Meaning of Names Of People You Meet On Your Travels

 Many names reveal the country of origin of the person you meet.

Spanish

Alba means dawn in Spanish, Italian and Catalan.

Paz, a first name for a man, means peace in Spanish and Portuguese. It also means fine gold in Hebrew. 

Leo or Leon in many languages means Lion.

UK

Many names indicate occupations, locations or surroundings of the ancestor or their employer. Baker, Cooper (maker of barrels for wine). Smith. Taylor. Silver (works in silver) or Gold (jeweller). Diamond (jeweller). Carter (drives a cart or makes carts). Clerk (keeps records or works in an office). Farmer. King, Prince. Bishop. Singer. (Sings as an entertainer or in a church or synagogue.) Gardiner (gardener?) Shepherd. Shipman. (Builds ships or works in shipping?)Wine (maker or merchant). Forest. Wood. River/Rivers. 

Pitman, as in Pitman's shorthand, originally meant a miner or somebody who worked in a pit or lived near a pit.

Marks & Spencer

A Spencer, as in Marks & Spencer, was a dispenser (from the French word). Appropriately Mr Spencer, one of the two co-founders of Marks & Spencer, was a cashier, collecting and dispensing money. He went on to do a similar role in Marks & Spencer.

The most common UK surname is Smith. 

Germany

In German this is Schmidt.

The English surname Tailor becomes Schneider in German.

I find it easier to remember names if I know the meaning.  While discussing, you repeat the name which is another aide memoir. Also, discussing the meaning of somebody's name creates an opportunity to enthuse about their culture.

If I have a meeting, I check online the meaning of people's names. That sometimes has added unexpected aid to your meetings. For example, you may find out that a festival is taking place, so they cannot meet you, or they might invite you to a celebration.

Indian Patels

Patel is one of the commonest names. It mostly means farmer or land owner, It can also mean merchant, or tenant. 

I was on an Air India plane and met a Mr Patel when we had a long delay boarding and got chatting. When we left the plane, we met up again collecting luggage. I said, 'Hello, again, Mr Patel.' He was immensely impressed by the fact that I remembered his name.  

Useful Websites

Please share links to your favourite blog posts, such as this one.

I ordered a small silver neck chain - would it be good for travelling?

Photo.Selfie by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
 

The Good News

Great price. Under 2 pounds including postage.

Good News - Surprise

What is this arriving in the post?  It arrived in a tiny envelope - which goes through the mailbox. 

Bad News For Travelling

The thin chain doesn't look strong.  I am scared of breaking it.  I would not sleep in it.  Nor hang a heavy pendant.

Bad News For Travelling

 Note to self. Next time I would like a shorter, thicker chain. 

Good News

 But it suits a small charm from a charm bracelet. 

It fills in a blouse neck. 

Good News For Travelling

If I break it, or lose it, or it is stolen,   the value was not great. It is easy to replace.

Useful Website

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/jila88?

Some handy Spanish Words In Argentina and South America, Mexico and Spain , for banks, silver and plates

The name Argentina sounds Spanish but actually comes from the Italian for silver or silver coloured. The Italian masculine is argentino. But Spanish is the language of Argentina. Let's go!

Even if you have never been to Argentina, you may recall the emotive song, Don't cry for me, Argentina, about the Argentinian heroine, Eva Peron. Spanish isn't only useful in Argentina. Spanish a handy language if you are ever going to Spain in Europe, and to popular Spanish islands such as Mallorca or Tenerife. 

You also find Spanish handy in Mexico and all over South America and central America. The exception is Brazil where they speak Portuguese, but understand Spanish, and when I was on holiday in the Portuguese speaking island of Madeira I could recognize and understand a huge number of street signs, shop names, and leaflets.

Spanish is a very handy language to know. It is one of the easiest languages to pick up if English is your first or second language. Large numbers of English words are derived from Latin, or romance languages. The same roots lead to the Spanish words. Add an a or an o and you have many Spanish equivalents. For example. Bank is the English.

For example, add an o to the English word bank, and you get the Spanish word Banco. That is easy to recognize in a street, on a website, or when speaking. But what if you say banca? That means banking.

What about plato and plata? Plato is a plate. 

But Plata is silver.

Un plato. Imagine asking for a plate in a shop. 

The assistant replies, 'Oh, a plate'. 'Un plato.'

However, imagine that you are looking for something more expensive, silver. 

'Ah!' she replies. Silver! 'Plata!'

Accents

The accents are not a hindrance but a help. They tell you which syllable should be pronounced more heavily. 

The squiggly line above the n tell you to pronounce it like ny. You probably already know the word 'mananya' meaning tomorrow. it sounds like 'man - yarn - a'.

English - Spanish

bank - Banco

banking - banca

beautiful - hermosa

capital - capital

capital city - ciudad capital (note that the adjective is after the noun in Spanish)

city - ciudad

a plate - un plato

plates - platos

silver - plata

silver jewellery - joyeria de plata

silver mine - mina de plata

silver plated - platado

a silver plate - un plato de plata

tennis - tenis

white - blanco (feminine blanca) (like blank)

Spanish - English

Banco - bank

banca - banking

blanca - white

capital - capital

ciudad - city

ciudad capital - capital city

hermosa - beautiful

joyeria de plata - silver jewellery

mina de plata - silver mine

plata - silver

platado - silver-plated

platos - plates

un plato - a plate

un plato de plato - a silver plate

tenis - tennis

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

translate.google.com

Black salt? Novelty National Dishes, Souvenirs, Ingredients & Recipes To Try and Buy From Around the world

Black salt known as Himalayan black salt or kama malak, from north India and Pakistan.

By country and region

ASIA

Hotpot

Porridge served savoury for breakfast with leftover shellfish and meat

AUSTRIA

Black forest cake

Mozart chocolates

Salzburger Knockerl (dessert like floating islands)

Sachertorte

BELGIUM

Beer

Chocolates

CANADA

Maple Syrup

CHINA (also Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore and Chinatowns)

Chinese carpets with raised cut patterns (four classic patterns: flowers, dragons, human crowds and pagodas), hard to find but I bought from a factory in Shanghai which advertised factory tours. Used to be available from department stores in the UK. 

Moon cakes (Autumn harvest moon festival). Sugary, solid tubs cut up amongst family or friends, sometimes with egg inside, sold singly and in boxes as gifts

Tea eggs (eggs soaked in tea, sold in streets as snacks from breakfast until midnight)

Snake steak (looks like sliced salmon with central bone. I tried it in Shanghai.)

FINLAND

Venison is cheaper than steak in restaurants.

FRANCE

baguette

Champagne

Crepes (thin pancakes in the north of France)

croissant

Wine in supermarkets at cheap prices

Mushrooms - numerous varieties. Chemists (Americans say pharmacies) have charts and books identifying edible and poisonous mushrooms for French citizens who go foraging

Net curtains with city, people, and countryside and wildlife scenes

Pair for a doorway or arch

Pair of nets for a doorway or arch.

Shutters which open into the house, not out (no good for UK windows which open outwards)

GREECE

Ouzo

Retsina

Greek pastries: baklava (flat flaky pastry with honey and pistachio), ketaifa like spring rolls from shredded wheat in honey

INDIA/Singapore restaurants/Amazon

Himalayan Black salt

From Pakistan and other places. An ingredient of an Indian drink, which is sold in India from street stalls in Delhi and Mumbai (formerly called Bombay).

 https://www.amazon.sg/s?k=black+salt

INDONESIA

Batik clothes for men, women, children and household fabrics such as bedspreads and tablecloths

ISRAEL/KOSHER/JEWISH (and Israeli shops in London, England; the USA, and Prague, Warsaw, and places with Jewish quarters or Jewish museum shops)

Bagels (24 hour shop in the East End of London)

Flamingo pomelo (red citrus fruit)

Halva (wrapped confectionery sold in Tesco and delicatessens)

Israeli salad

Kosher food (no pork - restaurants milk only (no meat) and meat only (no milk) restaurants

Jewellery and metal household items decorated with six point stars, protective hands, and two figures holding bunches of grapes on a pole across their shoulders

Mezuzas (gatepost protective prayer holders)  

ITALY

Asti wine

Coffee - espresso coffee and cappucino

Gelato (ice cream)

Opera and music souvenirs

Parma ham

Pasta in many varieties and colours, flat or round, fine strings or fat strings, and envelopes

Pizza

Prosecco

Ravioli

Spagetti

Spagetti Bolognese from Bologna is the best known. My favourite is spagetti Carbonara, fattening made with cream. And bacon or ham for flavouring as well as protein. If Jewish or Moslem use a smoked chicken, non pork 'ham' or other flavourful meat.

Truffles

Silver jewellery

JAPAN

Dolls with nodding heads

Giant fruit - Fuji apples

Green tea

Kimonos and Yukatas

Kobe beef

Plum wine

Sake (rice wine)

Sushi and Sashimi

Shiitake mushrooms

Tea sets with a jug and five bowls and sometimes a try for tea ceremonies and serving tea to visitors.

KOREA

Kimchee (pickles)

MALAYSIA

Caftan style cover up outfits for ladies in bright colours.

Meat or non pork imitation ham at breakfast buffets in hotels.

MEXICO

Silver jewellery

MOROCCO

Carpets

Pouffes (leather cubed seats or circular like large muffins, buy them stuffed or outside only packed flat)

NETHERLANDS

Cheese - Edam and Gouda

Dutch clogs

Dutch Hats

Dutch tiles and blue Delft wares

NEW ZEALAND

Paua shell on key rings, jewellery and ornaments

PAKISTAN

Black salt

PORTUGAL

Corks and cork products

Madeira wine (from the island of Madeira in the Atlantic)

Mateus Rose

RUSSIA

Nesting dolls

SPAIN

Sangri (red wine carafe with non alcohol added)

Chocolate chestnuts

Jamon Iberico (black pig meat, carved off the bone on a vertical spit after cooking)

Yemas (eggs) de Catalenya (egg based creamy dessert)

Chestnut chocolate (from north west Spain)

SINGAPORE

Banana leaf plates for rice and curry and vegetables

Chicken rice

Fish head curry

Lo Hei for Chinese New Year, multi-coloured with pink salmon and green and orange and red vegables, food tossed high with chopsticks in the centre of a round table for good luck

Snake in wine. (I used to see this in giant carafes in Chinatown. At one point I think it was banned, either for health reasons or because it upset tourists.

SWITZERLAND

Fondue (usually cheese) but also meat or fruit

Raclette

Emmental, medium hard yellow Swiss cheese. 

Swiss cheese with holes. 

TUNISIA

Cut out clay puzzle jugs

UK

Apple cider is sold in supermarkets. 

Baked beans on toast

British breakfast (bacon and eggs, sausage, baked beans)

Charity shops such as Oxfam also produce goods such as diaries.

Cheese: Cheddar Cheese. Stilton cheese.

Chestnuts cooked over a BBQ sold in street from November to December

Chocolates - Cadbury's, Green & Black, York, Kendal Mint Cake, Easter Eggs

Chinese restaurants serve chop suey, lemon chicken, chicken and cashew nuts and dim sum.

Christmas crackers (cannot be taken home on planes because the snap is an explosive but you can buy cracker kits and carry just the parts and add your own small gifts)

Christmas cake (note the use by date)

Crumpets

Cucumber (with seeds)

Fish and chips (the fish being plaice, cod, or sometimes haddock).

Ginger root in syrup

Indian restaurants include dishes such as tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, Jalfrezi and balti. Vegetarian restaurants are found in London.

Latkes from B & K 

MARMALADE

Thick cut marmalade. (From Supermarkets).

Marks and Spencers worldwide.

Punch, served hot in the cold winter in pubs, with sachets in supermarkets

Porridge oats served sweet, in many varieties in supermarkets

Salt beef from B & K

Scones with jam and clotted cream (Devonshire cream tea)

Stilton cheese

Victoria Sponge cake

Yorkshire pudding

Xmas - biscuit tins, European foods such as stollen bites from german supermarket Lidl.

TOOTHPICKS

Triangular soft wooden toothpicks (brand Wisdom) from chemist shops (pharmacies and drug stores).

Scotland - see S eg Scottish Whisky

Wales - see W eg Welsh cakes

UKRAINE

Decorated Easter Eggs.

USA

Biscuits numerous varieties.

Bourbon (Kentucky)

Gingerbread house kits in supermarkets at Christmas

Grits (for breakfast) in the south.

Hersheys chocolate

Iced Tea (in the south especially in hot summer)

Native American silver jewellery with turquoise stones

Pie a la mode (apple pie with ice cream)

Pumpkins and pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup (Halloween and all year)

T-bone steaks

WALES

Bara brith

Seaweed

Welsh cakes (small, thick pancakes, delicious seved hot with butter)

Welsh gold

Useful Websites

Black Salt

 https://www.amazon.sg/s?k=black+salt

French Net Curtains

Girl with cat curtains and other curtains from Etsy

https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/878054657/french-vintage-lace-net-curtains-with

https://www.etsy.com/ca/market/french_net_curtains

Russian Dolls

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll

Worldwide Food

https://www.mapsofworld.com/around-the-world/relished-foods.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sushi_and_sashimi_ingredients

Fuji Apple from Giant supermarket in Singapore

https://giant.sg/fuji-apple-china-5053771

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup

We did a taste test comparing Buckwud with an enomy brand and Buckwud was our favourite. I suggest you do your own comparison.

Buckwud canadian maple syrup

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=buckwud+canadian+maple+syrup&

About the Author

About Angela The Author

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President.

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . Also educational on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meeting, Wednesday evening, May 5th, 7 pm Singapore 

Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts.