Thais and Menthol

Thais and menthol, surely a love affair to last the ages. When a label says “mint” on your toothpaste or chewing gum, you must translate that. The actual flavor is mint-menthol. The menthol is never mentioned, but it is there as surely as the mint. Trust me on this. 

A couple days ago Jim bought some small red candies. They were that indeterminate fruity flavor that may have been either strawberry or cherry. They were also menthol flavored. The end result was a cherry cough drop taste; not the good Smith Brothers ones, either, the much less desirable Vicks ones.

My favorite gum here is a sugar-free lime-mint flavor. Of course, it is actually lime-mint-menthol flavored. It tastes much better than it sounds. I’m curious as to why they called the flavor lime. Limes are common here, and used in cooking as Americans use lemons…but in English Thais refer to them as lemons, not limes. Ask for some lime, get a blank look. Ask for lemon, and you get…lime.

My computer has been in the shop just over a week. I am officially being driven insane from using a Windows laptop. A slow, old, lame laptop.