

Thanks for asking. I'm much better now.

MM argued he was just reading what it said on thermometer. :)

I like the Hebrew euphemism too. But I wonder if Americans know what toilet means in French. I didn't know myself!