I love to learn, especially when what I'm learning is practical and meaningful. And, also, being from England, I love Indian food. Most people who are not from England think of English food as boring, or that we only eat fish and chips, or roast beef. Tut-tut. Oh, those stereotypes can be so wrong. For a very long time, our national dish in England has been curry, which, yes, is absolutely Indian. In fact, there are more than 10,000 Indian restaurants in England. We're crazy about the spicy, rich food. And if you know your history(1), you will know that the English-Indian connection comes from the days when India was a British colony. Well, a few weeks ago, when I was having dinner in the only Indian restaurant in Wenatchee, I saw a poster there advertising Indian cooking classes. I quickly signed up. So, yesterday, I and about fifteen other people turned up at the house of the restaurant owners. We were each given a booklet(2) of recipes. Deedee, the master chef, did all of the cooking while we stood around and took notes. Her house filled with the smells of garlic, ginger, coriander, and masala. One by one(3), we had samples of each dish. The four hour class went by fast, and I drove home imagining myself producing these dishes for my family. The first thing that I'm going to make for them will be chicken curry, with cream and coconut milk. I can already smell it!

1. 'If you know your history'. This is an interesting phrase because of the word 'your'. The phrase doesn't  mean 'your own' history at all. What it means is 'the history that you should have learned', or 'the history that you should remember.'

a. If you know your history, you'll remember that the West of the United States was settled only about 150 years ago.

2. 'A booklet' is a small, paper book that is usually only a few pages long. The suffix 'let' indicates that it is small.

a. My new vacuum cleaner came with a booklet of instructions.

b. The local council produced a booklet about the statues in the local parks.

3. 'One by one' is like saying 'one at a time', but its use is more 'storybookish'. 'One at a time' is also used as a command, when you're telling people to take turns.

a. One by one the children stepped into the dark, abandoned building.

b. We let the balloons go, and one by one they floated up into the sky, their colors shining brightly against the blue.

 

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