Presidio Sentinel San
Diego, May, 2015
By
Laura Walcher
Oh,
c’mon, columnist Nicholas Kristoff, don’t go using words like “heuristic,” thinking
that we who consider ourselves highly literate know what it means. Abbreviated,
here’s his sentence: “A leader of
a prominent internet company…told me that the firm regards admission to Harvard
as a useful heuristic of talent ….”
It’s
possible that grade-school kids get “heuristic” in spelling bees, but by the
time the competition comes along, the winners will surely have studied the
dictionary, which declares the word an adjective meaning, ”encouraging the student to discover for himself or herself.”
Is
this mystery word – and others - something to consider as the San Diego Council
on Literacy’s (SDCOL) May 13th,
“Eat. Drink. Read.” event is nearly upon us? The fact is, nearly every day we are presented with new
challenges to our literate selves.
What - ? You don’t know
what “Mupload,” “Deligious,” or “Cray Cray,” mean? Sorry, but you are about to be sidelined in conversational
America.
New
products constantly test our understanding. For instance, do not, no, do not go expecting to find your
usual bottled water in the market, nor try asking for it in your favorite
restaurant. Water’s gotten
complicated. Now, you must be literate enough to read all labels carefully, so
that you enjoy their claims of health and happiness. Artichoke Water. Cactus Water. Flower Water. Almond Water. Maple Water. Watermelon Water. Birch-Tree Water. Rose Water. And if you have bodily inflammation,
you may have to further investigate the claims of “Turmeric Water,” which
proposes that “curcumin,” its essential ingredient, helps.
The
Literacy Council, understandably, must be on the lookout for how we comprehend,
and how we communicate. The
organization promotes language literacy, for all stages of illiteracy, plus all
ESL learners. “The more words you
know, the better you comprehend what you read,” says SDCOL’s Jose Cruz. “The
foundation for comprehension is something called ‘oracy’ which is, in simple
terms, “language literacy. ” As our key word person, Mr. Cruz really, he says, “ … likes when
we develop a new idea and find a
name for it that is sufficiently descriptive. For instance, I’ve liked
term ‘classic rock.’ It expertly describes the rush of ground-breaking music
from the Sixties that became the soundtrack for a great cultural shift.”
(The SDCOL’s Cody
Morris, searching for clarity and permanence, might be taking his work…too
seriously. He has memorialized his
loves, life, his credos in his highly literate tattoos: “Live life like the Captain of a
Sinking Ship. “ “No matter what, I
keep my dreams and never get fed up.” Tats on his various body parts also
include his mom, dad, sisters and pet dog. The important people in Cody’s life - save his dog - must also be avid, and
appreciative readers. )
Come to “Eat.Drink.Read.
A Culinary Event for Literacy,” armed with new comprehension: MUPLOAD means
uploading text or photos to social media with a mobile electronic device. CRAY CRAY refers to someone whose craziness
has gone to a whole new level. DELIGIOUS means food or drink so delicious that
in inspires a religious experience.
“Eat. Drink. Read.” will celebrate literacy,
to be sure, and entice you with pairings of creative delicacies, inspired by a
favorite book, from 21 restaurants and more than a dozen drink purveyors. You’ll
find the experience absolutely …deligious. ###
Tickets, information
for “EAT.DRINK.READ.” may be had by visiting www.EATDRINKREAD.com. The event
benefits the
San Diego Council on
Literacy.
