“Yuanderbunena!” Some of you may have heard this Tamil-sounding word uttered in amusement, frequently as an exclamation. Somehow this “word” is associated with our favourite Indian food, the roti prata. 😉
In fact, many years ago I came across some interesting Chinese characters on the sign board of a roti prata stall. This was at the Food Republic food court in Wisma Atria. I haven’t been back for a long while now, so I’m not sure if you can still find it (I mean the sign board).
The Chinese characters read “ 
”, which in pinyin is yuan2 de2 bu4 neng2 na2. This phrase literally means “so round, it’s hard to handle”, possibly alluding to how perfect they make their pratas. What an interesting play with words, crossing between the Chinese and Indian languages! They don’t call Singapore the multi-cultural melting pot for nothing, ya?
If you’ve read my earlier post “Tickled Pink, on Do-Re-Mi“, it was around the same time (afternoon of June 11th, 2011) that inspiration hit for both that Do-Re-Mi post and this one that I’m writing. I had just “set my mind up” to ponder my Do-Re-Mi lyrics when it (the mind) moved on to another song I thought was related — I’m not familiar with Broadway musicals and had assumed “Do-Re-Mi” came from “Mary Poppins”, the inspiration for this current post.
Of course, now I know better — “Do-Re-Me” is from “The Sound of Music” 😉 Yup, learning never stops…
Thinking about crispy pratas made me hungry. Thinking about the curries we dip them in made my mouth water. Since we already have a nice word (play) for prata, why not have one for the curry too? So I thought of food and Mary Poppins, and out came a play on “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” Hey, is this what “food for thought” really means? (pun intended, btw)
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious“ is listed as one of the longest English word, though it is actually coined and used just in the musical “Mary Poppins”. Well, now I’ve come up with a longer 40-letter word to better its 34 letters; and a play on its lyrics as well. It’s…
Dip your prata in it and you’ll find it tastes so scrumptious
Drink it all up, slurp if you must, don’t be so self conscious
Super curry, flavour is thick, spicy ah delicious!
Yum, dip a little, a little, dun dribble, ah
Yum, dip a little, a little, dun dribble, ah!
Yum, dip a little, a little, dun dribble, ah
Yum, dip a little, a little, dun dribble, ah!
Roti prata is so shiok, S’poreans can’t get enough
Jalan Kayu, Bedok North, Sin Ming Road is never far off
Some stalls make them so perfect, they are “yuanderbunena”
Take your pick, plain or exotic, you will fall in love with
Supercurryflavouristhickspicyahdelicious!
Wash it down with teh halia, and rinse your mouth good gracious
Check your breath before you speak, in case it’s halitotious! *
Super curry, flavour is thick, spicy ah delicious!
* Note: This line is borrowed from lyrics published on LyricsOnDemand.com. It is quoted for amusement only as it lends itself well to the context of eating roti prata, curry and spicy food. No copyright infringement is intended.
Yum, dip a little, a little, dun dribble, ah
Yum, dip a little, a little, dun dribble, ah!
Yum, dip a little, a little, dun dribble, ah
Yum, dip a little, a little, dun dribble, ah!
Well, doesn’t that make you hungry? What’s that rumble I heard? Is it borborygmus? Whatever it was, I gotta get my prata fix first thing tomorrow morning, ha ha.
So, we had a word for the prata, and now WittyCulus.com gives you a word for the curry. Next time when you hear someone exclaims “Yuanderbunena!”, flash your WittyCulus smile and simply say “Supercurryflavouristhickspicyahdelicious!” 😉
A Word on Intellectual Property Rights
I love my creation “Supercurryflavouristhickspicyahdelicious” so much that I will be a bit formal here. Please respect my IP and observe the following notice. Thanks plenty.
Copyright Notice: The word “Supercurryflavouristhickspicyahdelicious” and the phrase “Super curry, flavour is thick, spicy ah delicious” are original works of Mark Heng, created on June 11th, 2011. They are not to be used anywhere by anyone without prior permission. Any roti prata stalls, food court owners or other parties wishing to use either word or phrase for commercial purposes should contact me for a discussion — see my About page for contact details.
On a less serious note, feel free to tell your friends about this post and the Super..delicious word. Tweet it, Facebook it, etc and help spread the word around. Have a good laugh too.
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If you are curious how “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” sounds like, watch this video and listen to how Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke sang it. Well, it’s not pop, it’s Broadway. And look at those nifty dance moves…
Title: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Written by: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Sung by: Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke (in the 1964 film musical “Mary Poppins”)
Released by: Disney, 1964
