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- Memories Of Mike: A Lesson On How To Peel An Orange
Memories Of Mike: A Lesson On How To Peel An Orange
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At my hotel in Taiwan, a basket of fruits is served every day after each room is made up. Typical fruits are bananas, kiwi fruits, and oranges (photo 1). I like most citrus fruits and especially oranges very much. In my hotel room, I'm peeling an orange. While I'm cutting the pith with a knife as usual, I've suddenly realized that the way I peel the orange was taught by an American guy a long time ago.
At the time, I lived with him and other 40 students in a dormitory that was in a university town in the US.
One day I was in the kitchen of the dormitory and peeling an orange without a knife. I had had Japanese oranges (mikan) but hadn't had (California) oranges until then. I was accustomed to remove the thin and soft pith of mikans by hand. In the same fashion, I was struggling with the pith of the orange with my bare hands. But it was thicker and harder.
The guy, Mike, was watching me doing that in the kitchen and he started giving me a lecture on how to peel an orange. He peeled it with a sharp knife very skillfully and explained how to do it for me step by step (photo 2).
It happened some time in 1989. Since then, now for over 20 years, I've been still peeling oranges with the same way! Peeling oranges, every now and then, will bring back memories of Mike.
Photo 1: A fruit basket at my hotel room in Taiwan
Photo 2: Lesson of how to peel an orange
2.1 Prepare a cutting board and a knife.
2.2 Slice off the top and the bottom of the orange.
2.3 Hold the knife. The point is your thumb. It's a guide or a stopper with which the blade does not go deep into the segment and cuts only the pith.
2.4 Cut the skin vertically with certain pitches. Finally, the orange will have cut lines like the longitude.
2.5 Remove the pith along the cut lines.
2.6 The lesson is done.
At the time, I lived with him and other 40 students in a dormitory that was in a university town in the US.
One day I was in the kitchen of the dormitory and peeling an orange without a knife. I had had Japanese oranges (mikan) but hadn't had (California) oranges until then. I was accustomed to remove the thin and soft pith of mikans by hand. In the same fashion, I was struggling with the pith of the orange with my bare hands. But it was thicker and harder.
The guy, Mike, was watching me doing that in the kitchen and he started giving me a lecture on how to peel an orange. He peeled it with a sharp knife very skillfully and explained how to do it for me step by step (photo 2).
It happened some time in 1989. Since then, now for over 20 years, I've been still peeling oranges with the same way! Peeling oranges, every now and then, will bring back memories of Mike.
Photo 1: A fruit basket at my hotel room in Taiwan
Photo 2: Lesson of how to peel an orange
2.1 Prepare a cutting board and a knife.
2.2 Slice off the top and the bottom of the orange.
2.3 Hold the knife. The point is your thumb. It's a guide or a stopper with which the blade does not go deep into the segment and cuts only the pith.
2.4 Cut the skin vertically with certain pitches. Finally, the orange will have cut lines like the longitude.
2.5 Remove the pith along the cut lines.
2.6 The lesson is done.
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I had have had Japanese oranges (mikan) but hadn't haven't had (California) oranges until then.
Since then, now for over 20 years, I've been still still been peeling oranges with the same way!
Peeling oranges, every now and then, will bring brings back memories of Mike.
Thank you very much for visiting and correcting my entry!
At my hotel in Taiwan, a basket of fruit is served every day after each room is made up.
Typical fruits are bananas, kiwi, and oranges (photo 1).
One day, I was peeling an orange in my hotel room.
While cutting the pith with a knife as usual, I suddenly realized that the way I peel the orange was taught to me by an American guy a long time ago.
I was accustomed to removing the thin and soft pith of mikans by hand.
The guy, Mike, was watching me do that in the kitchen and he started giving me a lecture on how to peel an orange.
It happened some time ago in 1989.
Peeling oranges, every now and then, brings back memories of Mike.
The key is your thumb.
Finally, the orange will have cut lines longitudinally.
オレンジのピールをし方は、当たり前、でしょう？＾＾何となく、当然に知っています。アメリカ人は全部このピールをし方が知っているかもしれません！ww みかんを食べたことないけど、日本に来たら、みかんのピールをし方を教えてくれませんか？
John and Hayden,
With Hayden's correction and John's comment, now I can see why Hayden inserted "one day." So, I think that changing paragraph and inserting "now" may explicitly resolve the potential problem. Although it is a little long, I write the beginning part of the revised version below.
=====
At my hotel in Taiwan, a basket of fruit is served every day after each room is made up. Typically the basket includes such fruit as: bananas, kiwis, and oranges (photo 1). I like most citrus fruits, especially oranges.
Now I'm peeling an orange in my hotel room. While cutting the pith with a knife as usual, I suddenly realized that .......
At my hotel in Taiwan, a basket of fruit is served every day after each room is made up.
Typicaly this basket includes such fruit as: bananas, kiwis, and oranges (photo 1).
You're right, Peel is a verb and a noun (kinda like korean/JP style.. Peel(n) Peel-hada(v))
:P
Thank you for your visiting my entry and your comments on pith and peel.
Your 2nd correction is very helpful. In my original version, connection of the sentence with the previous sentence is weaker or a little vague, I guess. Thank you very much!
I like most citrus fruits, and especially oranges. very much. [ "Especially" already indicates "very much." The comma after "fruits" without the "and" makes the sentence much more natural. ]
While I'm [ not necessary, as this subordinate clause ends up modifying "I've" (which I have changed to "I") after the comma. ] cutting the pith with a knife as usual, I suddenly realized that the way I peel the orange was taught to me [ Just "... was taught by an American guy ..." could imply that the guy actually teaches "how to peel" to a bunch of culinary students in a classroom. ] by an American guy a long time ago. [ Also, you used the passive voice, which is sort of OK, although " I suddenly realized that I learned the correct way to peal an orange from an American guy a long time ago" would be a little bit better. ]
At the time, I lived with him and other 40 students in a dormitory that was in a university town in the US.
One day I was in the kitchen of the dormitory, and peeling an orange without a knife.
I had had tried Japanese oranges (mikan) but hadn't had tried (California) oranges until then. [ Your "had had"s are grammatically correct, but even better would be "had tried." "Tried," in this case, means "sampled." ]
I was accustomed to removing the thin and soft pith of mikans by hand. [ Just like "I was accustomed to sleeping in a bed." The "ing" describes/implies a length of time in which you spent doing these things and/or how often you did this things. ]
The guy, Mike, was watching me clumsily hand-peeling doing that in the kitchen and he started lecturing giving me a lecture on the art of peeling how to peel an orange. [ A little more (humorous) description can help! Pardon my "heavy pen." ;-) ]
Since then, now for over 20 years, I've still been still peeling oranges with the same way! [ A more natural word-position switch. ]
Peeling oranges, every now and then, will brings back memories of Mike. [ "Now" and "then" mean "present" and "past," which aren't the future, obviously. So let's just stay with the present tense. It implies that you'll think of Mike in the future as well. ] ;-)
Thank you for your corrections and detailed comments as always.
As we grow up, we tend to lose opportunities where we are taught in person. Now Lang-8 is the field where I can get those chances most often.
Already "IMHO," "my bad" are connected with another American guy's image in my neural network :)
At the time, I lived with him and 40 other students in a dormitory that was in a university town in the US.
Since then, for over 20 years now, I've still been peeling oranges with the same way! ( I feel like there's something awkward about this sentence, even with this and the above corrections. I want to say: It's been over 20 years now, and I'm still peeling oranges the way he showed me.)
Although I couldn't write them by myself, I feel that your corrections sound much smoother!
Especially, tense is still very mysterious to me.