review
Why do Sinterklaas frogs actually wear a swimsuit? It is one of the questions that sent readers to NRC.Next and editor Juliette Vasterman and her team sought the answer. The newspaper had a question and answer section and a collection of episodes from that section was bundled in a booklet. And why do we say eh? These and more such questions have an answer. Obvious answers and surprising, open doors and eye openers.
Next Question
Have you ever wondered why the chocolate frogs that we see in the shops around Sinterklaas have a foil with a bathing suit print? Have you ever wanted to know how much horsepower a human actually has? Have you always wanted to know if Napoleon was really as small as is etched in our collective memory? These are a few examples of pressing questions that readers of NRC.Next sent to the editorial staff of the newspaper. The newspaper neatly publishes an answer to one of the questions received every day.
Juliette Vasterman
Coordinator of this column is Juliette Vasterman, who, prior to the publication of the booklet Why do we say eh?, processed the questions and answers for two years. The most colorful, exciting, interesting or funniest question was treated to an answer via the newspaper. The rubric was named Next Question. The hundred very best questions and answers were collected in the booklet.
Essential Life Questions About Frogs in Swimsuit
These are not essential life questions that are dealt with in the book, but they are fun facts. You can make a splash with it at a birthday visit or at the bar. Without grumbling, we accept the chocolate frogs in bathing suits. Who thinks about where this comes from? Judith Hovens from Amersfoort broke her head and sent the question. Why do they have bathing suits on? Isn’t it winter candy ??? The editorial team delved into candy history and ended up at the Zaanse Goedhart Suikerwerken factory. In the Zaans Museum there was another frog with an orange and white striped bathing suit dating from the 1960s. The museum curator suggested that the bathing suit should make the frog less scary, but he couldn’t explain it with certainty.
Pinkeltje
It could also be that Pinkeltje writer Dick Laan had a hand in spicing up the frog with a swimsuit. The question is not answered conclusively, but the suggestions are entertaining.
Why do we say …?
Yes, and why do we say eh now? Recently I had an interview for Omrop Fryslân radio. The reporter came by and we first chatted about the weather and journalism. In the middle of the conversation, the man announced that he was now going to turn on the recorder and without further introduction we ended up in the interview about the subject that it was actually about. As a result, the start of the interview was not as fluid as I had imagined and that made me feel a bit off my feet. As a result, the word often crept into my answers eh ?? . Should I have prepared better? Should I have practiced my story in front of the mirror? That might have helped. After listening to the recording I was a bit frustrated by it. That could have been better. That frustration is after reading the booklet Why do we say eh? all over.
Why do we make that sound?
Why do we make that sound ??? That asked Geert Limburg from Rotterdam. His question appeared in the newspaper and also in the booklet. And why are we actually making that sound? It is a sound that indicates that something else is coming, that you are thinking about the sequel. You give with eh indicates that you have not finished speaking yet. The sound is a sign that you want to keep the initiative. That is also the reason that people do not stop when they want to think for a moment, but the strings with the eh want to keep in your hands. It is a pause or hesitation sound, which is roughly the same in different countries but has nuances of differences. It is the easiest and fastest sound to produce.
Whoever says ‘eh’ opts for carefulness
The eh sound has a bad reputation; it is often associated with a lack of intelligence, but this is not true. At least that’s what the book says and I’d like to believe that. People who eh say choose their words carefully. They are not stupid at all, but thoughtful. In a next interview I will try, because of the smoother running of the sentences, a little less eh to say. I keep thinking, I keep thinking, I keep taking the initiative. If it does happen, if the ehafter all, I don’t worry about it anymore thanks to reading this booklet.
Why do we say eh ???
- Editorial Juliette Vasterman
- Publisher NRC Boeken / Nieuw Amsterdam
- ISBN 9789046815694