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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To wonder why.. (brace yourself)

696 replies

BackAgainSlimLady · 24/02/2025 12:29

Single cucumbers from the supermarket come wrapped in plastic.. but single courgettes don’t?

if you ask me.. courgettes have a slightly more fragile skin that cucumber.. so why the lack of protection?

OP posts:
IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 26/02/2025 10:44

Bigearringsbigsmile · 26/02/2025 10:30

I think most English people CAN say Loch the Scottish way but don't because they'd sound like a wanker.
It's like English people saying pi-aya instead of pie-ella or choreeetho instead of chorizo.
You can say it but you'll soubd like a nob

No it isn't. British people speaking German get the ch sound there correct. It's no different.

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 10:42

Bigearringsbigsmile · 26/02/2025 10:30

I think most English people CAN say Loch the Scottish way but don't because they'd sound like a wanker.
It's like English people saying pi-aya instead of pie-ella or choreeetho instead of chorizo.
You can say it but you'll soubd like a nob

I get what you mean about paella etc (special bonus points to people who do it when they can't actually speak any Spanish Confused) but we'll have to agree to disagree about a British person sounding like a "wanker" for pronouncing a British word correctly. It's fine.

(The person on the other thread that made me think of it though that the ch in loch was pronounced like in arch, BTW, so unless I am missing something about how arch is said in some British accents, I'm not convinced that most people south of the border do know how to pronounce it!).

Bigearringsbigsmile · 26/02/2025 10:30

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 10:07

It came about in the context of how to pronounce loch though and a pp said that if you can pronounce Bach you can pronounce loch. I said not necessarily because lots of people would say it like bahk/bark, but loch is not pronounced lock so the analogy doesn't always work!

This thread just keeps on giving 😂

I think most English people CAN say Loch the Scottish way but don't because they'd sound like a wanker.
It's like English people saying pi-aya instead of pie-ella or choreeetho instead of chorizo.
You can say it but you'll soubd like a nob

MoodySky · 26/02/2025 10:26

It's all about the supermarkets not wanting to lose money by having damaged goods that they can't sell.

As a previous poster said, courgettes are usually used in one go. Also the volume of courgettes sold is nowhere near that if cucumbers, so not worth wrapping them.

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 10:07

ApricotCrush · 26/02/2025 09:55

We’re both right, it depends where you come from.

It came about in the context of how to pronounce loch though and a pp said that if you can pronounce Bach you can pronounce loch. I said not necessarily because lots of people would say it like bahk/bark, but loch is not pronounced lock so the analogy doesn't always work!

This thread just keeps on giving 😂

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 10:04

SleepPrettyDarling · 26/02/2025 08:03

No, it’s ZUCCHINUS

No idea anymore who is joking on this thread and who isn't, but the singular in Italian is zucchino.

They haven't spoken Latin in Italy for hundreds of years but according to Google the Latin is cucurbita 🤓

ApricotCrush · 26/02/2025 09:55

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 09:39

So close, but the point of the Bach thing is that it's not pronounced Bahk! The ch is like the ch in loch, which is not pronounced like lock. It's a "back of the throat" sound, a bit like the start of a French word beginning with "r" (not quite the same but you do the same sort of thing with your tongue to make the sound)

We’re both right, it depends where you come from.

ErrolTheDragon · 26/02/2025 09:49

@Deboragh They're courgettes and always has been. It's only yanks that call them zucchini.

If you'd bothered to read even a tiny amount of the thread you'd know that it's also Australians, Canadians, Italians (obviously) and a few other places.

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 09:44

ApricotCrush · 26/02/2025 09:30

This thread is hilarious. To sum up for those who can’t be bothered to read it all and keep getting it wrong:-

a) Cucumbers are wrapped in plastic to preserve them.

b) Courgettes are zucchini and aubergines are eggplants in America, Canada and Australia (and maybe elsewhere) but not in New Zealand.

c) @WillIEverBeOk whose outraged post has been quoted a million times is Australian, not American.

d) The correct spelling is “just deserts” and is derived from “deserve”. Nothing to do with puddings or the Sahara. I did not know that although I’m old and consider myself well-educated.

e) “It’s” is the short form of “it is”. “Its” is the possessive and is the exception to the rule.

f) I’m from the West Midlands. My mother was Mom, I’m Mom and my daughter is Mom. We are not American.

g) Bach is pronounced Bahk.

And fellow West Midlander here - I never understand how people in the UK accept that some people in the UK (eg North West) talk about their "mam" but refuse to acknowledge that some people talk about their "mom" as a perfectly legitimate regional variation.

Come to think of it, the "o" in mother is said the same as the "u" in "mum" in many UK accents, so "mom" is a perfectly logical spelling even for those of us who say it as "mum"!

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 09:39

ApricotCrush · 26/02/2025 09:30

This thread is hilarious. To sum up for those who can’t be bothered to read it all and keep getting it wrong:-

a) Cucumbers are wrapped in plastic to preserve them.

b) Courgettes are zucchini and aubergines are eggplants in America, Canada and Australia (and maybe elsewhere) but not in New Zealand.

c) @WillIEverBeOk whose outraged post has been quoted a million times is Australian, not American.

d) The correct spelling is “just deserts” and is derived from “deserve”. Nothing to do with puddings or the Sahara. I did not know that although I’m old and consider myself well-educated.

e) “It’s” is the short form of “it is”. “Its” is the possessive and is the exception to the rule.

f) I’m from the West Midlands. My mother was Mom, I’m Mom and my daughter is Mom. We are not American.

g) Bach is pronounced Bahk.

So close, but the point of the Bach thing is that it's not pronounced Bahk! The ch is like the ch in loch, which is not pronounced like lock. It's a "back of the throat" sound, a bit like the start of a French word beginning with "r" (not quite the same but you do the same sort of thing with your tongue to make the sound)

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 09:35

BustyLaRoux · 26/02/2025 08:00

Please tell me people don’t really say that in seriousness?

There are definitely people who think it's "damp squid"! The rest of my post was in jest (and was partly in reference to all the people on this thread making incorrect claims about the meaning/spelling of "just deserts" despite several posters explaining the correct meaning) but I can only imagine that the people who think it's "damp squid" think it must be something to do with the sea! 🤦‍♀️

ApricotCrush · 26/02/2025 09:30

This thread is hilarious. To sum up for those who can’t be bothered to read it all and keep getting it wrong:-

a) Cucumbers are wrapped in plastic to preserve them.

b) Courgettes are zucchini and aubergines are eggplants in America, Canada and Australia (and maybe elsewhere) but not in New Zealand.

c) @WillIEverBeOk whose outraged post has been quoted a million times is Australian, not American.

d) The correct spelling is “just deserts” and is derived from “deserve”. Nothing to do with puddings or the Sahara. I did not know that although I’m old and consider myself well-educated.

e) “It’s” is the short form of “it is”. “Its” is the possessive and is the exception to the rule.

f) I’m from the West Midlands. My mother was Mom, I’m Mom and my daughter is Mom. We are not American.

g) Bach is pronounced Bahk.

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 09:27

InveterateWineDrinker · 26/02/2025 08:18

This reminds of the Hollywood producers trying to cast a proposed blockbuster about great composers.

Hugh Grant comes along and makes the point "I'm terribly British, so perhaps you might consider me as Elgar."

Al Pacino says: "Obviously, with my Italian heritage I should play Puccini or Verdi."

Arnie says... "I'll be Bach."

😂

Lookingatabookshelf · 26/02/2025 09:26

I find the plastic on cucumber vexing because really it's wasteful. You can grow smaller cucumbers. However I love cucumber so much I eat loads in one go, easy eat a whole cucumber in a couple of days. If you grow courgettes they last longer in the fridge than shop bought and less delicate skin but the season is short and they are prolific so you have to eat courgette with everything between July and September.

Deboragh · 26/02/2025 09:22

WillIEverBeOk · 24/02/2025 13:00

Genuinely had to google that word too. Its like a completely different language is spoken on here!

And yes, its eggplant.

No it's just English.

Deboragh · 26/02/2025 09:18

WillIEverBeOk · 24/02/2025 12:55

YANBU. But I had to google 'courgettes'. Very strange word to use. Not sure why you can't say zucchini which is what it is.

They're courgettes and always has been. It's only yanks that call them zucchini.

InveterateWineDrinker · 26/02/2025 08:18

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 07:02

But you've probably heard them call Bach "Bahk" (which in my non-rhotic accent sounds the same as bark). And I'm guessing you've heard plenty of people incorrectly pronounce loch as "lock".

This reminds of the Hollywood producers trying to cast a proposed blockbuster about great composers.

Hugh Grant comes along and makes the point "I'm terribly British, so perhaps you might consider me as Elgar."

Al Pacino says: "Obviously, with my Italian heritage I should play Puccini or Verdi."

Arnie says... "I'll be Bach."

T1Dmama · 26/02/2025 08:17

Anyway… I’m thinking they protect a cucumber because it’s cut and used where as courgette is cooked killing off germs from being touched

T1Dmama · 26/02/2025 08:11

WillIEverBeOk · 24/02/2025 12:55

YANBU. But I had to google 'courgettes'. Very strange word to use. Not sure why you can't say zucchini which is what it is.

LOL
Neither are wrong. Courgette is the French name, zucchini the Italian.
I’ve never heard anyone call it anything but a courgette and it’s even labelled as that in the supermarket here

SleepPrettyDarling · 26/02/2025 08:03

RedFolder · 24/02/2025 13:02

Courgette is the French word for it, widely used in the UK, and zucchini is the Italian. Both are correct. Although zucchini is plural and the OP is talking about one courgette, so technically it is a zucchino.

No, it’s ZUCCHINUS

Capricornandproud · 26/02/2025 08:02

Crunchymum · 24/02/2025 13:01

Courgette

(and it's "just deserts" not desserts - sorry!!)

Edited

Erm…

BustyLaRoux · 26/02/2025 08:00

MegTheForgetfulCat · 25/02/2025 20:23

I think you'll find the expression is damp squid. You see, squids live in the sea, so they're damp and floppy after you've caught them. So something that's a bit of a flop is a damp squid.
Wink
(In case the winking emoji isn't enough, I am joking!).

Please tell me people don’t really say that in seriousness?

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 07:06

PandaTime · 26/02/2025 02:16

I'm guessing people are talking about the invisible "r" non-rhotic people write to indicate a different sound from the vowel before it. Pawsta. Bawk.

It always confuses us rhotic speakers.

To me the "aw" in paw rhymes with the "oo" in door, floor etc so "pawsta" doesn't sound (to me) how an American would pronounce pasta either (pahsta). It's a minefield! 😅

MegTheForgetfulCat · 26/02/2025 07:02

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 26/02/2025 01:55

I've never heard anyone put an "r" in pasta- (or call Bach "Bark")

But you've probably heard them call Bach "Bahk" (which in my non-rhotic accent sounds the same as bark). And I'm guessing you've heard plenty of people incorrectly pronounce loch as "lock".

Mumtobabyhavoc · 26/02/2025 06:09

squishee · 25/02/2025 21:50

Not only that... Here in Aus, confectionery items are called lollies and bedding is called Manchester.

And a duvet is a doona, no?