Disturbing Realisation

[anarchist_nomad]

Orange.

Tangerine.

Clementine.

Satsuma.

Mandarin.

Tangelo.

Kumquat.

Minneola.

Ugli.

I think that the English language contains more words for describing and distinguishing different types of small orange citrus fruits than it does for describing and distinguishing different types of love...

Comments

[blur01.livejournal.com]

Oh, we have a ton of words for love.

I've never tasted Minneola, or Satsuma. I have added them to my list
of things that I wish to experience before too long. *smile*

[dcseain.livejournal.com]

Minneolas are nice, as are satsumas.

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

I have a bowl full of satsumas on my dining room table in Oxford. I would offer you one, but I doubt you would be easily able to collect it...

(The bowl previously contained clementines.)

[bammba-m.livejournal.com]

how many words does love need?

[blur01.livejournal.com]

Many.

There are as many different levels, and forms, and expressions of love as there are days that have since passed, and days that are still to come.

The love of a parent, the love of a pet, the love of a favorite food, the love of a new lover...the love of a familiar lover.

[tawneypup.livejournal.com]

I agree. It would be so much easier to say "I XXXX you" if X really equaled a specific concept rather than an amorphous conglomoration of so many potential meanings.

[darkfloweruk.livejournal.com]

The only word for love I need is... squishy.

I have a squishy feeling for X
When I see X I get all squishy
Oh my squish is like a red, red rose...

One word, so many ways to use it.

Squishes!

[bunnypip.livejournal.com]

I don't like oranges when they go squishy though - that's just wrong.

[wolfpeach.livejournal.com]

I think this is true. Can we have more words for love, please?

[parallelgirl.livejournal.com]

yes, more words for love! We need them! Was just musing on this the other day- and also on the fact that, with all the different kinds of oranges in the world, I don't have a particular favourite. I had never noticed this until last Friday when, on turning down a colleague's offer of a satsuma, he enquired 'what's your orange of choice, then?', and professed himself 'disappointed' when I couldn't state a preference.

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

You're kidding. You were musing on both the need for more words for love and the number of different types of orange citrus fruit??

You and I seem to have some strange parallel thing going on lately, parallelgirl! I seem to recall other recent examples like this... for instance, simultaneous temptations to hire an assassin. :-)

[parallelgirl.livejournal.com]

*grin*
I know!
Next thing you know we'll both be dating the same girl!
Oh, wait...

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

*shakes head* No way! I mean, what are the odds of that happening??

Oh, wait...

[ms-redcat.livejournal.com]

Just saw your music choice. Bad, bad, BAD pun! Congratulations!

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

Why thank you, my dear! *grins evilly* From you, I take that as high praise, indeed!

I will confess to copying myself here. A few days ago, when our fruit bowl was full of clementines, I took one out, held it in my hand at arm's length -- a la an "Alas, poor Yorick" speech -- and started serenading it thusly! ;-)

So I may not be original here... but at least I am copying a source that I admire and respect greatly! Heh...

[gyades.livejournal.com]

I beg to differ.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

When I was a child, my family had the tradition of putting an orange or tangerine in the toe of each Xmas stocking. I was told it had to do with the relative unavailability of fresh fruit in midwinter, in times past, so that a tangerine or orange was a relatively precious gift. Of course, I found out much later that it was yet another "Christmas" custom relating to the return of the Sun, because of the fruit's sunny color and its origin in sunnier lands. (All very good, except that, even as a child, I didn't like fruit.)

I agree with gyades, though - there are plenty of words for love, in every shade of meaning of the concept. Starting with the ancient Greek, you've got eros, philia, agapē, storge, xenia, and thelema. And even in our magnificent mongrel of a language, as gyades points out, we have love, lust, limerence, like, longing, (enough with the Ls, already!) want, desire, affection, passion, caring, fondness, pining, charity, benevolence, esteem, worship, admiration...

And I suppose that someone who loves oranges would be a narantophile.

[wolfpeach.livejournal.com]

Some peeps on OKC discussing just this very thing...

http://www.okcupid.com/profile/SoVaryMuch/journal/6637950243219514578/Language-of-Love