heatiness
n.— «Ron-Nai is what the Chinese call “re-qi” which is roughtly translated as “heatiness” which is a term widely used by Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese.…Food that is typically known as “heaty” will include fried food, food high in fat content and certain fruits such as Jack-fruit. Heatiness will cover a whole spectrum of symptoms from indigestion, mouth ulcers and feelling febrile. It may also cause halithosis. The opposite spectrum is “cooling” food which includes fruits such as water-melon and a variety of herbs to counter heatiness such as Chrysantemum tea, etc. Too much cooling food may cause cough and abdominal pain.» —“Re: What does “Ron nai” translate to” by “kan”
Further reading
Kelly from Butte, Montana, recalls that when a few morsels remained at the end of a meal, her grandmother would say, Make it a nice day tomorrow, meaning everyone should eat all their food. A version used by a childhood friend’s family was Make it a...
Martha from Tallahassee, Florida, remembers hearing older relatives announce they were going for their constitutional, a term that traces back to Latin constitutio, meaning “character,” “disposition,” “nature,” or “the essence of a thing.” Its...