This is my second time (nope, now it's my third) sending this message. It
was bounced back as undeliverable the first time. That's been happening in
the last few days for 1 in 3 of my messages to poetryetc. Obviously a
problem at central.
Anyway, Wystan, I forgot to say that Brit is indeed an Americanism, altho
in my family we referred to our English relatives, who were Lithuanian Jews
of the 1 and 1/2 generations of my grandfather's family that lived in
Manchester, as the Englishes.
When I was a kid not long after Israeli independence, which you may
remember involved some unpleasantness with the Empire, I spent a summer at
a vaguely Jewish camp. We had Friday night services in English--I had never
heard the prayers in translation before. There was a verse that went "a
brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand it." I have no
memory of the source or context, but I do remember thinking at the time
that it was a bit much to bring cuurrent resentments into the prayers.
Grits are a grain meal, made I think from corn. Used as a starch at dinners
or as a breakfast cereal. Origin the US south, of which they are
emblematic, tho now common in much of the midwest. Generally grits are
viewed as a repository for other flavors, from bacon grease to honey.
I don't like grits. Numerous southerners over the years have told me that
that's because I've never had good grits, which they proceeded to
force-feed me. I can only assume that good grits are like the peaceable
kingdom, a subject at once for nostalgia and aspiration.
I would never slice a Kiwi, except maybe verbally.
At 12:57 PM 6/7/2002 +1200, you wrote:
Is that an Americanism Mark? Brits, I mean. I like it. Sounds like
a breakfast food. Cereal, Brits in milk with sliced kiwis. Or from the
grill: bacon 'n brits. Grits: in Laurie Anderson somewhere: a brit driving
around The South: what are grits, anyway? (the 'anyway' there
perhaps an Andersonism). She said: Grits are fifty. He said: But what are
they? She said: They're extra. He said: Yes, I'll have the grits, please.
Wystan
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Weiss [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, 7 June 2002 9:32 a.m.
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: NZ
The brits must have sent the more violent criminals our way.
Mark
At 07:33 AM 6/7/2002 +1000, you wrote:
>"M. F. McAuliffe" wrote:
>
> >
> > Why wd a convict/prisoner population feel this compulsion,
> > d' y' think?
>
>
> From memory, the UK stopped shipping convicts here in the
>1850's - I think they'd all be dead by now ;-)
>And they started shipping them here just after they lost the
>american colony where they were sending them before. If
>we're a convict population, so are the yanks....
>
>Singing
>
>"I'm a bloke, I'm a yobbo
>and my best mate's name is Robbo."
>
>(anyone know the rest of the lyrics?)
>
>Josephine-o
>(rattling these 'ol convict chains at ya)
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