The World Is A Play Ground

since 1985

The Origin of Ketchup, Catsup

P378

I've never heard anyone refer to Ketchup as Catsup. However, according to the Dictionary.com iPhone app question of the day: "There is no difference between catsup and ketchup, a puree of tomatoes seasoned with other ingredients like mushrooms, walnuts, etc. The word ketchup may have come from Chinese (Amoy or Cantonese dialect) koechiap, k'e chap, or ke-tsiap 'spiced fish sauce; brine of pickled fish', which was likely borrowed from Malay kechap or kecap. Ketchup was recorded around 1711, after catchup (1690) but before catsup (1730). It was not until the early twentieth century that tomato ketchup came into being, replacing the vinegar-based sauce as the main usage. In the UK, this concoction is known as ketchup, but in the United States, all three words are in use. There are two more variant spellings: catchup and katsup."

Delta: a bigger, archaic and shittier airline

I'm not writing this from 30,000 miles, somewhere approaching Chicago, not thanks to the non-free wi-fi most Delta flights don't have. Instead I'm still stuck in smallest state in the nation.

Here's what happened: 

PVD airport. Flight at 5:45 am. No sleep. Arrive airport 5:09. 2 Delta staff members by the self-checkin kiosk. Not a soul self-checking-in. Stand in Elite Checking Lane. I have flown over 35 times (enough to be a Gold Member) with Delta, AirFrance and other incompetent airlines in the the Flying Blue program, so I'm entitled to stand there. Nobody moves. One staff member busy with another customer. Two more staff behind the counter chatting. 2 Kiosk staff also chatting. 5:14am. Ahem. I haven't been at fault for missing a flight in the last 4 years. An old lady finally takes me on. Fumbles for a couple minutes. 5:16 am. Oops. Too late to check bag. Less than 30 minutes before likely delayed flight departed. System won't allow. No manual override. You're shitting me. Old lady is chirpy, says sorry with a smile. Think of an upgrade. Lady kills any possibility with the ultimate "I'm not going to charge you". No shit, sherlock. Just the fact that you said that was so wrong. Rescheduled for a flight two hours later. Because my bags could not make it to the airplane in less than 29 minutes in the smallest airport in the nation. Fuck my Delta loyalty and my hundreds of thousands of miles. Fuck TSA. Why doesn't a twentieth-century domestic airline fly to VGO, Spain so that I don't have to step foot on another Delta or AirFrance flight ever again?
Posterous theme by Cory Watilo
  
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