To kick off* English week, I will do my readers a favour. Often, when I speak to people about ordinary things, I discover huge gaps in my vocabulary. This is of course a concequence of the fact that I mainly read textbooks on physics, or fantasy litterature of a dubious nature, and leaves me perfectly able to converse about theoretical physics or the smoothening of shawls, whilst sadly unable to do a simple thing like translating a menu for a visiting American professor. Hence todays topic.

I find food and kitchen utensils to be particularly difficult. Presumably, I should start reading recipes in their original language, but then I would have to start reading recipes, and that is not very likely to happen. If Robert Jordan was still alive, I could perhaps have convinced him to give up his recent obsession with bootblack, and focus on cooking instead, but as that is no longer an option, I suppose I will have to look up some words myself. I have in fact already done just that, and compiled a small list of food and cooking terms, which you may or may not know already.

cod - torsk
halibut - kveite
lye - lut
leg of lamb - lammelår
cloudberry - multe
jerusalem artichoke - jordskokk
rice pudding - riskrem
casserole - ildfast form
cutting board - brødfjøl
grater - rasp
pastry brush - bakepensel
rolling pin - kjevle
whisk - visp

Disclaimer:
I am aware that rice pudding can be lots of things, and that is certainly not identically equal to the Norwegian «riskrem». However, according to wikipedia, «riskrem» is a variety of rice pudding. In the context of translating a menu for a foreigner, I recommend calling it a Scandinavian variety of rice pudding.

Any feedback will be appreciated, especially additional unknown words. Also, if anyone knew all these words already, please let me know which books you are reading. And most important of all, and this goes for the entire English week, please let me know if I use American spelling.

*Even though this is a «kick off», there will be no pizza, loud music or lots of people in ugly modern clothes, which seems to be the main theme whenever they arrange a «kick off» for yet another stupid programme to create an even tighter link between the students and the large companies. I apologise if I gave anyone false hopes.

-Tor Nordam