F says phuh phuh phuh for FISH is how we were taught how to pronounce the sixth letter of the English alphabet.

We learnt many other words than fish that began with F, such as fantastic, fabulous, and fervent (you can look up the dictionary for more!), but there is nothing quite shocking about using the F Word. I remember the first time my Little People were taught to use the dictionary; they first looked up the F word. And whether they understood what the explanation was, I never asked, but they definitely felt that they had crossed the Rubicon and figured out what the adults meant when they used the F word.

This reminded me of the days when Prima Donna and Anna Shetty were themselves little people; the cousins had got together for their summer holidays. The kids were all talking among themselves when Hubby Dear came into the room and asked if any of them knew what the “F’ Word was. All of them were shocked at this question. They didn’t know whether they were supposed to say yes or no. They all giggled in embarrassment and glanced at one another, wondering what to do.

The littlest of them, who was all of 4 and hadn’t yet learned subtlety, put up his hand and shouted F*** while the others let their jaws drop in admiration, shock, and awe. Hubby Dear was not surprised. In fact, he was vindicated in telling us that the kids knew more than we thought they really did.

“F” word for the new age

Unfortunately, F*** has become the only forbidden word associated with the letter F. However, several other words beginning with this letter are now equally taboo. FAT, for instance, is associated more with body shaming than a cooking medium. Calling a person FAT can lead to a lawsuit, especially when the term is used to describe a woman (and more so by a MAN).

Another “F” word that has gained notoriety as undesirable or unpopular is FOOD. It’s a shame how no one eats FOOD anymore. Indeed, they eat carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, micro nutrients, minerals , fibre and of course the forbidden word F A Ts.

Whatever happened to good old fashioned meals where one ate real food like potatoes, vegetables, fruit and meat. Where one drank water that was plain water and not water that was alkaline or acidic?

Well, for FEAR of finding more F words that are unsuitable for use in polite society, I will stop looking for them.

to end with

Yesterday I saw a delightful movie, “Wicked Little Letters”, on Netflix. a movie set in the early 1900s in post-war Britain. Rose, a pretty, young widow, is accused of sending hateful, poisonous pen letters to her neighbour Gradually, everyone in the village receives such letters and ultimately the case catches the attention of the entire nation. Based on a true story that actually happened in the seaside town of Littlehampton, the language used makes the “F” word pale in comparison. With brilliant acting by Olivia Colman as the spinster neighbour and Jessie Buckley as Rose, this movie is definitely worth watching.

Ciao,