Don’t Chew Cabbage Twice

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, this is Jo Piazza. I’m calling from Chicago, Illinois.

Oh, welcome to the program.

Hi, Jo.

Thank you.

What’s going on?

Yeah, I was listening up in Wisconsin, in my old hometown, Boston, Wisconsin, and I heard you and I thought, oh, I have to get in with my little old saying that we used to do.

Oh, yeah, let’s hear it.

I don’t chew my cabbage twice.

I don’t chew my cabbage twice?

That’s right.

How many times do you chew your cabbage?

Once. That’s it.

Once.

When do you say that?

And basically, it’s sad when somebody asks you to repeat what you said.

Hey, I don’t chew my cabbage twice.

So you say it with a certain amount of indignant…

Oh, not too mean.

Just a little bit of sadness.

Just matter of fact.

Okay.

Okay.

I don’t chew my cabbage twice.

I don’t know that one very well.

Well, a lot of people do say it, and I don’t chew my cabbage twice means I’m not going to repeat it, right?

Exactly.

I’ve said it. I’m not going to say it again.

Yeah.

You know, it’s very interesting.

In antiquity, there were a lot of adages about cabbage, and specifically cabbage cooked twice.

I, yes.

Yes. I did Google up a bit because this got me thinking, hey, where did it come from?

And I didn’t see that. I don’t cook my cabbage twice, I guess.

Yeah. Yeah. And with good reason.

In antiquity, they used to serve cabbage at banquets because supposedly it prevented drunkenness.

But when it was cooked a second time, it was supposedly so smelly and awful that it caused nausea.

And so there was a saying that translated as twice cabbage is death.

And in fact, yeah, in Juvenile, in one of his satires, he’s saying that nobody pays poets and artists and teachers properly for their work.

And so that to make a living, they have to deal with what he calls crambe repetita, which is twice cooked cabbage.

Oh, my goodness.

And it makes them miserable.

Oh.

So I’m wondering if there’s a connection there.

Fascinating.

It’s possible, you know, it turns out that in the early 1900s, in a book of Proverbs, there are a couple of Proverbs that are very similar.

A good tale is not the worst for being twice told, is one meaning.

But also, a tale twice told is cabbage twice sold.

Another one, no sweetness in a cabbage twice boiled or in a tale twice told.

Oh, this is so interesting.

So cabbage figures largely from, how far back does Juvenal go?

Antiquity, ancient Rome.

Thousands of years then.

Yeah.

Amazing.

Well, I may haul it out and surprise my associates here.

But only once?

Just once.

Well, we’re glad to help you. I hope that helped.

It sure does. I appreciate it, and it’s fun to hear about it. Yeah, thank you.

Well, you’re welcome, and please call us again sometime, Jo.

I have no doubt I will.

Thank you. Bye-bye.

Bye.

Thank you.

877-929-9673. Email words@waywordradio.org.