Took a couple of American Airlines flights recently, my carrier of choice. The airline has instituted a “select your meal” type of plan, which I find very helpful. You get to make a choice between a couple of entrees, which certainly leads to a more satisfied customer. So, on the first leg, I chose the “tortilla soup.” Below you see the whole tray:
This was a tasty, lighter selection. A couple of small cheese wedges came with the grapes and crackers. Nice treat! During the second flight, I went with the chicken salad that you see here:
Again, I found this to be tasty, lighter fare when it comes to airlines meals. The salad was packed with pecans, slices of pear, and plenty of greens. In general, I think airline food has been improving recently. At least, I have found the food to be better than it was. Sit back, relax, enjoy the flight, and please follow ALL crew member instructions. They are there to make your trip safe.
Learning Languages
Languages are fascinating, if a bit difficult to learn, especially when the characters are completely different. Here in Aruba, there are many Chinese people, and they operate various businesses, including restaurants. Each December they give away calendars for the new year coming. An example of a particularly nice example is seen below:
Calendar with Chinese characters.
That’s a nice looking hand out that serves the usual purpose of keeping the days of the week. But you can also use it to learn Chinese characters for months, days, and numbers. Take a closer look at the numbers here:
Chinese and western style characters on a calendar.
The western style numbers and Chinese equivalents are side by side, giving you the opportunity to see and learn them easily. Not that it is all that easy. You have to write them regularly to make them stick in your mind. Here’s a close up of more:
Detail from a Chinese calendar with western characters as well.
By trying to write the characters and pick up a few words in the course of a meal, you’ll be surprised how much you learn. Plus, it’s lots of fun. Not to mention, it would come in handy depending upon where you travel and who you encounter along the way.
Tags: calendar, chinese, Chinese characters, Commentary, education, languages, photo, photos