Over at All Recipes, I have a blog as well. I really don't use it that much. I kinda started to at the beginning of the year but I've written all of one thing there since early September. I guess since I started to write more about things like cooking and family here on Muddy Runner, there wasn't really a necessity to blog over there about things like that.
But I revived that blog, for at least one post anyway. And it has caused a little bit of a stir.
Here's the link to that post.
As much as I was tempted to do it over there, I'll explain here why I chose to blog about that and some of the fallout from that post.
Now, it's not exactly a hot-button topic. I wrote about cumin. Yeah, the spice. I like the spice although it doesn't smell that great (I believe Raoulysgirl described it as armpit stench once, and that's not stretching it in the least). Well, the post wasn't about the spice itself per se but rather the pronunciation of it.
It sorta bugs me when I hear it pronounced koo-min, as in it rhymes with Newman. It's just like a pet peeve I guess. It doesn't exactly boil my blood when I hear it pronounced koo-min, just bugs me. I pronounce it kyoo-min. I felt like I needed to express my reasons why I pronounce it kyoo-min instead of koo-min, convince others that I at least have a basis of why I feel this way and maybe try and make people laugh or at least think. So I blogged about it. It was meant to have a lighthearted tone, not really meant to have any malice. I wasn't exactly advocating anything really, just a pet peeve and a reason why I feel that way.
But some people were quick to try and tell me why I was wrong or to question my reasoning. None of the negative comments really bothered me - I've heard much, much worse said about me, believe me. It's just funny what will draw the ire and venom from some people, as if questioning a random blogger's intelligence will make them feel better or something.
Most of the comments, though, were positive so not everyone was riled up about it I suppose. My favorite comment was probably by the user AZ, who was quite intelligent in her response about the background of cumin.
I mean, it's just kyoo-min, for eff's sake.
9 comments:
Oh no...going to have to check it out. I'm not on AR much anymore. Ever since self appointed exchange police decided to jump to conclusions about certain posters and motives behind posts. Childish!
BTW, I pronounce it kyoo-min too!
On a side note...please see if you can post under comments on my blog with your cell phone. I changed the comment from embedded below post to pop up window. I'd like to know if that was the issue. If not, then I'll be changing it back.
Some people need to get a life!
I think you just reminded me why I don't visit AR very often anymore! A few weeks ago I started popping in again on a limited basis, but I posted a recipe question and got a very strange response from someone. Drives me nuts, wastes my time.
Back to cumin, my pronunciation rhymes with human. I do hear the variation you referred to pretty often, though.
: )
I just went to your AR blog and read through ALL THOSE comments!! my goodness! thanks for the giggle, I needed one tonight!
and at our house, where I happen to use a lot of kyoo-min, that is how we pronounce it too!
I have to ask though, because of this topic you brought up with tv food show hosts...
how do you say jalapeno?
I lived in AZ for many, many years, so I pronounce it (I'm awful spelling sounds but here goes..) halla-pay-nyo... it just sounds right to me... and it makes me bonkers when someone like Alton Brown says halla-pee-nyo... although it is better than some of my Pittsburgh brethren who I have actually heard call them jah-lap-ah-noes... yep really! : )
Ah yes, the jalapeño pepper... it's also butchered often. I pronounce it like you do, and I sometimes cringe when I hear it pronounced hala-pee-nyo. With the -pay-nyo in there, it sounds more in line with how it's pronounced in Spanish.
I like holla-pay-nyos better than holla-pee-nyos :)
LB's list of life goals:
* creat a hullabaloo over a spice. Check. :) Nice post.
OK, you are going to have to let me hear how you pronounce it, I am pretty sure I say it wrong.
LOL! At first, it makes me angry...then it makes me giggle.
Cumin...I don't pronounce it. I still call it "armpit spice," "stinky spice," and "my stink stash." However, Raouly calls it (lets see if I can do this phonetically) koo-mee-no...or something similar. It's funny because he doesn't really have an accent (having been born and raised in KC MO), but on some words, he DOES...and it's cute!
I think you may have just inspired my blog tonight...thank you.
Great post! I pronounce it "kyoo-min" but my opinion is no guarantee, since I am not a native speaker! lol
But AZ is right. Cumin is not of Spanish origin, but of Greek and Arabian. And in Greece we call it "kee-mee-no".
I cannot believe how much certain people overreact with trivial things, btw. I did not expect this whole mess at AR.
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