Winning Words 3/17/10
“Soft words butter no parsnips, and they won’t harden the heart of the cabbage, either.” (Irish Proverb sent by Irish friend, AM) The basic meaning, as I see it, is that words alone aren’t always enough to remedy troubled relationships. BTW, I wonder how many of you have ever tasted parsnips. When I was growing up we used to refer to the minister’s house as the parsnip. Ha Ha ;-) Jack

FROM PRJM IN MICHIGAN: Top o' the mornin' to you -- and the rest of the day, too!

FROM HS IN MICHIGAN: Parsnips are great! They're often found at the Passover seder meal!

FROM MF IN MICHIGAN: Top of the mornin Jack. I have tasted parsnips, only recently for the first time , our good friend MK put them in a stew. Now I eat them all the time. Delicious when roasted with other root vegetables. FROM JACK: Let's see....Is Flynn, Irish?

FROM DC IN MICHIGAN: I had parsnips last night in the corned beef and cabbage I made for supper. FROM JACK: Sounds good.

FROM ML IN ILLINOIS: i use the phrase, "show your love", to evoke the behavior of sorry or remorse. btw...i love parsnips!

FROM MT IN PENNSYLVANIA: ah yes...parsnips. when done right, one of the tastiest vegetables of all! FROM JACK: I'm surprised at the number of people who know of them...and eat them.

FROM KR IN MICHIGAN: I love parsnips! They are the secret ingredient to my soups... makes the broth very sweet! FROM JACK: So....you're a gourmet cook?

FROM L IN ILLINOIS: Parsnips are one of my favorites, sliced and sauteed in butter with garlic and mushrooms. FROM JACK: So, another parsnip fan!

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Even cabbage can be softened with water. I don't remember if I have ever had parsnips. Probably as we had a huge garden with all kinds of veggies, 5 different fruit trees, and even got fresh eggs from a home down the street...in Harper Woods growing up. Are you wearing your orange today? We always wore orange on St. Patty's Day.... FROM JACK: I used to wear orange to "bug" and Irish friend of mine.

FROM JN IN MICHIGAN: My dad liked fried parsnips. Fried in butter, of course. He was German, English, and Scottish, but he liked the concept of St. Patrick's Day and celebrated mightily. FROM JACK: We all have our favorite tastes.

FROM PO IN MICHIGAN: Nope, have never tasted a parsnip. How about kohlrabi? --- Hamburg (MI, near Pinckney) has a kohlrabi festival every summer. FROM JACK: Kohlrabi? Never heard of it.

FROM MO IN ILLINOIS: My mother loved parsnips, and fixed them at least once a month, WITH Butter... They weren't my favorites, but were "doable". This saying is a conundrum to me! I guess we can surmise at will!

FROM LP IN MICHIGAN: The cafeteria in my building makes some very yummy parsnips. In case there are unsure diners, the cook handed out little spoon taste samples like you would see at the local ice-cream parlor.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: Why did you call the minister's house a parsnip? FROM JACK: It was a take-oof on the word, parsonage, the house where the parson lived.

FROM HR IN MICHIGAN: Parsnips are what we use in our Chicken Soup stock, as part of a vegetable array in our roast chicken along with turnips, potatoes,onions and rutabaga and most recently I had a parsnip strudel as part of a dinner entree. FROM JACK: Sounds "interesting."

FROM CS IN WISCONSIN: We eat them often at our house – in soups, mixed with carrots or by themselves! We love them! FROM JACK: I'm surprised by how many people eat and like parsnips.