When I was at WorldCon, chatting with one customer, she answered a question on how much she knows about a specific topic with "not a sausage" - meaning "exactly nothing". That was an expression I had never heard before, and there ensued a short but fun conversation about where it came from (she got it off someone else, but it seems to be rather rare) and that Germans use sausage in a different way in their (very common) idiom: Das ist mir Wurst (it's sausage to me, meaning "I don't care").

Which reminded me of a much longer conversation that we had during one dinner at the last Textile Forum, resulting in the insight that Germans have a lot of expressions that concern food. And when I say "a lot", I mean a huge lot.

So I thought it might be fun to go and collect some of them here, and maybe even get some input from people in other places, with other languages, if you have similar expressions - or not.

Here you go. Some German food idioms. The German phrase, the literal translation into English, and an explanation.

Das ist mir Wurst.	It's sausage to me.	I don't care.
Das ist nicht mein Bier.	That's not my beer.	It's not my problem.
eine beleidigte Leberwurst sein	to be an insulted liver sausage (liver paté, or sausage with liver in it)	to be easily offended, or more offended than warranted by the circumstances
seinen Senf dazugeben	to add one's mustard	state one's opinion about something (unasked and usually also not too welcome)
mit dem ist nicht gut Kirschen essen	this person is not good to eat cherries with	it's hard to get along with this person
seine Brötchen verdienen	earn one's bread rolls	make money for living/work
das macht das Kraut nicht fett	this doesn't make the cabbage greasy	it's not accounting for much in the overall picture
die dümmsten Bauern haben die dicksten Kartoffeln	the most stupid farmer has the largest potatoes	usually said when someone gets a lot of money without effort
nicht die Bohne	not a bean	not at all
Tomaten auf den Augen haben	to have tomatoes on the eyes	to be blind/not see something that should be obvious
Petersilie in den Ohren haben	to have parsley in the ears	the audio equivalent to the tomatoes - to not hear something
ein armes Würstchen sein	to be a poor sausage	poor devil/poor thing
der schaut, als hätten ihm die Hühner das Brot weggefressen	that one has a look as if the chickens ate his bread	to look helpless or perplexed
sich ein Ei legen	lay oneself an egg	to dig a hole for yourself
für'n Apfel und ein Ei	for an apple and an egg	for very little money
dumm wie Bohnenstroh	dumb as bean straw	dumb as a post
es wird nichts so heiß gegessen, wie es gekocht wird	nothing is eaten as hot as it's being cooked	it won't be as bad as it seems at first
der satten Maus schmeckt das süße Mehl bitter	the satiated mouse finds the sweet flour tastes bitter	things lose their appeal when you have had enough of them
wie Kraut und Rüben	like cabbage and turnips	completely dis-ordered
das ist nicht das Gelbe vom Ei	that's not the yolk of the egg	that's not the best situation/solution
die Rosinen aus dem Kuchen picken	to pick the raisins out of the cake	only take the best bits and leave the rest

Funny how many there are, right? And I have probably forgotten quite a few. Let me know if I did (and which ones) - and let me know if there's similar food-related idioms in your (non-German) language!

Patchy internet connection makes for late blogging... but at least I have something interesting for you: a video about testing medieval arrows and their success at breaching armour.

Enjoy!


 

Just like every year, it's time for a nice summer break. I'll be taking care of the things that always drop behind when it's business like usual, and of course I'll also be taking time off to knit, cuddle the cat, go on holidays for a bit, eat ice cream and generally relax.



As usual during my breaks, I'll try to cut down on internet usage as much as possible - so you probably won't see much of me on facebook, instagram, or anywhere else for the next few weeks.

I'll be back in action for the WorldCon in Dublin, which is August 15-August 19, and you might see things from me on instagram and facebook for this. Because of the WorldCon, this year's blog break and shop break will be a bit longer than my actual time off work - I will be back on the blog on August 26.

Until then, have a good summer - see you at the end of August!

I've done it again. A while ago, I sat down with some recording equipment and some sheets of paper and a glass of water, and I got to read a haunting story for Cast of Wonders.


That is my third narration for the Escape Artists, and the third for Cast of Wonders. Fun fact: I actually applied to narrate for EA because I love EscapePod so much, and at that point, I hadn't listened much to CoW. One day, there will be a SFF story that fits my voice. Or at least I hope so... and until then, I'll happily go on reading stories for Cast of Wonders.

This time, it's episode 362, "Hare's Breath" by Maria Haskins. I hope you enjoy the story!

 

First things first: I love the EU. I love what it makes possible, and that it slowly, slowly brings us all closer together. The Euro has made things a lot easier (though it was certainly bad for my currency conversion maths-in-my-head skills!), and I think it's the only way forward.

That said... the EU and its politicians do some really stupidly weird things. Such as moving the parliament once each month from Bruxelles to Strasbourg. For a week.

Here is a video (in German, sorry) about this insanity:

 
This is absolutely, utterly crazy. It's an insane waste of time, money, and resources that could better be spent in other ways. Such as helping people who had to "travel" without wanting it (aka refugees). Such as financing more sustainable technology for travel and energy. Or a hundred other things.

I'm really, really taken aback by this. How on earth can this still go on, while everyone in the EU parliament (hopefully) is aware of the climate change, and of the need to work on a more sustainable lifestyle for all of us? Why have the green parties in the parliament not protested this again, and again, and again, until it stops? Or, if that wasn't possible for them on their own, why isn't this made more public so more people (like me) can get really upset, and think about how to change it?

Aaaaaargh. Can we please, collectively, all have more brain power? To use for making the world better, instead of more crazy, more hateful, more fearful and more insane?

If you like British humor stuff and history, chances are high that you have found out about "Horrible Histories". If not (that is if not as in if you have not found out about them), it's both books and film material showcasing things from history - usually gory, gruesome, or other unsavoury bits. They are doing a very fine job of turning history into songs as well, and one of my favourites is the Four Georges thing, here in a live version:

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If you want more now, try to search for "Horrible Histories songs" on youtube (but don't blame me for that time sink, please).

Long story short, Horrible Histories are now going to bring out a movie, as Microsoft News tells us (including the trailer). The movie will be in cinemas in Ireland and the UK this summer.