Bagels and Pork Chops

Be more specific.

Bread. There are many kinds of bread. Toast with butter, croissants, bagels, pancakes, waffles, rolls, French toast, English muffins, Italian bread, raisin bread, danish bread...
Often, when I ask my students, “What did you have for breakfast?” they reply, “Bread.” When most Americans hear “bread,” they think of a slice of plain white bread. No butter, no jam. Not toasted. Just a piece of...bread. So, it’s better to be specific when asked. For example, “I had toast with strawberry jam,” or “I had a cream cheese danish.” No one really says, “I ate bread.”

Same with meat. We only say, “I ate meat,” if we cannot tell what kind of meat it was which we were eating. Which means, it was so strange looking and odd tasting, that we couldn’t figure out its origins. As in, “Gee, I don’t know if this is from a cow, pig, or chicken! I’ll have to call it ‘meat.’” (Unfortunately, public school lunches sometimes have “meat.”)

Compare it to fish. It would sound unnatural if we replied “Fish,” in Japanese when asked what we ate. We would say what kind of fish, or how it was cooked. Grilled fish, tuna, sashimi, etc. Not just “fish.”

Be more specific.

How do you do?

"How do you do?"
I've seen this question in English text books. I was surprised because I NEVER say this. I thought maybe people other than me (30-year-old American girl) might say it. So I asked my mom (50's) and people from other English-speaking countries (such as a teenager from England). And apparently....

No one uses it anymore.

I did some research. It's old. It was used in the 1800's among the British upper class. You might see it in a very old British novel. It is rarely used anymore- only very formal situations in Britain. (Even that is doubtful. -.-;; )

So if you are meeting someone for the first time, "Hello. Nice to meet you," will suffice. And if you are meeting people you already know, then just "How are you?" or "Have have you been?"
If you are young, "What's up," is okay too.

bakin' bakin' bakin'

I baked peanut butter cookies. Very good! I prefer chocolate chip, but these are nice too.

Wear is a Verb

Wear. 動詞ですね。

We use wear with MANY things. I wear: a shirt, shoes, a hat, underwear. Wear earrings. Wear glasses or contacts. Wear a jacket. Wear a beard. And wear make-up. 

But wear (by itself) is not a noun meaning clothes/clothing. "I bought new wear," or "He has nice wear," is incorrect. You can add another noun and make "ski wear" or "summer wear." But otherwise, wear is a verb.

And clothes is pronounced "close." Not "closes."

TOEIC on the Rise!!

Look at this: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120414-00000417-yom-soci

Apparently the TOEIC test is rapidly gaining popularity, while the Eiken is in steady decline. Interesting. My first thought was, "Great! People are studying English. People care about English."

But does more people taking TOEIC mean more people interested in English? Are or they just trying to get promotions? Is it just more bosses insisting on high TOEIC test results? I know of several managers who encourage their subordinates to take the TOEIC. A high TOEIC score means a higher salary. More money. More opportunities. But does it mean higher English skill?

Before you accuse me of TOEIC bashing, I will say that the test has good vocabulary and grammar questions. It's great for those who want to do business abroad- people who are already good at English and want to focus more on the business aspect of the language. But a high score does not mean high English skill. It says nothing about speaking. It says nothing about everyday communication ability. Or understanding a native speaker. The TOEIC totally ignores these important skills. (At least the Eiken has an interview where speaking is required.) People who study TOEIC are often focused on published-in-Japan "TOEIC 900 in 10 Days!!" type of books filled with vocabulary lists and business articles. Do they actually remember the stuff that they study? Or is it so boring and tedious that they forget it immediately after getting that high score?

Now check these sentences:

※Notice.
This page will be transit to Rakuten Auction.
We are sorry that you can not buy it on this page.
If you want buy or bit it, You can do it on Rakuten Auction.

This is from the Rakuten website. A company that is known for having workers use English. It is full of mistakes. It makes no sense. Doesn't someone who works for Rakuten speak English? Why does this look like it was put through Google translate? It's embarrassing.

As for TOEIC, what about the woman who wants to be a kindergarten teacher in Canada? The boy who wants to study jazz music in the US? Or the guy who wants to go to beauty school in England? TOEIC is not going to help them much. Japan is putting way too much focus on TOEIC and not enough on speaking or understanding foreign culture. The teacher, the guitarist, and the beautician will not need much "business English" when talking to students or customers.

If you speak excellent English already and want to master the language, or if you love business and economy jargon,  then great- Take the TOEIC! If not, forget it! Go watch a Hollywood movie or read a novel instead.

Happy Easter

I hope everybody had a nice Easter. I think there should be more Easter and less Valentine's in Japan. Easter is much more fun! When I was a kid, my dad would hide Easter eggs in the backyard every year, and I would find them. Those were plastic eggs. We also dyed hard boiled eggs and ate them for breakfast. And my brothers and grandparents came over for dinner (lots of ham). Or sometimes we would go for brunch (breakfast+lunch). I always had an "Easter dress," and had fun getting all dressed up. I was a girly girl! Lots of chocolate, spring flowers, and bunnies. So nice.

Easter Candy- chocolate bunnies!

And hey....Sendai is STILL cold?! But getting warmer....finally.