Bread, porridge and soup

Welcome to another edition of SoundCzech, Radio Prague’s language course in which you can learn new phrases with the help of song lyrics. Today we will look at some popular Czech sayings revolving around food – with the help of a song by the group Kamelot called Dvě kůrky.

Dvě kůrky means two crusts and refers to the popular Czech saying “všude je chleba o dvou kůrkách”– literally meaning “everywhere bread has two crusts” – which implies that life, with its ups and downs, is pretty much the same wherever you go. Another phrase that’s often used to convey the same message is “nikde nelétají pečení holubi do pusy” or “nowhere do roast pigeons land in your mouth”.

There are quite a few Czech sayings that have to do with food – mostly basic foodstuffs – such as bread, soup or porridge. If you hear someone say “přihřívá si vlastní polívčičku”– he’s warming up his own soup – it means he’s using an opportunity to bring into play his own interests. “Chodit kolem horké kaše” means to walk around hot porridge – in other words to circle around a sensitive subject because one fears to come to the point. And there is “kaše se nikdy nejí tak horká jak se uvaří” which means a porridge is never eaten as hot as it is cooked – a phrase that is used to comfort people about a problem or quarrel –in other words emotions will cool down and things will look brighter in time.

There are also a number of phrases to do with cooking “kdo si co uvaří – to si taky sní” means – as you cook it you will have to eat it - and is just another version the saying “kdo jak si ustele, tak si lehne”– as you make your bed…you must lie on it. “Vařit z vody”– is one of my favorite sayings because it means to produce something out of nothing or very little – as we often do during the silly season. And of course there is the proverbial cherry on the cake – “třešnička na dortu”. And I will now leave you in peace to digest all that. Until next time this is Daniela Lazarová saying thanks for learning Czech with me and na shledanou.