Today I learned Australian

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In American football, a blitz is a defense strategy. The opponent rushes to the quarterback in an attempt to get the ball. Blitz means flash in my native language, German/Austrian.

A Blitz during a thunderstorm or a Blitz on the camera, to take a picture in the dark. Blitzkrieg, a German word also used in English, is a war attack that happens fast and without any warning and doesn’t last long.

Today I read a recipe, shared by an Australian: Her favorite Oat-honey Biscuits (cookies).

I had no problems following the recipe, after all, it was in English, a language I even use in my dreams, until it stated that I had to blitz the flour in a food processor.

Now, before I continue, I have to explain something. I am an excellent cook and a lousy baker. Perhaps the word lousy is too strong, but I don’t find joy in baking, and that’s why I don’t do it too often. Baking doesn’t give me much room to improvise; it forces me to follow rules, and I am just not good at that.

Even after so many years of speaking, writing and dreaming in English, the language still manges to sometimes surprise me, and it seems to happen often when I attempt to bake something new. I remember when I wanted to make a quiche, and I was asked to blind-bake the crust. It puzzled me. What was I supposed to do? Close my eyes during baking? Was I not supposed to see the tragedy I had created?

Back then, without a cell phone or internet, I had to call my mother-in-law, who had given me the handwritten recipe I tried to follow. She laughed and explained to me what it meant. I shook my head. Blind-baking meant prebaking the crust with something on top of it, like dry beans, so the crust can’t rise.

I continued baking with open eyes.

Now back to the recipe: Blitz the flour.

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Did the Australian lady ask us to take a picture of the flour with our camera?

Nope! When I read further, I noticed that I had to blitz a few more times, so I got it. Blitz = Mix

Of course, my mind started wandering off and made me wonder: If I mix with a mixer, do I blitz with a blitzer?

Could it be that a mixer, a food processor, is being called a blitzer in Australia?

Of course not, because this would be too logical. It’s still a mixer, but you don’t mix with a mixer, but blitz with a mixer.

Please, all you native English speakers downunder, or over there, or over here, don’t take it the wrong way, but don’t you think this is fudged up?

So the last thing I learned was blitzing. There you go, mate, this is my answer to today’s prompt.

Daily writing prompt

What is the last thing you learned?

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