I'm going to be away until next Saturday evening, at my grandfather's funeral.
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While editing yesterday's blog, I discovered an instance where the use of 'that' or 'which' subtly changes the meaning of a sentence.
i bought a slice of winter melon that tasted like squash.
This seems to imply that only that particular slice of winter melon tasted like squash, while winter melon in general does not, necessarily. Compare to the following example.
i bought a slice of winter melon which tasted like squash.
This seems to imply that all winter melon, and not just that particular slice, tastes like squash. More precicely, this sentence communicates that this particular slice of winter melon tasted like squash, but that this was not anomalous. On the other hand, the first example comes closer to telling us that only a particular slice of winter melon tasted like squash, with the insinuation that similar slices do not taste the same way, because we have singled out 'that slice.'
When I wrote the sentence yesterday, it was in the first form, and when I read it over it seemed like I was implying that my particular slice of winter melon was odd-tasting, differentiating it from run-of-the-mill winter melon. I have no reason to believe that my slice of winter melon was anomalous in any way. For some reason, when I turned 'that' into 'which,' the slice of winter melon ceased to be as much as a special case, and more of a member of a set of winter melon slices, all of which taste like squash.
I can come up with another somewhat difficult example.
she opened the can of peas that was wrapped in the peeling label.
she opened the can of peas which was wrapped in the peeling label.
This is a hard one. The meaning distinction is easier to grasp if one imagines the second sentence containing a comma (this is a more correct way of introducing a nonessential clause with 'which').
she opened the can of peas, which was wrapped in the peeling label.
In the case of 'which,' the meaning seems to be that the clause is modifying the can of peas, and is completely independant of the fact that she is opening it. The fact that the can is wrapped in a peeling label is superfluous information, or a 'nonessential clause.' on the other hand, considering the case of 'that,' it is somehow there implied that the fact that the can was wrapped in a peeling label was related to her opening it, perhaps as opposed to other cans of peas in the cupboard that were wrapped in intact labels. In the case of 'that,' the can being wrapped in a peeling label is information that is important to and that effects the meaning and action conveyed by the sentence; it is 'essential' information. So, 'that' is used to deliver an essential clause.
James and I went to the grand mart, an asian food store that opened up about a mile away from my bouse, replacing a weiss market, which was a 'normal' grocery store. I like to buy weird fruit at asian grocery stores, so I did this last night. I bought a slice of winter melon which tasted like squash, and I also bought a durian.
A durian is a huge spikey ball of a fruit. It weighs about five pounds, and is openable with an axe or machete. When I first brought the fruit over to mrs. White's house, both shoko and eddie were horrified. They told me about durian fruits and how they smell like excrement, to use eddie's words. I took the objectionable fruit back to my house, where I put it in my backyard and attacked it with a hammer, since I didn't have an axe or machete. I pounded at it, and caved in a few spots in the spiked armor through which I was able to scoop out some of the pulpy, tan, banana-like meat. Here is my recipe for approximating the flavor and texture of durian fruit:
3 somewhat unripe bananas
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup flour
blend until uniform. Serve.
Some chemical responsible for the distinctive garlic/onion flavor was present in relative abundance in the durian. Other than that, the flavor of the flesh was nondescript and sweet, and it had the consistency of a very ripe, mushed-up banana, but the flavor of a somewhat green banana, mixed with garlic and onion. It was certainly interesting, and worth trying. One big spikey durian fruit costs about $4. I covered the fractured skull of my durian fruit with aluminum foil and put it in my fridge for the night.
This morning, I wandered over to mrs. White's house, and borrowed an axe from her tool-shed. I took my durian fruit back into my backyard, and hacked at it, full force. In about 5 chops, the thing was halved, revealing five or six chambers inside the spikey, wood-hard shell, each containing a single brown seed about the size of a walnut, surrounded by pulpy durian meat.
I sat in the backyard this morning, eating my durian fruit, scooping the pulp from the chambers with a spoon, then eating the lumps of flesh with my hands. Really, the smell wasn't too bad, and the taste was interesting enough to be pleasant. I felt that I should consume the contents of the entire melon-sized fruit in one sitting, as a rite of passage. So, I did, save for the last bite of banana-garlic puree, which proved to be a bit too much; I spit my last mouthful out all over the brick patio. I threw the large nut-like seeds on the ground in my backyard. Perhaps durian-trees will spring up.
According to google, the only other usage of the phrase 'weird asian fruit' appears in someone else's blog, also used to refer to a durian fruit. This is how archetypes and culture are formed, people. Pay attention.