Just a quick post as a result of an interesting conversation we had at the dinner table this evening. In the past 30 years or so, several countries and cities have changed their names, often pulling back from well known names coined during colonial times back to more traditional or language based names. But as a result, several phrases seem to have turned silly, or seem less appealing. I mean, how many people look at each other at a Chinese restaurant and say “okay, we will have the Beijing Duck three ways.” Or “I’ll have Sri Lankan tea, thanks.” Or “nakabili ka ba ng sibuyas Mumbai (were you able to purchase Mumbai onions?). Or “is that a beautiful Myanmarese ruby, or what?!” Or “did you SEE those preppy golfers a flight ahead of us wearing those outrageous Chennai plaid shorts?” And finally, “aren’t those Zimbabwean Ridgeback puppies cute?” Heehee. :) Can you think of any others? See, geography discussions during dessert and tea need not be droll and boring… The Kid had practically NO IDEA what we were talking about ,and perhaps so do some of you (Beijing=Peking, Sri Lanka=Ceylon, Mumbai=Bombay, Myanmar=Burma, Chennai=Madras and Zimbabwe=Rhodesia).
20 Responses
You left out Thai (Siamese) cat, Iranian (Persian) rug, Ethiopian (Abyssinian) cat (or pig), Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmanian) devil, Joseon (Korean) bug, the musical Miss Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), the New Amsterdam (New York) Yankees, the food outlet Edo Edo (Tokyo Tokyo)…
Toping, HAHAHA, Marketman and family giggle with delight, we knew there were a lot more…
Plutonium may not be around much longer either ;-)
I thought Myanmar is not recognized by the UN, Should i call the Burmese Tiger position, Myanmar Tiger now? ;-)
General Santos City – GenSan (Dadiangas).
How about Manila paper, Shanghai lumpia, Hong Kong noodles, Java coffee, Peruvian Steak, Hungarian Sausage, singaporean Sling (a cocktail drink), Chilean Sea Bass,Pacific Blue Marlin, Alaskan King Crab, Bangkok Santol, and lastly Java Rice :) Whew!!!
Some years ago, I had a pet Beijingese (Pekingese) :)
My addition to things and goods that were attached to their colonial place of origin, with the corresponding modern day equivalent of the place in parenthesis:Persian rug(Iran),Formosa tea(taiwan), French-Indochina silk(vietnam), Dutch East Indies coffee(Indonesia),Siam rice(thailand),Pancit Canton(Guangzhou),Miss Saigon(Ho Chi Minh),
how about madras curry, kashmir tea, manila clams, maui steaks, brussel sprouts, bengal tiger, turkish delights, moroccan tagine, belgian chocolates, cornish hens, etc, etc, etc (from the king of siam):)
Heehee, amazing how many items are linked to cities or nations… but the original intent of the post are those cities whose names have since changed…
How about Praetorian Guard = Tshwane Guard? Bad example, I know. Rhodesian ridgebacks are the cutest – and they certainly won’t seem as cute if they become Zimbabwean ridgebacks!
The historic 1986 Highway 54 Revolution.
Lee, that one nails the coffin. ;-o It was right under our noses. Shame on the rest of us for overlooking that one, hehe…
Here’s one more: Pancit Guangdong (Canton).
Im glad that you can still find Pansit Malabon in Malabon and Pansit Molo in well, Molo. And hey dont you just love anything that’s lutong Macao?
finally thought of something! although not food (hopefully) –> french sheperd (if you’re in alsace, france, which was part of germany for some years) and german kiss (also when doing it in alsace, hehehehe).
The Mumbai sibuyas reminded me of a news item I read about a gang of Indians kidnapping their own kind for ransom here in Manila. The Police dubbed them the “Sibuyas Gang”!
Are Greek onions Sibuyas Pompeii?
great post…i cant imagine calling my boss dogs zimbabwean ridgebacks
ahehehe…. ‘taught’ pala. i really hate it when i can’t edit posts, aaaargh.üüü
dropped by wiki to get some redeeming entries here:
‘Yamataikoku’ sake – 3rd century japan
‘Low Countries’ waffle – middle age belgium
‘Burdigala’ wine – 300BC bordeaux
‘Aotearoa’ mussels – new zealand in maori
‘New Holland’ pies – 17th century australia
‘Divio’ mustard – 11th century dijon
‘Mediolanum’ spaghetti – 600BC milan
‘Owyhee’ poi – 17th century hawaii
whew….