Thread: еда и пища

What's the difference between the 2, and when do you one instead of the other?
Спасибо.

I think еда is more concrete, and пища is more common (~abstract) concept.

I can't remember when I used the word пища the last time.

Originally Posted by Оля

I think еда is more concrete, and пища is more common (~abstract) concept.

I can't remember when I used the word пища the last time.

Came across an interesting idiom:
Щи да каша, пища наша.
Do you like your 'щи и каша' that much?

Originally Posted by tohca

Came across an interesting idiom:
Щи да каша, пища наша.
Do you like your 'щи и каша' that much?

Don't understand idioms that much literally.

By the way, щи is a very good thing. Каша can be various, but it's health-giving. In the mornings.

Пища is more official. You can find it in newspapers, on TV, in some official reports, etc while еда is a word normal people use.

I think I can figure out what щи is, but not too sure about каша. We do have porridge here too, but it is usually made of rice and an assortment of things depending on one's taste.

Originally Posted by tohca

I think I can figure out what щи is, but not too sure about каша. We do have porridge here too, but it is usually made of rice and an assortment of things depending on one's taste.

Каша is basically cereals (any kind of edible grain) boiled in water or milk. It can be made of semolina, buckwheat, rice, corn, oats, millet, etc.

By the way what's the difference between gruel and porridge?

Originally Posted by Ramil

Пища is more official. You can find it in newspapers, on TV, in some official reports, etc while еда is a word normal people use.

Thanks for clarifying the usage of пища.
By the way, what does "стриптиз по-русски" mean? Is it the same as "гллять по-русски"?

Originally Posted by Ramil

Originally Posted by tohca

I think I can figure out what щи is, but not too sure about каша. We do have porridge here too, but it is usually made of rice and an assortment of things depending on one's taste.

Каша is basically cereals (any kind of edible grain) boiled in water or milk. It can be made of semolina, buckwheat, rice, corn, oats, millet, etc.

By the way what's the difference between gruel and porridge?

Porridge for us Asians is almost always made of rice, boiled till it expands and softens. Sometimes we take it straight, sometimes we spice it up with whatever we can lay our hands on and boil them all together. Then it's more like gruel. However, we call it congee. Gruel has a rather unpalatable connotation.

Originally Posted by tohca

Originally Posted by Ramil

Пища is more official. You can find it in newspapers, on TV, in some official reports, etc while еда is a word normal people use.

Thanks for clarifying the usage of пища.
By the way, what does "стриптиз по-русски" mean? Is it the same as "гллять по-русски"?

Russian Striptease - I slowly take off all the responsibility from myself.

Originally Posted by Ramil

Russian Striptease - I slowly take off all the responsibility from myself.

It's like what we call 'playing Tai Chi' in this part of the world. Yes, it's derived from the Chinese martial art, but twisted to mean avoiding blame or responsibility to oneself.

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by tohca

Came across an interesting idiom:
Щи да каша, пища наша.
Do you like your 'щи и каша' that much?

Don't understand idioms that much literally.

Guys, this is a PROVERB! A big difference.

This proverb is just reflecting a fact that bread and cabbage soup for centuries were essential foods for peasantry. No fancy foreign potatoes, tomatoes, rice, etc. at the time, remember? Bread also had a sacred and ritualistic meaning.
Nowadays many dislike 'kashas', but bread still goes almost with every meal.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by tohca

Came across an interesting idiom:
Щи да каша, пища наша.
Do you like your 'щи и каша' that much?

Don't understand idioms that much literally.

Guys, this is a PROVERB! A big difference.

This proverb is just reflecting a fact that bread and cabbage soup for centuries were essential foods for peasantry. No fancy foreign potatoes, tomatoes, rice, etc. at the time, remember? Bread also had a sacred and ritualistic meaning.
Nowadays many dislike 'kashas', but bread still goes almost with every meal.

Thanks. Sorry for the wrong interpretation. So when would one use a proverb like "щи да каша, пища наша"?

Originally Posted by tohca

Thanks. Sorry for the wrong interpretation. So when would one use a proverb like "щи да каша, пища наша"?

Nothing to be sorry about. Actually there's a difference between "пословица" and "поговорка" (I guess they are both translated as 'proverb'). "Щи да каша, пища наша" is most likely a "поговорка". And like many "pogovorkas" (standard sayings,which, unlike "poslovitsas", don't give any advice or don't have a moral) it's said without any clear purpose, just to fill the gap in coversation.

This one is rather rare, for example, you can say it jokingly (both approvingly or disapprovingly) when sitting at the table and eating kasha... Really, I can't think of anything else right now.
It's also widely used at different culinary sites as a catch phrase, but that's all.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by tohca

Came across an interesting idiom:
Щи да каша, пища наша.
Do you like your 'щи и каша' that much?

Don't understand idioms that much literally.

Guys, this is a PROVERB! A big difference. :roll:

It's a SAYING not a proverb :)

Originally Posted by net surfer

It's a SAYING not a proverb

I used a 'proverb', because I'm not sure the native English speaker will see the difference. But I explained it later. In many words, risking to bore everybody.

Загляни в словарь. ))) Там и для пословицы, и для поговорки дается одинаковый перевод: proverb, saying (как синонимы). Из чего я заключаю, что разница сия ими не очень ощущается.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by net surfer

It's a SAYING not a proverb :)

I used a 'proverb', because I'm not sure the native English speaker will see the difference.

They do :P

Code:

Steve: proverbs are sort of wise smart things
Steve: and saying are just common phrases

But I explained it later. In many words, risking to bore everybody. :lol:

Sorry I didnt notice that. You're rigth it was too many words lol

Загляни в словарь. ))) Там и для пословицы, и для поговорки дается одинаковый перевод: proverb, saying (как синонимы). Из чего я заключаю, что разница сия ими не очень ощущается.

I did looked it up long time ago and did it right now specially for you :)

proverb - a short well-known statement that gives advice or expresses something that is generally true

saying - a well-known short statement that expresses an idea most people believe is true and wise

The only difference I feel between "proverb" and "saying" is that we don't call things "proverbs" very often. Usually we just say, "There's a saying," or "We have a saying..." (поговорка?)
Proverbs are sayings, but I think people usually save the word for sayings that are more weighty and wise -- like the Bible book. (пословица? though I know it's Притчи in the Bible).

PS - Sayings give advice like proverbs, but, perhaps, not quite as directly, and simpler. For example, "A stitch in time saves nine." It doesn't directly give advice, but you are meant to take a lesson from it. That is, that you should do things as soon as possible because it will save you trouble later.

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

The only difference I feel between "proverb" and "saying" is that we don't call things "proverbs" very often.

Что и требовалось доказать!

net surfer, никакие цитаты из толковых словарей не изменят факта, что для многих нейтив спикеров "saying" и "proverb" - одно и то же (что и отражено в двуязычных словарях). А толковые словари читают далеко не все.

Так что приходится описательно, если хочешь, чтобы человек наверняка тебя понял. Воть. :P

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

PS - Sayings give advice like proverbs, but, perhaps, not quite as directly, and simpler. For example, "A stitch in time saves nine." It doesn't directly give advice, but you are meant to take a lesson from it. That is, that you should do things as soon as possible because it will save you trouble later.

I believe "A stitch in time saves nine" is a proverb, and it does give an advice after all. I think that the main difference is that proverbs have a clear moral statement (what you should or should not to do, what's right and what's wrong, etc.). Sayings often don't do that. For example, the saying about "щи" is a mere statement of a fact. It even can change it's moral apprising (whether it's good or bad) depending on the intonation of the speaker.

In Russian long proverbs often 'lose' their ending and in this (short) form they become 'sayings'. In these cases the line between proverbs and sayings much more subtle, almost non-existent.

For example, there's a saying 'Голод - не тетка' (Hunger is not your aunt). The meaning is obvious (to Russian speaker), but it doesn't actualy teaches us something or represents some century-old wisdom.
But the original proverb does: "Голод не тетка, пирожка не поднесет". (Maybe it's not the best example, both proverb and saying are not very 'teaching', but still )

PS. Oh, I came up with a better pair:
"Не плюй в колодец" - a saying
"Не плюй в колодец - пригодится воды напиться" - a proverb