a poll!

My vocabulary is expanding since I've moved up here to northern New Hampshire. I'm going to a Christmas party next weekend and we're doing a Yankee Swap. What the heck is that? I had to ask. Something like a Chinese Auction? Everyone in the room looked at me blankly. A what? they said.

In another instance, today as I was leaving the cafeteria (I have an early break so I grabbed a bite of breakfast), I saw the lunchlady put up the menu board for today. At the top of the board was listed: Chinese Pie w/salad. What is Chinese pie, I asked her, all curious about this new item I'd never heard of before. Shephard's pie, she answered. Oh, okay. I know what that is.

We speak the same language, but sometimes we're barely able to understand one another. So, it's time for a poll.


[Poll #627204]

follow up

For those of you who weren't familiar with either of the names for the things I mentioned:

Yankee swap (chinese auction) -- everyone brings a gift and they are all piled on a table or other surface, and each person gets a number through a random drawing of some sort. Whoever has number one, picks a gift, opens it and everyone sees what it is. Person number two can choose a gift off the table, or the already opened gift, etc, until the last person goes. He/she can choose whichever gift he/she wants. The details may differ slightly when run by different people, but that's the jist of it.

Sheppard's pie (chinese pie) -- a dish made of beef and vegetables, covered with mashed potatoes. Mm, yummy!