I'm in the middle of composing an introductory post about my beloved church here in Natal, just to get you a little more familiar with my Brasilian family, but I had something else I wanted to share with you and decided that it didn't need to wait.
I've already told you many reasons why Brasil is awesome, but I have another. Have you ever had eggs go bad in your fridge because you had to buy a carton of 12 when you just needed 1 to bake cookies? On the contrary, have you ever wanted to bake cookies but didn't because you didn't have eggs and didn't want to buy 12 when you just needed 1? (Anyone reminded of the scene in Father of the Bride when an irritated Steve Martin rips open packages of hot dog buns in the grocery store to take out just the amount he wants? Me too.)
Well, then Brasil is the place for you (and Steve Martin.) Here you can buy 1 egg. Or 3. Or 8. Or 9. Or 13. Or a flat of 30. Or several flats of 30.
I just got back from my friendly neighborhood bakery, where I bought 4 eggs. Why did I choose 4? Because they're 23 cents each, and I didn't want to spend more than R$1. Look at how much choice I have! I know that I will be able to use up my 4 eggs before they go bad, and that next time I'm needing more I can go and pick out however many I want.
Brasil is just so practical sometimes.
Update: This just in. Apparently, when learning English, all Brasilians are taught that there is a difference in the pronunciation among "to," "two," and "too." To and too are pronounced "too" but two is pronounced "choo" (as in the sound a train makes.)
WHAT?? I surveyed all the English speakers I know, who come from all different parts of the country and therefore studied in all different kinds of English schools, and they were all taught the same thing.
Two is choo.
WHAT??
Did I miss something HUGE when I learned my numbers in English, or has the entire country of Brasil been deceived? Those of you who have lived in England, is this a British thing? I found myself consulting a dictionary for pronunciation guidelines afterwards, because I seriously questioned that maybe I was the one in the wrong. English teachers and PhDs, can you help me?
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Always heard it as two, never choo. Weird. I did live in OK for a while though so maybe that is why. Ha! Cool about the eggs though. What a great idea!
My brothers pronounce "2" like "too" but they say, "chwinkies", "chwenty", etc. Miss you, little weird roommate.
Hey Cris: you're not the crazy one. this must be one of those myths started by one lone EFL teacher somewhere that gets passed along and becomes law.
i taught EFL and some Cambridge exam prep courses for 4 years and NEVER heard that. the British seem to think they have cornered the market on correct English, so i'll take their word for it. ;o] --Julie D.
Post a Comment