How is My Driving?

from Elliott
Forgive me for laughing! Sure they drive well above the limit, stop in the middle of the driving lanes without warning, turn from no turn lanes not to mention driving intoxicated or high.

But to think that

I would question their 'King of the Road' status and beyond reproach attitude and run the risk of physical danger or threat is crazy. I don't think the taxi association that is promoting the feedback loop is doing so for the purpose of personal improvement! I wonder if they offer a 'witness protection program' type anonymity for those that provide feedback?

Recently, there was a major taxi strike in a large city near us. Among their demands were the intriguing thought that it was unfair to give out tickets during morning rush hour because they were busy! The best though was the criticism that traffic fines should be more affordable. On both counts they obviously don't think that the objective of the traffic fines was their behavior modification.

If they do not want to change their behavior then perhaps the request for feedback on the sticker is just a bit disingenuous!   

Some Things Just Don't Surprise Me Anymore

from Katherine
The other day Cason and I were driving and came to a robot (traffic light). Cason laughed because both the red (stop) and green (go) lights were shining at the same time. I shrugged my shoulders, checked for oncoming traffic and carried on.

I wonder if you live somewhere long enough things that should strike you as odd just don’t seem to faze you anymore.

I arrived at one of my schools this morning and the lady that runs it was not there. Instead, her adult daughter was filling in. The daughter had her pajama's and a robe on. I might like to do this on some days.

It was chilly last night so the goats were trying to warm up. They chose the black pavement on the busy main road that runs through our ministry area. They must have been more concerned about the temperature than their safety. Goats are clever about how to warm up but I wondered where their owner was.

A bit further down the road  I got stopped by a police man. They stand in the middle of the road,  wave you down and hope you stop,  I wonder what would happen if I did not stop - would he chase me on foot? He asked for my licence, checked my registration on the windscreen (windshield) and then asked where I was going. Do you think he needed a lift. 

A couple of years ago, we happened on an accident at night and a policemen motioned for us to slow down and asked us if we would take a woman that had been in the accident to the next town where she lived. It seemed like a strange request but not strange enough to ask any questions. Fortunately, he told us where because she did not seem to speak our language.

I have decided that it is best to like the funny (odd) things that make a place unique. It may be a bit odd but we call it home.

Is That 'Take Away' or Eat In?

from Elliott

When there are 11 official languages in your country I suspect that the job of a sign maker/ designer might be very difficult. How do you communicate in a way that most people would understand. Words matter but so do the order they are in and how they relate to one another.

We were visiting a game park with some American visitors when we saw this one. I could imagine the connection between the 'picnic area' and the 'takeaway' but not the  'toilet' and the 'takeaway'! It is best that you focus on making a leaving something at the toilet and not taking anything away.  

What is the Best End?

from Elliott
My son-in-laws like most South Africans like Biltong so I have had to learn a bit about this cultural phenomenon. I know it comes from many different kinds of meat - kudu, ostrich, bok, beef, etc and I know there are many different cuts of each animal.

I was not sure though what the 'best end' might mean. Knowing how sensitive people are about their biltong I did not ask the store owner for an explanation for fear I might offend.

Which is the best end of the kudu?

There is a Mystery in the Meat

from Elliott
We read a lot of labels in the market. In some cases, it is simply for education or to choose the best value and other times so we do not make a mistake. There has been a lot of conversation in the media about new government rules regarding the amount of water they put in chicken. Since much of it is sold by weight the amount of water makes a big difference in how much chicken is left in the pan once it is cooked. It can range from 6 - 25% so it is one more variable to consider when looking for the best value or just buying the proper amount for the recipe.

This one though is more concerning. 

Yes, there is a lot of water in this mince but I am more concerned that there is 10% of an unknown ingredient since the beef and water only add up to 90%. What is the rest? Certainly, the spices and preservatives don't add up to 10%

In an unfamiliar culture, that unknown could make a real difference in what you are consuming!

Concrete or Contrite?

from Elliott

Driving along the tarred road is always interesting. You never know what you may see. Sometimes it is interesting scenery, oftentimes goats or cows, always there are interesting people. Many things are self explanatory while others require a bit more thought.

On a recent drive we saw a large truck carrying concrete blocks and mortar mix - just what you need to make a block wall. That all made sense but the company name was a bit puzzling. "Conrite Walls" 

Sometimes the confusion is just a misspelling but with this one I was not sure if they meant 'Concrete' or 'Contrite'. Concrete would make sense for they were carrying block and mortar. 

But could it be Contrite? Maybe something was getting lost in translation. 

Contrite is an adjective which makes sense but it means caused by or showing sincere remorse or filled with a sense of guilt. And it gets more confusing. Contrite is from the Latin contritus meaning 'worn out, ground to pieces"   

How much would you pay for a wall that was 'worn out, ground to pieces and do you want a wall that is filled with a sense of guilt? Guilt over what - keeping people out?

Still puzzled!

A 'Patato'?

from Elliott
We have a wide variety of fruits and vegetables here. While many of them are things we are familiar with some are new to us. There have been times when we ask about something we are used to in the US only to have them look funny at us! Once we asked for pecans and after being told they did not know what we were talking about at a few stores we did find one person that said no but then showed us something called 'pecan nuts' and asked is this would work instead. It was indeed what we were looking for (imported from the US) but pronounced 'pee ka nuts' . They still did not have Karo syrup so no pie for us!

Sweet Potato is another one. They have something they call that but they are white on the inside and not very sweet. Sometimes though at a specialty shop they have what we understand to be sweet potatoes. And they are so strange to the local folks they have to label them with a sticker that says, ' Orange flesh sweet patato'.

They get confused with spelling of potato also but I don't think 'patato' is one of our versions. Sometimes we find two different spellings on a package for the same thing but that is because of the 11 official languages in South Africa but I do not think that 'patato' is a proper spelling in any of those languages.