Topics

Feb

Memorable Moments: Love is in the Air

by Your friends at OIC on February 11, 2020

Valentine’s Day puts love in the collective spotlight once a year, but as these heartfelt posts from the past remind us, love and its steady stream of “Oh, I see!” moments are a constant. Read more...

Your friends at OIC Comments

Cultural Symbols/Language & Culture/Proverbs & Sayings

Nov

Do You Know Your Onions?

by Joyce McGreevy on November 26, 2019

Allium flowers reflect the surprising beauty of a staple of every world cuisine, onions. (Image by Sheila Brown, CCO Public Domain)

Take time to smell the . . . onions?
Sheila Brown CCO Public Domain

Crossing Cultures: Peeling the Layers of a Truly Global Food

Quick—what food is a staple of every global cuisine?

Wheat? Nope. Rice? Guess again. Uh, potatoes? B-z-z-z! Game over!

It’s the onion.

Piles of fresh onions, a food known for crossing cultures, showcase the appeal of this staple of global cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Americans eat 22 lbs. of onions per person per year, placing 5th after Libya (66 lbs).
© Joyce McGreevy

It’s grown in over 175 countries—twice as many as wheat, according to United Nations estimates. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization lists China as the world’s largest producer of onions, followed by India, the United States, Turkey, and Pakistan. Read more...

Joyce McGreevy 6 Comments

Crossing Cultures/Proverbs & Sayings/The World's Chefs/Worldwide Sites

Sep

French Idioms Pay Tribute to the Animal Kingdom

by Meredith Mullins on September 23, 2019

Becoming Bilingual: Don’t Give Your Tongue to a Cat

In the picturesque and poetic world of French idioms, the animal kingdom is well represented. Noah—and his ark—would be proud. Animals are key players in the proverbs and sayings of French culture.

Cats, lambs, sheep, ducks, dogs, elephants, wolves, chickens, cows, cockroaches, spiders, fish, rabbits, horses, rats, and giraffes all make an appearance.

Idioms can come from various parts of a culture—food, history, social traditions, sports, values—but many languages use animals as a basis for their idioms. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 8 Comments

Becoming Bilingual/France/Language & Culture/Proverbs & Sayings

World Views: