Who taught : Cannot reveal

bell peppers (source : www.defeatdiabetes.org)

Working with many different clients as an engineer, I have found that the names of servers in different companies are very interesting. For example, a company decides to use peppers for server names, such as habanero, datil, etc.

When it comes to pepper, there are many different ones, including chilli pepper, bell pepper, banana pepper and, of course, black pepper. In Korea, people are  so familiar with hot chilli pepper. There are so many foods which have chilli peppers in it. Kimchi is a good example. I have never eaten any other peppers before I came to the United States. (But, I now love grilled peppers.) For that reason, I used to say just “pepper” in English, thinking of it as chilli pepper. There was one time I had to explain what Kimchi is to my American friend and I said, “It is basically fermented cabbage with bunch of different vegetables, such as pepper, and it is pretty spicy.” Then, he said, “Why?” I said, “It has pepper in it. That is why.” He said, “Oh… You mean hot chilli pepper? When you said just pepper, I thought you are talking about bell pepper.”

If you go grocery shopping here in the U.S., there is a vegetable section and you would be surprised by the fact that most of the peppers are bell peppers, not chilli peppers. Even though spicy foods are getting popular here, a lof of American people do not really buy chilli peppers. Thus, if you say just pepper, they would think you are talking about bell pepper or sweet pepper. Most of times, if you want to talk about hot chilli peppers, you need to be very specific. For example, jalapeno, habanero, datil, etc. If not, they would think you are talking about bell peppers.

Speaking of pepper, there is a saying in Korea. 작은 고추가 맵다. (Jak Eun Gochu Ga Map Da.) Literal translation into English is “Small chilli peppers are spicier.” Can you guess what it means? Let me guess! Do you think this has something to do with male reproductive part? You need to get your mind out of the gutter. I do not think this has any sexual implication. This means, “Small people could be more talented and perform well.” I was trying to find an English expression which would have similar meaning. One friend, who wants to stay anonymous, told me, “Good things come in small packages.” But he also mentioned that this has sexual implication. My American friends! Is this expression always being used in a sexual context or not? I am curious.