Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: hi there

Se la memoria non mi inganna, in Gran Bretagna nei negozi si diceva 
sempre "hello/hi there" alla cassa. Qua in America non ho ancora sentito 
nessuno usare quell'espressione. In quali contesti si pu� usare?
Grazie!
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 contesti si pu� usare?
A proposito, anzi no, a sproposito, con il mangiare
all'americana adesso pesi uguale a quando eri in Italia?
-- 
The difference between the right word and the almost right word
is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.
    -- Mark Twain

 all'americana adesso pesi uguale a quando eri in Italia?
Boh, domani vado in palestra e mi peso. :-)
Ci ho messo almeno 15 giorni per abituarmi a mangiare nei dining hall. 
Il fatto che si paghi una quota all'entrata e poi puoi mangiare quello 
che vuoi, all'inizio mi fregava parecchio, pur non essendo affatto un 
mangione. Certamente in famiglia si mangia meglio che in mensa, ma 
diciamo che finora mi sono fatto una pessima idea di come mangiano gli 
americani. La pasta � puntualmente stracotta, il sugo al pomodoro ha un 
sapore un bel po' strano, la carne � spesso fritta (fried chicken 
everywhere, e in ogni forma), non c'� mai pi� di un tipo di verdura 
cotta e la frutta (mele, pere) � dura che pi� dura non si pu�. Il pane 
non esiste, al massimo c'� quello per i toast, o un grassissimo 
cheesesandwich, che a lungo andare da' la nausea. Oggi a pranzo, non 
curante del pericolo, ho voluto provare un sandwich con beef e 
formaggio, che non sembrava per nulla malvagio, se non fosse per non 
cosa avessero nel pane, che aveva un sapore nauseante. L'insalata � 
normale, peccato che � fresca solo una volta a settimana. Chiaramente 
anche condire l'insalata � un problema: qua l'olio non lo usa nessuno, e 
me lo devo portare ogni volta. $14 dollari a litro. L'insalata con ranch 
o altre salse del menga, proprio non la mangio. Volendo c'� il 
"vegetable oil", ma... beh... ci siamo capiti. In compenso, se non mi va 
bene niente, ci sono sempre svizzera e petto di pollo. E ovviamente non 
possono /mai/ mancare le patate fritte, fondamentali a pranzo e a cena. 
A proposito, quando mangio in giro mi scordo sempre che le "chips" sono 
in realt� le "crisps", e mi faccio fregare ogni volta. Non riesco a 
concepire come si possa voler mangiare le patatine in sacchetto assieme 
a un tramezzino o un'insalata.
Comunque mi sono abituato da un pezzo e in mensa cerco di mangiare 
quello che sembra pi� sano, ma almeno una volta a settimana vado in una 
specie di fast food vagamente italiano, dove pago 8 dollari per una 
pizza (piccola) con salame che non sa di niente (sotto al pomodoro!) e 
salsiccia, una caesar salad, e del garlic bread.
It's funny how the Americans I met complained about eating pasta every 
day in Italy ("too many carbs!"). Here you don't even need to go to 
McDonald's to eat shit, it's already everywhere.
Persino gli inglesi, noti per una cucina sopraffina, si lamentano del 
cibo che c'� qua, ma ho chiesto in giro e la cosa � reciproca.
:-D
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 nessuno usare quell'espressione. In quali contesti si pu� usare?
Si usa quest'espressione anche in America per salutare in modo 
informale. Provala, nessuno levar� il sopracciglio.
A proposito, spesso i piatti in mensa all'universita sono scadenti. Si 
pu� mangiare molto bene in America ma depende senz'altro al posto e alla 
regione del paese. Ti consiglio a chiedere a quelli locali a cui 
piaciono il slow food e gli ingredienti freschi. Forse puoi vendere la 
carte di menza e andare invece nei mercati di buona qualit�.

 wrote in
message news:hc5jf7$tlq$1...@aioe.org...

I never eat pasta in restaurants, except in real Italian restaurants where I
know they serve Italian or home-made pasta. I can't eat the American brands
of pasta (La Rosa, Buitoni, Ronzoni, Mueller, etc.), because they are always
soggy, as you say. Prince is the only American brand I will eat, but the
price of Barilla pasta, made in the USA and as good as the Barilla made in
Italy, is competitive, so I always buy Barilla.
"Spaghetti sauce" comes in many variations. I personally prefer my pasta
with butter and parmesan, or with oil and  a lot of garlic. In Italy I did
like pasta alla bolognese, but here the sauce is not the same, and I don't
have the time to make my own sauce.
My wife likes many different kinds of "salad dressings" such as Thousand
Islands, Ranch, etc., but I'm a wine-vinegar and olive oil man myself, with
a touch of garlic and fennel (finocchio) in the salad. I don't buy
"stravergine" oil, but instead buy "pure" olive oil, for about $3.40 for a
liter.
Even in Italian restaurants here, it is impossible to find the ordinary
"panino" which I would expect to find in Italian restaurants, but I guess
that's because Americans wouldn't eat that type of bread. Have you noticed
that Americans love to smear their bread with butter, and that they almost
always drink coffee with their meals?
Have you eaten in any "Italian" restaurants (and I don't mean Olive Garden)?
Normally they serve the salad first, and I have become accustomed to that,
but I still find it strange.
Too bad you couldn't have gotten an apartment with a few other Italians,
preferably with culinary expertise. Then you would have a full kitchen and
would be able to cook real food.
I hope the food is not so bad that it will drive you to drink.
If it does drive you to drink, you can save a lot of money by buying the
4-liter jug of Gallo Hearty Burgundy (only about $10) to drink while you eat
potato chips and watch Illinois football on TV. I guess by now you're a real
tifoso, maybe even an ultra.
Joe from Massachusetts

 tifoso, maybe even an ultra.
haha, football is sooo boring!!!
:-D
I went to the homecoming game 15 days ago... oh god, not even being 
drunk helped me not get bored to death.
I must admit it looks a lot more fun on tv, though.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 carte di menza e andare invece nei mercati di buona qualit�.
Non capisco cosa vuoi dire. Vendo il meal plan e mangio in camera? no 
no, a parte che non lo si pu� "vendere", ma anche se si mangia da cane, 
� troppa comoda la mensa dove vado: $5.80 a pasto ed � a 10 metri da qua.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio, che ha ancora 98 pasti da consumare da qui a dicembre.

 but I still find it strange.
LOL, when I was in SF I went to a 50s-style fast food and ordered 
sandwich (not sure they used the word hamburger), salad and coke. It 
took me fifteen minutes to realize that I had to eat my salad before 
they brought me the sandwich. Eerie Ammeregans! :-)

 � troppa comoda la mensa dove vado: $5.80 a pasto ed � a 10 metri da qua.
Allora, mangia comodo e non abbaire pi�. Anche perch� un libbra di 
pasta, una scatola di pomodori pelati, l'aglio e un po' dell'olio di 
oliva costano meno di $5.80 e bastano per mezza settimana. Quella cosa 
di sapore strano che gli 'medigani mettono nel sugo �... (Dio mi 
scampi!)... zucchero. Fanno a pezzi i semi e li lasciano nel sugo senza 
pensare all'amarezza perch� c'� sempre il zucchero.
A proposito, l'olio "pure" non e'cos� buono per mangiare con l'insalata. 
�  cotto e estratto con chimichi e � abbastanza blando e va bene per 
soffriggere. L'olio "extra virgin" � dalla prima pressione.

 soffriggere. L'olio "extra virgin" � dalla prima pressione.
Oh joe, che consigli mi dai? :-D
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 wrote in
message news:hc617g$bq8$1...@aioe.org...

Andalucia? What about supporting "made in Italy"?
Joe from Massachusetts

 Andalucia? What about supporting "made in Italy"?
Italian olive oil was 2 dollars more expensive. I'm not paying 16 
dollars for a bottle of Bertolli.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 wrote in
message news:hc692a$jbg$1...@aioe.org...

Un cavolo ti ho consigliato.
I merely stated what I buy. I also drink Stock 84 instead of Courvoisier
VSOP, for similar economic reasons.
Speaking of cavolo, have you tried corned beef and cabbage? I regularly cook
it, and it is also the staple of Irish pubs.
Joe from Massachusetts

 Joseph Curtin ha detto questo marted� :

There was a fairly good restaurant in the club on the NATO base in Bagnoli,
and I often ate there. Many Italians also ate there, so the waiters had to
know who wanted salad first, and who wanted it last. I always ate
"all'italiana", and the waiters would remember this, but most Americans ate
their salad first. My friends would always say "How come you're not having a
salad?", and I would have to explain this quaint Italian custom to them. It
was not unusual for half the people sitting at a table to be eating their
salad while the other half was eating their pasta.
Joe from Massachusetts
Joe from Massachusetts
Joe from Massachusetts

 Andalucia.
In casa di solito usiamo l'olio vergine perch� l'extravergine non ci piace 
molto... l'olio vergine � solitamente un po' meno corposo, quindi penso non 
farai molta fatica ad abituartici. 

Enrico il Pentolaio, 02:47, marted� 27 ottobre 2009:

Ti ho chiesto del peso (e non della cucina) perch� ho visto sul
giornale una foto di studenti americani in visita qui e molti
erano chiaramente sovrappeso.
-- 
Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the
rest.
    -- Mark Twain

 erano chiaramente sovrappeso.
Ma /in generale/ la gente qua � sovrappeso. Nel campus non tanto i 
ragazzi, quanto le ragazze. Non so cosa gli abbiano dato da mangiare 
quand'erano bambini, ma i maschi sono tutti dei bestioni da 1,90 in su. 
Se poi vado, che ne so, da Walmart, mi sento non solo basso (sono alto 
1.80), ma anche un grissino.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 alto 1.80), ma anche un grissino.
L'altezza va bene (anche se in Nord Europa sono pi� alti), � la
larghezza che impressiona.
-- 
"Mi piace Beethoven, specialmente le poesie."
                -- Ringo Starr

 1.80), ma anche un grissino.
Mmmmm, i grissini, deliziosi.
Ops! Una fuga del mio lato americano.

 Joseph Curtin ha detto questo martedì :

Mel's Drie-in?  
http://www.melsdrive-in.com/

 larghezza che impressiona.
Oh oh, ti assicuro che anche l'altezza a me impressiona. Non sono 
abituato a guardare in alto quando parlo! In quanto a larghezza, 
comunque, i neri che non sono grassi si contano sulla dita di una mano. 
Qua l'impressione � che se non vai in palestra, ingrassi automaticamente.
Un'ultima cosa: in italia le mie maglie sono large, a volte anche xl. 
Qua mi va bene *solo* la taglia small, che per altro da walmart non 
sempre si trova.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 sempre si trova.
In pratica io che sono un metro e 70 non potrei fare acquisti negli USA. 
Forse per� nelle grandi citt� � diverso (almeno mi auguro)... 

 Mel's Drive-in?  
http://www.melsdrive-in.com/
Bull's eye! (I suppose :-) )
They served 5"1/4 hamburgers.
I guess it must have been the one in Mission Street, but I'm not sure.
In my distorted memories I believe I could see Ghirardelli's just 
outside the place. But maybe that particular memory is linked to the 
Disney Store where I bought my niece a t-shirt (that's too shirt, now).
I also remember the car's fronts hanging from the ceiling (one pink, 
the other light blue, just like the french fries boxes shown on their 
webpage). And it shouldn't have been too far from market street.
I am now google-walking through the streets of San Francisco.
:ï¿œï¿œ]


Mel's Drive-in is on Lombard Street.

 Mel's Drive-in is on Lombard Street.
OK, you're right, I just checked, there's one on Mission Street, too.

On Oct 28, 12:48 pm, Tony The Ice Man

There's a bunch of them.  The one I know the best is on Geary.
Anyway, if you want to try a 50s diner in SF, go to Lori's.  They have
actual cars on the walls.  
http://www.lorisdiner.com/home.html
I think the one on Powell by the Cable Car is open 24/7
I have to warn you that the food is not that good though.

 Mel's Drie-in?  
http://www.melsdrive-in.com/
I remember a TV sitcom about a "Mel's Diner".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_(TV_series)
"Kiss my grits!"
(che vuol dire?)
-- 
"Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because
we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You
may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances." 
   -- Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina

 (che vuol dire?)
A proposito dell'italica scurrilit� di cui si parla in altro thread, da noi
la frase di Flo era tradotta "Va' a farti fottere!" :-D
-- 
Anna

 mangione.
Ah! Gli all-you-can-eat!
Ci andai tutti i giorni per la prima settimana... dopodiche', una notte 
passata sul cesso mi fece riconsiderare le abitudini alimentari... :)
Pleg

 passata sul cesso mi fece riconsiderare le abitudini alimentari... :)
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 passata sul cesso mi fece riconsiderare le abitudini alimentari... :)
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 actual cars on the walls.  
After a brief google-walk, I am not so sure it was Mel's Drive-in. 
Could have been Lori's on Powell and sutter. Hey, it was more than 
years ago. Who knows, that particular location could have closed down. 
What I remember clearly is a blonde waitress, probably in her 50s 
(after all it was a 50's style restaurant, wasn't it? :-) ) with 
surprisingly nice legs.
:-]

 it was more than years ago. 
Ten. Ten years ago. Eleven and a half, to be precise.

 wrote in message
news:o3o1nh6tjrup.zc3xhqg2uoai$.dlg@40tude.net...

Another case of the traduttore traditore. "Kiss may grits" actually means
what it says, and thus means nothing at all, and can be interpreted to mean
anything you want it to mean.  A more logical translation would be "mangia
la mia polenta", which makes no sense at all, just like the original made no
sense at all, and could be interpreted to mean whatever you wanted it to
mean.
Joe from Massachusetts

 (che vuol dire?)
It's a version of a common insult or threat that has been "cleaned up for 
public television."
The expression would be "kiss my ass" but since the TV censors would never 
allow that, and since Flo probably wouldn't utter that phrase in public 
either, she personalized it as "kiss my grits."
Grits are a popular southern dish, similar to polenta, made from coarse 
ground corn boiled in milk or water.
-- 
Joe/Joey da New York
English as she is spoken (and sometimes written) in the US

 passata sul cesso mi fece riconsiderare le abitudini alimentari... :)
Eh gi�! :-D
Caspita, scrivi da stanford!
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 wrote in message
news:Z3mGm.224$%U3....@newsfe21.iad...

Maybe a better translation would have been "bacia i miei gnocchi". It has a
certain ring to it, and we could all wonder what Flo's "gnocchi" were.
Joe from Massachusetts

 wrote in message
news:TQnGm.297994$cf6....@newsfe16.iad...

I had a friend who, although he had the utmost respect for the late
President, liked to say "non mi rompi i Gronchi". He just liked the sound of
the phrase.
Joe from Massachusetts

 interpreted to mean whatever you wanted it to mean.
What was "grits" in place of?
The a** word?
-- 

 what Flo's "gnocchi" were.
C'ï¿œ giï¿œ "la gnocca", troppo audace.
E poi in italiano "baciare" non ha mai quel senso derisorio.
-- 
There is something fascinating about science. One gets such
wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling
investment of fact.
    -- Mark Twain


It was in place of whatever you wanted it to be. Grits are grits, and
nothing more. "Kiss my grits" is not an idiomatic expression, any more than
"bacia i miei gnocchi" is.
If I say "bacia i miei gnocchi", and you know I'm not talking about the
kitchen, what would you think I meant?
Joe from Massachusetts


Neither does the English. "Kiss my grits" is not an idiomatic expression,
and doesn''t mean "Kiss my ass", it means "kiss my grits", just as "bacia i
miei gnocchi" is not an idiomatic expression, and doesn't mean "bacia il mio
culo".
But if you know I'm not talking about food when I use either of the two
phrases, you can assign any meaning you want to them. Neither is offensive.
Translating "kiss my grits" with an obscenity shows that the translator has
failed to see the humor in the ambiguity of the seemingly meaningless
phrase, a phrase which is perfectly innocuous in English. It is innocuous
because it leaves it to the listener to decide what Flo means when she uses
the phrase.
Joe

 Caspita, scrivi da stanford!
Azz, ho dimenticato di riattivare il protocollo di offuscamento... :D
Te dove stai? In zona?
Pleg

 Te dove stai? In zona?
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, non proprio dietro l'angolo.
:-)
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Sembra carino!
Com'� andato Halloween?
-- 
Anna

 Com'ï¿œ andato Halloween?
Come andrï¿œ, vorrai dire...
saluti,
un Peltio... fuso.
PS per l'OP
Oh, niente niente hai visto Stephen Wolfram da quelle parti?

 Com'� andato Halloween?
Hey, that's tonight! Last night, pre-halloween party.
:-D
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 Oh, niente niente hai visto Stephen Wolfram da quelle parti?
uuh, bedo che abita qua. Ma ï¿œ parecchio famoso?
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

Enrico il Pentolaio ha spiegato il 01-11-09 :

Perdonalo, Stephen, poichï¿œ egli non sa quello che dice...

 :-D
Per te e per Peltio fuso:
MA SI', MA SI', avevo calcolato che avresti risposto oggi! O domani...
DOPO, insomma! :D
Gi� che ci sei racconta anche il pre-!
-- 
Anna

> uuh, bedo che abita qua. Ma � parecchio famoso?
ARGH!
Se ti sente, ti revoca la licenza di fare matematica :D
Pleg

> Ma � parecchio famoso?
PS: e' solo un pirla che ha ottenuto il suo PhD in fisica (al Cal Tech) a 20 
anni e la MacArthur fellowship a 22... :) e poi ha deciso di insegnare ai 
computer a fare matematica seria :)
Pleg


I dare you to go to Starbucks and order an "Italian panini" and a "latte
grande".  :>)
Joe from Massachusetts

 wrote in message
news:0FIIm.2187$Zu5...@newsfe24.iad...

Do they have Bologna sandwiches at the dining hall? (Bologna is pronounced
"baloney").
I wonder how many people, reading your c.v., would think that you went to
the University of Baloney?
Joe from Massachusetts

 grande".  :>)
:-DDDDD
No, I usually take a small cappuccino and a pumpkin scone.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 the University of Baloney?
:-DDDDD
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

Enrico il Pentolaio wrote:
[...]
Qua si stanno ammalando *tutti*, e siamo solo all'inizio di novembre. I 
don't wanna get swined!!!
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.


I thought an internationally sophisticated place like Starbucks would have
Buond� Motta on the menu.
If you really wanted a caffe latte, would you be able to bring yourself to
order a "latte"? Wouldn't you feel like you were betraying the language?
:>)
Joe from Massachusetts


Bologna (baloney) is probably the least expensive and most common meat used
for lunch sandwiches by working people and students in the US. Every
supermarket and delicatessen will have several varieties of Bologna, and you
can buy pre-sliced packages of Bologna in any market.
So if they don't have Bologna (baloney) in Bologna (Bologna), where did we
get the name? And how did we ever get the pronunciation "baloney" from
"Bologna". Ah, the wonders of our language.
If you wanted to order half a pound of Bologna (baloney) in the market,
which pronunciation would you use? :>)
Joe from Massachusetts

 :>)
Is that what a latte is? Glad to know that! :-D
What else would you suggest I have at starbucks?
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 which pronunciation would you use? :>)
I'm always using the pronunciation that everybody would understand. Also 
when I introduce myself, unless the other person has studied italian or 
is from europe (- {uk}), I always pronounce my first name as an American 
would pronounce it.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 wrote in
message news:hd2bel$1tr$1...@aioe.org...

When you order a coffee, do you order a Tall, a Grande, or a Venti?
Since you seem to like pumpkin, I would suggest the Iced Pumpkin Spiced
Latte. :>)
I go to Starbucks for the European atmosphere which reminds me so much of
the European cafes, and to look sophisticated while I play with my notebook.
I didn't know people actually went there for the food or the coffee, and
certainly not for the prices.
Joe from Massachusetts

 What else would you suggest I have at starbucks?
A handjob?
But then, it's too early for that. You'll have to wait another 500 
years.
saluti,
Peltio
(Have you seen "Idiocracy"?)

 (Have you seen "Idiocracy"?)
Nope. Is that why I don't get your joke?
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 certainly not for the prices.
Eh. :-)
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio, who after more than 2 liters of keystone light, 
feels only slightly drunk. That's like water with a drop of alcohol.

 Speaking of cavolo, have you tried corned beef and cabbage?
Not yet!
I have a question: do people here eat french fries so often? In my 
dining hall, there are /always/ french fries at both lunch and dinner, 
as if that was an essential part of any meal.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 Nope. Is that why I don't get your joke?
Yep. Idiocracy is definitely a must see.
It explains a lot about our current situation, I fear. :-)
(The funniest thing of the whole movie is, in my opinion, the presence 
of the voice-over).



Confermo e sottoscrivo con (amarognolo) entusiasmo! Non faccio che citarlo
da quando lo vidi in una sala semideserta del Path� Lingotto (una multisala
torinese). Seduti accanto a me, tre o quattro ragazzotti sui 15 anni che
parevano venuti dritti dritti da *quel* futuro!
-- 
Anna

 wrote in
message news:hd3dtk$u94$1...@aioe.org...

Everyone eats fries at fast food joints like "Mickey D's" and Burger King.
It's hard to find a menu in a diner or small restaurant that doesn't include
fries, especially when you order a sandwich. Look around in a diner, and
you'll see everyone eating fries with their sandwiches. Fries are standard
with sandwiches, and you have to tell the server if you don't want fries
with your meal.
At home, I only occasionally make fries in my "Frydaddy" (using olive oil,
naturally).
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9219298
Joe from Massachusetts

 parevano venuti dritti dritti da *quel* futuro!
"They’re coming outta the walls! They’re coming outta the goddamn 
walls!!!"
:-)
Anzi
:-(

 (No, non quella di Gleonardo, del film!)
LOL 
E' gi� ora di rivederlo, sono rimasta a corto di electrolytes!
-- 
Anna

 memoria sia ormai... Frita :)
Ok, mistero svelato grazie alla wiki inglese :)
-- 
Anna