Wanderlust support group 5

[Naava]

Everyone's eating all kinds of cool authentic foods from various faraway countries at restaurants and shit, meanwhile I just sit at home eating pork and potatoes, ready-made kebab rolls, chicken and rice.

Well, I'm sitting at home eating oatmeal porridge and rye bread, so your menu is still more international than mine...

[OldBoring]

Everyone's eating all kinds of cool authentic foods from various faraway countries at restaurants and shit, meanwhile I just sit at home eating pork and potatoes, ready-made kebab rolls, chicken and rice.

Well, I'm sitting at home eating oatmeal porridge and rye bread, so your menu is still more international than mine...

That's a breakfast at most, not a full lunch or dinner...

[OldBoring]

Yep.

Could you elaborate?

I think I feel like that pretty much every time I eat? If I don't already know the relevant language pretty darn well, that is. Or maybe it's not really wanderlust, but still, pretty close! Like today, I had bulgogi and kimchi...and I don't think I can think about that without also thinking something like "why do I not speak Korean yet?" (Although to be honest, I was more preoccupied by the fact that I was sitting with two co-workers speaking Mandarin and my listening comprehension really seems to have gone down the drain, or maybe I just don't know enough work-related jargon for some odd reason. I also realized towards the end of the meal that I hadn't been holding the bowl I was eating out of and became slightly self-conscious about that. One of my co-workers is from the Netherlands but ethnically Vietnamese and doesn't get why I don't do that since that's what the Vietnamese do). I also feel kind of odd when I eat Chinese food because I speak Beijing Mandarin but seem to eat, like, Sichuanese food.

This! I was surprised you speak (or aim to) Beijing Mandarin but don't know anything about Beijing cuisine, like not even 炸酱面!

[linguoboy]

This! I was surprised you speak (or aim to) Beijing Mandarin but don't know anything about Beijing cuisine, like not even 炸酱面!

Is that another attempt to make a funny? Or do Southerners just not distinguish between 京菜 and 魯菜?

[Naava]

Everyone's eating all kinds of cool authentic foods from various faraway countries at restaurants and shit, meanwhile I just sit at home eating pork and potatoes, ready-made kebab rolls, chicken and rice.

Well, I'm sitting at home eating oatmeal porridge and rye bread, so your menu is still more international than mine...

That's a breakfast at most, not a full lunch or dinner...

That was my dinner. If it makes you feel better, I had a proper lunch though (saithe/coalfish whatever it is in English, mashed potatoes and salad).

[linguoboy]

(saithe/coalfish whatever it is in English, mashed potatoes and salad).

In the USA, we would just call that "pollock". I doubt I can taste the differences between that and true pollack (lyyraturska).

[OldBoring]

This! I was surprised you speak (or aim to) Beijing Mandarin but don't know anything about Beijing cuisine, like not even 炸酱面!

Is that another attempt to make a funny? Or do Southerners just not distinguish between 京菜 and 魯菜?

炸酱面 is a Beijing dish, even though it originated from Shandong centuries ago.

[Naava]

(saithe/coalfish whatever it is in English, mashed potatoes and salad).

In the USA, we would just call that "pollock". I doubt I can taste the differences between that and true pollack (lyyraturska).

Thanks! Do you happen to know any place where I could check the names in future? Wikipedia is not very helpful here because it usually lists all the names for the same fish without much explanation (eg. here I got "saithe / pollock / Boston blue / coalfish/coley" and I have no idea what's the difference).

I can't say anything about the taste because I hadn't even heard of lyyraturska before. I do know turska (Gadus morhua) but I'm not sure if I've ever tasted it. Tbh I'm not sure if it's even related to lyyraturska despite the Finnish name because the Latin name looks so different.

-----
On topic: my uni is advertising its summer courses and it seems facebook algorithms have learnt I like languages, because now I get ads with "would you like to study Italian with us?" and "come to study Chinese!" and so on. If only I could stay forever here, studying all the languages...

[OldBoring]

I ger ads inviting me to go study in Norway.

[vijayjohn]

Why is it than whenever I study a Romance language I get wanderlust for pretty much all the other ones?

Was there ever a time that you studied just one Romance language at a time? (If not, that might help explain it!).

How often have you listened in on natives speaking spontaneously amongst themselves in the real world?

I don't often get the opportunity; that's kind of the problem. I guess I have no choice but to really train my ear on spoken Mandarin all over again. I wish I could still use this, but none of the video clips work anymore (because they use an outdated version of QuickTime IIUC).

Everyone's eating all kinds of cool authentic foods from various faraway countries at restaurants and shit, meanwhile I just sit at home eating pork and potatoes, ready-made kebab rolls, chicken and rice.

Well, kebab rolls and rice sound like pretty "cool authentic foods from various faraway countries." And I actually very rarely go out to eat.

Can you cook?

rednecks from West Texania whose only exposure to foreign languages is anime

What lol

This! I was surprised you speak (or aim to) Beijing Mandarin but don't know anything about Beijing cuisine, like not even 炸酱面!

You're starting to make me doubt whether I really have eaten 炸酱面 and just forgot or something.

Everyone's eating all kinds of cool authentic foods from various faraway countries at restaurants and shit, meanwhile I just sit at home eating pork and potatoes, ready-made kebab rolls, chicken and rice.

Well, I'm sitting at home eating oatmeal porridge and rye bread, so your menu is still more international than mine...

That's a breakfast at most, not a full lunch or dinner...

That was my dinner. If it makes you feel better, I had a proper lunch though (saithe/coalfish whatever it is in English, mashed potatoes and salad).

That's kind of how my meals were when I was working, too. Yesterday was my last day, though, so that's already started to change.

Do you happen to know any place where I could check the names in future?

Maybe just ask here haha!

[Saim]

Why is it than whenever I study a Romance language I get wanderlust for pretty much all the other ones?

Was there ever a time that you studied just one Romance language at a time? (If not, that might help explain it!).

Now that's the case of French. Although earlier this year I dabbled in some Italian and Portuguese.

Also when I first started studying Portuguese and Italian I did focus on each of them for a couple of months (not super intensively, but not along with any other Romance language either), although that was also to prepare for a trip.

There have also definitely been single months where the only Romance language I actively worked on in any (semi-)serious way was either Asturian or Occitan.

[vijayjohn]

So you've had periods where you studied just one Romance language seriously, but that's not generally the case. Also, you're pretty darn familiar with Romance languages in general already (definitely more than I am, for instance). So that could also have something to do with it. I think it's kind of similar for me with Dravidian languages; whenever I try to learn words in most Dravidian languages, I keep wondering how things compare across all the other Dravidian languages. (I have this problem less often with Tamil since it's so similar to Malayalam and it's common enough for people to speak both that movies in both languages often include dialogue in both languages without subtitles).

[Vlürch]

Kyrgyz, partly because it's so close to Kazakh but they have no serious concrete plans to get rid of Cyrillic and partly because it has more rounded vowels and also long vowels, and especially for the fact that it has long front rounded vowels, which are cute and comfy.

I know it's weird since I'm Finnish and stereotypically we hate front rounded vowels since our own language has them, but I actually like them and think they're among the cutest sounds to ever come out of the human mouth, especially when they're long.

Everyone's eating all kinds of cool authentic foods from various faraway countries at restaurants and shit, meanwhile I just sit at home eating pork and potatoes, ready-made kebab rolls, chicken and rice.

Well, I'm sitting at home eating oatmeal porridge and rye bread, so your menu is still more international than mine...

Welp...

Well, kebab rolls and rice sound like pretty "cool authentic foods from various faraway countries." And I actually very rarely go out to eat.

I guess that's technically true, but everyone eats them and they're ready-made meals so they don't count as authentic anything even if they're "handmade" or whatever.

Can you cook?

No, and the oven is broken so I couldn't even if I wanted to learn. Supposedly a new oven should be free because it's the landlord's responsibility or whatever, but that's probably not true because it sounds too good to be true.

Besides, I can't even go near an oven because I'm so sensitive to heat, which my parents think is because I burned my hand on the oven as a baby but I'm not sure if babyhood influences like that are a thing since I don't even remember it myself. Obviously in some things it is, but it's not like voluntarily putting my hand against the oven (not realising it was hot) as a baby is a real traumatic experience compared to what everyone else has experienced as a baby, so...

What lol

Well, in 2013 I realised that if Texas and West Virginia would become West Texania if combined. Since they're stereotypically the states of rednecks and hillbillies, it'd be a state where everyone is at least a little inbred, loves guns, beer, goes to church every Sunday, is always shirtless, etc. and eats only hamburgers and deepfries everything.

They wouldn't want to watch anime because they'd hate everything that isn't made in America, but they'd do it ironically and act racist against the Japanese (and Chinese because they wouldn't know or care which country anime comes from) while doing so; even though they'd try to avoid learning anything in the process because they'd hate learning things, they'd pick up a word or two.

Unfortunately those are the only kinds of words that I manage to memorise reliably out of any language.

And as a disclaimer, I don't think all Texans and West Virginians are inbred rednecks or anything; obviously you're not (and neither is the vast majority), but I think the idea of West Texania is funny. I also know I'm not the only person to have thought of it, evident from googling, but even though my blog post about it doesn't show up on Google anymore, I think it was the first mention of "West Texania" online. Or maybe I'm giving myself too much credit, maybe it was always a common satirical state. Dunno.

I think it's kind of similar for me with Dravidian languages; whenever I try to learn words in most Dravidian languages, I keep wondering how things compare across all the other Dravidian languages.

I have that same "problem" with Turkic languages.

[vijayjohn]

stereotypically we hate front rounded vowels since our own language has them

Wat
First time I've ever heard that one

I guess that's technically true, but everyone eats them and they're ready-made meals so they don't count as authentic anything even if they're "handmade" or whatever.

Really, kebab rolls and rice are A Thing in Finland? Well, I've never heard of everyone eating that anywhere else, and this forum is international and mostly non-Finnish, so it still sounds pretty cool.

No, and the oven is broken so I couldn't even if I wanted to learn.

Jesus! How do you eat? You just eat kebab rolls and rice as takeout or something? Don't tell me that's all you get to eat three times a day or whatever!

Well, in 2013 I realised that if Texas and West Virginia would become West Texania if combined.

You know those two states are located nowhere near each other and this makes about as much sense as "Finland and Hungary would become Finlungary if combined," right? Just making sure!

Since they're stereotypically the states of rednecks and hillbillies, it'd be a state where everyone is at least a little inbred, loves guns, beer, goes to church every Sunday, is always shirtless, etc. and eats only hamburgers and deepfries everything.

That's kind of the stereotype for the entire American South, though.

They wouldn't want to watch anime because they'd hate everything that isn't made in America, but they'd do it ironically

These sound like highly Finnishized(?) Americans. Doing anything ironically sounds like something that would go over the heads of stereotypical Americans.

[Naava]

stereotypically we hate front rounded vowels since our own language has them

Wat
First time I've ever heard that one

I guess it's because /ø/ (and /æ/) are used in "ugly" words like öykkäri (troublemaker), älämölö (fuss, rumpus), ääliö (idiot), örinä (incoherent speech of a drunk), and örveltää (to rampage or ramp (act violently or unpredictably), usually while drunk) and so on.

No, and the oven is broken so I couldn't even if I wanted to learn. Supposedly a new oven should be free because it's the landlord's responsibility or whatever, but that's probably not true because it sounds too good to be true.

It is free. I got new fridges for free both times when the old ones broke. I mean, I got a new fridge in my old flat years ago and another fridge now in my new flat. I don't have two fridges here lol.

[vijayjohn]

I do have two fridges here.

[Vlürch]

Really, kebab rolls and rice are A Thing in Finland? Well, I've never heard of everyone eating that anywhere else, and this forum is international and mostly non-Finnish, so it still sounds pretty cool.

I mean, I don't know how many people eat kebab things but I assume most do at least sometimes unless they live in the countryside or something where the only food is whatever they grow. Everyone I know eats rice all the time, but then there are only like two people who aren't family members whose eating habits I know the first thing about... but I'd be surprised if at least in Helsinki the standard wasn't to eat rice as often as potato.

Jesus! How do you eat? You just eat kebab rolls and rice as takeout or something? Don't tell me that's all you get to eat three times a day or whatever!

Mostly just ready-made meals from grocery stores, which nowadays tend to thankfully be "handmade" and "locally made" and as such much better than in the past. Sometimes I order pizza/kebab/chicken from the nearby pizzeria/kiosk, and sometimes my mum and her boyfriend eat at restaurants and she brings something to me too (my social anxiety makes it impossible to eat anywhere except home (and my dad's place)).

Usually I only eat once a day, because if I ate more often I'd probably get morbidly obese... but anyway, there are a lot of different ready-made meals that are great. I also add olives, feta, tons of different spices, etc. in everything so it doesn't get boring to eat even the same foods a lot.

You know those two states are located nowhere near each other and this makes about as much sense as "Finland and Hungary would become Finlungary if combined," right? Just making sure!

Yeah, I know. That was kinda the point, for it to be ridiculous. Although, to be honest, at the time I didn't remember the names of the states between Texas and West Virginia; I did remember that they're far from each other, so like "if they had a border, and the state they shared a border with was like a mix of them" or whatever.

That's kind of the stereotype for the entire American South, though.

True, but the only southern states I remembered the names of at the time were Texas and West Virginia.

I'll also never get how people can seriously call West Virginia "southern" except for historical reasons... but that's kinda like Finland supposedly being in western Europe rather than eastern Europe. It's just literally not the case, so people collectively deciding that they're not geographical terms is weird when they literally are geographical terms, even if they're not used that way. I wonder how many times I've rambled about this before...

These sound like highly Finnishized(?) Americans. Doing anything ironically sounds like something that would go over the heads of stereotypical Americans.

I've come across alt-righters "justifying" watching anime as "ironic", and since southern Americans are stereotypically racist, it'd kind of make sense for the hypothetical West Texanians to watch anime ironically as a parody of alt-righters. Maybe it's a stretch because not all racists are alt-right, but well.

örinä (incoherent speech of a drunk)

Also growling like in death metal, etc.

It is free. I got new fridges for free both times when the old ones broke.

Then I'll definitely have to convince my mum that it's a good idea, haha.

I mean, I got a new fridge in my old flat years ago and another fridge now in my new flat. I don't have two fridges here lol.

[vijayjohn]

I mean, I don't know how many people eat kebab things but I assume most do at least sometimes unless they live in the countryside or something where the only food is whatever they grow. Everyone I know eats rice all the time, but then there are only like two people who aren't family members whose eating habits I know the first thing about... but I'd be surprised if at least in Helsinki the standard wasn't to eat rice as often as potato.

Interesting, I never would have guessed!

Mostly just ready-made meals from grocery stores, which nowadays tend to thankfully be "handmade" and "locally made" and as such much better than in the past. Sometimes I order pizza/kebab/chicken from the nearby pizzeria/kiosk, and sometimes my mum and her boyfriend eat at restaurants and she brings something to me too (my social anxiety makes it impossible to eat anywhere except home (and my dad's place)).

Oh OK.

Usually I only eat once a day, because if I ate more often I'd probably get morbidly obese... but anyway, there are a lot of different ready-made meals that are great. I also add olives, feta, tons of different spices, etc. in everything so it doesn't get boring to eat even the same foods a lot.

Well, for whatever it's worth, I don't eat much myself. It helps keep expenses low, I guess.

I wonder how many times I've rambled about this before...

None from what I recall

I've come across alt-righters "justifying" watching anime as "ironic", and since southern Americans are stereotypically racist, it'd kind of make sense for the hypothetical West Texanians to watch anime ironically as a parody of alt-righters. Maybe it's a stretch because not all racists are alt-right, but well.

Well, fuck the alt-right anyway.

[Vlürch]

Well, for whatever it's worth, I don't eat much myself.

Probably a stupid question, but just out of curiosity, around what time do you usually eat your "main meal" and does it have any effect on how you feel? (You don't have to answer if it's too personal or derailing the thread too much, obviously.) Because for me it's usually around 6-9 PM and I think the sooner I eat, the better I feel, but I'll also be more tired and hungry throughout the next day... so I try to eat only when I get hungry, not regularly. Some nutrition expert told me I should at least eat breakfast, but I can never arse enough in the morning...

It helps keep expenses low, I guess.

True, although I eat cookies, potato chips, candy, ice cream, etc. so much that it doesn't for me. And recently I've been gaining weight again, I'd have to lose like 10kg again to be "normal" again. Oh well...

None from what I recall

I did at least once, confirmed by searching, although it wasn't really a rant about geographical terms; I just said Finland is geographically in Eastern Europe and you said it's not. I still think it is, because geographically most European countries are to the west, including Poland, which is commonly considered the "divider" between east and west...

But anyway, uuggghhhh fuuuucck I sounded like a far-right populist parrot at times in that thread (and literally every post I posted before like yesterday, probably). No wonder people think I'm an alt-righter or whatever and will probably never believe I'm not one, because I really did regurgitate their points even without meaning to. Like, I guess I was kind of "brainwashed" somehow, through fearmongering made to accept certain views they have even though they go against everything I myself believe...

Well, fuck the alt-right anyway.

Yeah. They're probably genuinely the biggest threat to the world as a whole right now, and are only going to get more successful. Realising that they somehow managed to subconsciously convince me that they're right, when I'd be on all of their hit lists sooner or later for at least two reasons (and probably more) and all my values are pretty much the opposite of theirs, it's absolutely terrifying and understandable that so many teens are getting into that shit. They may not even realise it themselves until it's too late.

It starts with "terrorism is bad", then morphs into "most terrorists are Muslims (not even true anymore)", then "Islam is bad", then "Muslims are bad" and so on, with various different issues as well. By the end it'll be so far from reality that you'll either snap out of it or just snap.

~

Back to the topic of wanderlusts, still Kyrgyz. Is the dictionary by Krippes even accurate? I've (mostly) randomly come across a handful of words that had no results on Google at all, I don't remember any exactly but one of them had something to do with horses, another was an architectural term and one was some sex-related term. Some other words have different definitions in that and some Kyrgyz-Russian dictionary and online translators, and so far in the few cases the results on Google seemed closer to the ones in the Russian dictionary and online translators. Is it just that they're obscure/dated words and may mean different things (like being homophones, one dictionary listing one and the other another), or...?

[vijayjohn]

Probably a stupid question, but just out of curiosity, around what time do you usually eat your "main meal"

It's been varying lately, but I definitely have a light meal by 2 (usually by 12 or 1 PM) and then a bigger meal about seven hours later. So I guess the answer to your question is "between 7 and 9 (but sometimes earlier if I ate "breakfast" earlier)."

At work, I always ate my main meal from 1 to 2 PM (yes, I frequently use up the entire hour, sometimes even more than an hour. At home, it is not uncommon for me to spend three or four hours eating one meal. Yes, you read that correctly. Three or four. Not an exaggeration) and then ate my lighter meal around 9 PM (sometimes 8).

and does it have any effect on how you feel?

I get a headache if I wait too long to eat. I can stay hungry for a few hours and feel fine, but beyond that, it will surely affect me.

I did at least once, confirmed by searching, although it wasn't really a rant about geographical terms; I just said Finland is geographically in Eastern Europe and you said it's not.

Oh OK, yeah, I remember that.

will probably never believe I'm not one

This is pretty much never true.

I really did regurgitate their points even without meaning to.

It happens. There was a time I didn't really understand Indian complaints about racism in the US, and it showed, on this forum.

Back to the topic of wanderlusts, still Kyrgyz.

I'm so lazy about learning Central Asian languages other than Tajik.