Hot and Sour Soup; wee rant on words; weekly menu plan

Warning: Strong opinion to follow - read at your own risk.

More words on words.

What is the word (or almost word) that makes you want to jump up and down, screaming and tearing your hair, whenever you hear it?

Most people who like words have one (or more) that rankle.

Hearing the word used incorrectly or inappropriately is like fingernails on a blackboard....

For those who actually remember blackboards....

For mon mari it's an 'almost word' - not really a word, but one hears it so often, most people think it is.

Irregardless.

Nope, not a word.

Yep, heard lots.

Really.... Not a word.

Regardless says it very nicely, no need to add the prefix.

Mine is, perhaps, one of the most common, basic words... and it sends me up the wall on a regular basis.

Home.

A home is a place where one lives.

A home can be, but does not have to be, in a house.

A home can be in an apartment, a trailer, a tent, a boat or a cardboard box.

A home can be in what is owned, rented or borrowed.

One cannot buy a home or sell a home.

A home is where we are.

A house, on the other hand, is a building.

A house can be, but does not have to be, a home.

A house can be an office, a tattoo parlor, a meth lab or a place of worship.

A house can be abandoned, demolished, torn down or derelict.

One can, and does, buy and sell a house.

Home = where one's heart is.

House = bricks and mortar; wood and plaster.

I also abhor the widespread use of unnecessary syllables.

One no longer buys a car, one buys a vehicle (well, it's always been a vehicle, just of the subset 'car').

On television 'the 'perp' aims a weapon at the 'vic''. The writer shortened two perfectly good words and substituted a longer one. What was wrong with 'the guy aimed a gun at him'?

Two people no longer 'talk', or even 'have a discussion'.

Now they have a 'dialogue'.

Do they accomplish more by having a dialogue than by talking?

One last, brief, rant.... The British habit of using plural verbs with singular nouns.

Manchester are winning.

England are losing.

Yes, a team is composed of more than one person.

But the team, itself, is a single entity.

My Oxford and Cambridge educated British friend agrees with me.

'England is losing' is correct.

He also assured me that the usage was far too ingrained to ever change.

There you have it.

What words drive you bonkers?

In honor of Chinese Neew Year we're having an 'almost authentic' soup.

Hot and Sour Savoy Soup

This is a little twist on traditional Hot and Sour Soup - with the addition of slivered cabbage for a bit of texture and crunch.

Thinly slice cabbage and green onions. Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add onions, cabbage and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and heat to boiling.

Crack egg into a bowl and whisk lightly.

Stir dissolved cornstarch into the boiling stock, until thickened. Add soy sauce and vinegar. Pour in egg, stir once or twice only.

Ladle into 2 bowls and serve immediately.

In addition to this, for the week of February 4 we have Stir-Fried Scallops with Ham, Noodles with Egg Sauce, Sweet and Pungent Carrots, Braised Beef Provencal, Turkey and Cashew Lo Mein....

Thyme for Cooking is a Weekly Menu Planning Service focusing on healthy, seasonal foods, now with more options:

Complete menu for 7 dinners, main course and sides, including 2 with first courses

Complete menu for 6 dinners, main course and sides only

Join now and try it free for a week! The menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instructions, and shopping list is available each Thursday. (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

Don't need complete dinners? Try the Main Course Menu Mailer option: 6 new main courses every week - with suggestions for side dishes.

Happy Year of the Rabbit!