Here's one that maybe only my brothers and sister will appreciate. You know what Chapstick is, right? Probably the most famous lip balm out there. Ever since I can remember, Dad called it "Lip Eye." Me and my siblings always wondered why the heck he called it that. Was he saying "lip balm"? Hunting down the answer to that mystery wasn't high on our priority lists.
So a few weeks ago in Hong Kong, I see this:
Mystery solved! Dad was saying "Lip Ice" all those years. I guess that's the first lip balm product that he knew of back in the Philippines. Notice the look of satisfaction on my face after solving that one.
It reminds me of the other little language nuance that befuddled me for years. As a child, Mom would call home from her job and ask us to "tow da meat." So we would go to the freezer and tow out, like a tow truck, the ground beef or chicken or whatever meat Mom would cook for dinner that evening. It wasn't until many years later that I found out that Mom was saying "thaw the meat." Who knew?
For the record, no, I'm not making fun of my parents' language skills. Even with their thick accents, their English is exponentially better than my Pampangan. Ah, the joys of living through cultural differences with your own parents. Until next time -- C2
2 comments:
Alan - I felt exactly the same way when I saw that pack of Lip Ice lip balm in a convenience store in Hong Kong of all places. We were stupid tired from a long day at Disney. And then there it was right before my eyes. Seeing that lip balm must've been the biggest epiphany of my life. This was bigger than who shot JFK or the mystery of life. And the other part was this. Lip Ice is a dang good lip balm! I put that stuff on my lips and they were healing stat! Good stuff. -- Chris
Chris! I can't believe after all these years you have solved the infamous "lip-eye" label Dad always gave chapstick. You are the Indiana Jones uncoverer of Cruz mysteries! You traveled the vast expanses of our planet to reach the truth of this Cruz dilema. I knew about the "thaw" the meat but the lip-eye was especially excruciating for me because I've tried every fit possible to solve Dad's insistence on calling it lip-eye. I will sleep great tonite and can't wait to share the news with the fam because I got everyone here calling it lip-eye and the kids constantly ask what is that??!! Today, I will have a response worthy of celebration for them. Man, o man,,,,this was a Godsend! Tanks!!
-alan
I fell outta my chair when I saw the picture! laughin'
Are U one of my BRs from VMI '91?
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