However, first I wanted to show that we still are able to speak German around here. Secondly I wanted to make things a little bit harder for the NSA. And thirdly and most importantly: when I saw this photo last night my first thought was the German adjective “bitter”. And that’s what I wrote. Painful. Cruel. Sad. Hopeless. Bitter. I have no idea if the English “bitter” transports these meanings, too.
Dusting off my English Major cap, yes, this is very like the connotations in English. Common compound terms include: bitter pill, bitter fate, bitter cold, bitter memory, etc. “Sweet” of course has opposite metaphorical overtones. This can even infect cuisine—some regional cooking styles center on sweetness and if they use produce (dark green leafy vegetables for instance) that has a characteristic bitter overtone they’ll be blanched first to remove that nasty bitterness. Weird.
bitter.
real.
That’s why I explain my daughters that I want my coffee black: Bitter as reality. No candy.
As the parent of a vegan and the grandparent of a vegan I am sorry to see one so cold and alone. Looks cold there.
As the father of two vegans-to-be I feel the same, James. In this case, the subway staircase was substantially warmer at least than it was outside.
I am surprised to see the prevalence of English… what is this world coming to?
John, we Germans try to do our best to alleviate the NSA’s task: the chancellor uses an unencrypted mobile phone, everybody speaks english 😉
Derweil ich eigentlich auf Deutsch kommentiert habe. Weiß gar nicht, ob “bitter” im Englischen dasselbe bedeuten würde.
Why the sudden prevalence of German? This from a woman with a side career posing in dirndls in America;-)
🙂 Don’t forget the beer!
However, first I wanted to show that we still are able to speak German around here. Secondly I wanted to make things a little bit harder for the NSA. And thirdly and most importantly: when I saw this photo last night my first thought was the German adjective “bitter”. And that’s what I wrote. Painful. Cruel. Sad. Hopeless. Bitter. I have no idea if the English “bitter” transports these meanings, too.
Dusting off my English Major cap, yes, this is very like the connotations in English. Common compound terms include: bitter pill, bitter fate, bitter cold, bitter memory, etc. “Sweet” of course has opposite metaphorical overtones. This can even infect cuisine—some regional cooking styles center on sweetness and if they use produce (dark green leafy vegetables for instance) that has a characteristic bitter overtone they’ll be blanched first to remove that nasty bitterness. Weird.
What a multi-layered photograph, even the ad fits perfectly (with the added hand-written contributions). Is there a way out, and am I free really?