The Taiwanese don't use cooking molasses, so the phrase "slow as molasses in January" means nothing to them. But, many have their washing machines outside on their balconies. So the phrase "slow as liquid laundry detergent in February" should be easily relatable.
@babelcarp I don't know what that is, so it's the teacher who wouldn't understand that one.
@SlowRain It’s basically what the Japanese call miso. I wonder if for some reason it’s pretty much unknown in Taiwan? I think it’s widely used in the mainland, but I could be wrong.
@babelcarp OK. I've heard of Japanese miso, but I don't know if I've ever had it.
@SlowRain This afternoon, I was riding the subway telling my wife about our molasses conversation. I said I hadn’t seen a jar of molasses in a long time, and wondered if anyone keeps it around anymore.
The woman sitting on my other side said “I do.” She’s a big baked beans fan.
@babelcarp How rude to be talking to people you don't know while out in public. Don't you have smartphones you could bury yourself into & just ignore others around you like decent, modern human beings do? 😀
Seriously, though, molasses is hard to come by here. My mother used it in baking & in making whole-wheat bread. I think I remember getting a tablespoon once in a while when I was a kid, too. Not as often as cod liver oil, but occasionally. I think it was for iron or something.