OOO #24: Outfits, Ohio, and Other Things I Like
A solid read, more alcohol!, and an aggressive green bird
Outfits
Ohio
The other day, my husband and I went to Chateau Wine & Spirits, our favorite liquor store in Columbus, to pick up some Pimm’s. While we were there, I suggested we look for a bottle of chartreuse since I knew we were running low (it’s the main ingredient in one of my husband’s favorite cocktails: The Last Word), but we couldn’t find it. When we asked about it, we were told there was a state-wide shortage of chartreuse. A state-wide shortage! I made a mental note to check liquor stores in PA the next time we went on a road trip.
I first encountered chartreuse at the home of two of my mother’s colleagues—very cool people—but I was too scared to try it. It is bright green and quite strong, after all. BUT my husband tried it, and he eventually got me to stop being such a weenie about it, and I loved it. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to like drinks that are botanical (rather than smoky or sweet), so chartreuse has become a fixture on our bar cart.
After our stop at the liquor store, my husband mentioned that he had read something about the chartreuse shortage recently (my husband is aware of pretty much everything happening on the planet; I truly don’t know how he consumes as much news as he does, and it is a RARE day when I know some current event before he does… but I digress).
Chartreuse is made in one place: in the Chartreuse Mountains of southern France by Carthusian monks. Only two people, who live at the Monastery of the Grande Chartreuse (who I assume must also be monks??), know the secret recipe of the 130 plants in the liquer. Chartreuse has become increasingly popular in recent years (I’d like to think our time in cocktail bars has something to do with it), and the monks at the monastery have decided not to increase production to match increased demand. A classic Econ 101 situation.
Instead, the monks prefer to keep production at its current level out of environmental concerns and a focus on “solitude and prayer.” Considering they are monks, this is a very strong argument, and I am therefore okay with having to search a little harder for our favorite spirit. That being said, I hope that if I fly to Europe this summer, I have a layover at CDG.
I suppose this was a deviation away from the “Ohio” part of OOO, but I guess to bring it back to the my original point… I really do like Chateau Wine & Spirits!
Other Things I Like
It’s time I talk about the bird that haunts my life.
It is as burdensome as the albatross.
It is as incessant as the raven.
It is an aggressive and scholarly green owl named Duo, aka Duolingo’s mascot.
This intrusive bird sends me push notifications as the most inconvenient times, clogs my email, and watches me from my iPhone home screen... ever-judging with its massive white eyes. It even watches me from the top of the bookshelf in our guest room, asking, “Why are getting ready for bed, when you could instead get another Italian lesson in?”
Why do I let this bird haunt my life?
Because, I actually really do love Duolingo. Language lessons are now a part of my daily routine, signaling that work is over and the rest of the day is mine. The lessons are challenging and make me feel like I’m exercising my brain in a completely different way than I do at work. Most of all, I feel more confident in the languages I’ve been studying, which is obviously the point. Even if I can’t speak fluently after hours and hours of lessons, my knowledge of vocabulary and sentence construction is way better in say French or Italian than it was before I started my lessons, and I know I will be able to get by in most situations as a traveler.
So much of my linguistic struggles in high school were about confidence (and the ability to construct sentences and react to speech on the spot), and I think that Duolingo, with its variety of approaches to language learning (including the option to respond vocally rather than typed out), has helped me grapple with that area of growth. I just don’t get as flustered any more when confronted with one of my languages. Now, I see it not as a place to fail, but a place to have fun and try to reach some mutual understanding.
One of my other favorite features of Duolingo is that the sentences and vocabulary are culturally-aligned as well. The word for “cinnamon buns” was taught very early on in Swedish (as was “asparagus” in German), and I’ve learned the words for “sacrifice” and “graves” in Latin but in no other language so far.
If you have been thinking about learning a new language for a while, give Duolingo a shot. Yes the notifications are incessant, but as a linguist and polyglot (coincidentally the same scholar who introduced me to chartreuse) once told me is the key to language learning is practicing every day. Based on the progress during the last three and a half years of daily practice, I agree.
That’s it! Have a great rest of your week!