Netherlands fishmongers accuse herring-tasters of erring
economist.com
economist.com
>Smell them and weep
>herring-tasters of erring
>the Dutch were shocked when accusations surfaced in November that there was something rotten about the national herring test
>Mr Vollaard’s study has blown the lid off the sealed world of Dutch herring.
>Fishmongers [...] now say the test is rotten.
>The judge and Atlantic say they have been smeared, and that the statistical evidence is a red herring.
>But the charges [...] have left the test’s reputation for impartiality gutted.
Interestingly, that same newspaper (AD) also runs another highly popular test about: oliebollen (fried snack mostly eaten on or just before New Year's eve). Being first (or even top 5) on that test means huge queues (loads of customers).
From what I read about that test it's a blind test. Meaning: the testers do not know where an "oliebol" is from. It's quite strange that there's such a big difference in the setup of these tests.
AD also has a test for fries. No clue how that test is setup (blind test or not). I tried a place they rated a 9 score and it was good, but was NOT worth a 9.
We went to try the worst-tested place when we happened to be in the area, and _those_ were genuinely terrible.
> "Mr Vollaard’s study has blown the lid off the sealed world of Dutch herring. Fishmongers who long suspected the judge of bias towards Atlantic now say the test is rotten."
No puns there.
> "But the charges of belangenverstrengeling (conflict of interest) have left the test’s reputation for impartiality gutted."
Wait, is the definition of "pun" just that you're using words with a double meaning? Rhyming "funny" in place of the original word isn't the main example of the art?
> "No food is more loved."
Okay, I haven't been to the Netherlands in like 400 years, but I know this isn't true.
-Blown the lid - Herring comes in caskets
-Gutted - obviously fish-related
Pretty smart writing!
^ So to be clear... That wasn't me making a pun, right?
Though, anecdotally, I've seen the type of wordplay you demonstrate referred to as a pun among English speakers in South East Asia. Where do you hail from?
I must admit to feigning confusion about the definition of puns; I was keying into the original commenter's complaint that the author was trying too hard on the pun front. So I quoted examples of what I thought were exemplary wordplay (i.e. not particularly forced puns).
A hyperbole perhaps, but it is very popular here.
> […]and accompanied with a pickle.
I think that's just in Amsterdam. Chopped onion is pretty much standard though.
And I concur : there’s a lot more truth to the supposed popularity of the herring than of, say, clogs or tulips.
Source: born in Amsterdam.
How? That does not rhyme at all (unless my english sucks that much).
Yes, that’s pretty much by definition a pun (though it’s usually required to be topical). For instance, Google gives us:
“a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.”
I don't have a cat anymore so I don't really miss reading newspapers.
For the uninitiated this is the best way to eat them, as it is effectively Dutch sushi.
Some people still like it with onions though, but I'd prefer without (and also without pickle)
Instead of going for the volume deal like 4 for price of 3 I recommend to eat one with bread and water. Else they're too salty and you'll be thirsty or get stomach issues. YMMV.
[1] "onion and sour with it?" where sour means pickles.