Crème Moitié-Moitié!
My sweet husband has some strange ways of communicating. If you know him, you will agree whole heartedly. If you are married to a VanDyk, you are likely living the same reality that I am. I have learned to adapt to some of these ways well, and to others, Dan has been forced to adapt because I go into 'shut down' mode.
Maybe this is a male thing but I am assuming that it is a 'Dan' or a 'VanDyk' thing. I'm not even sure how to describe it...perhaps and example is best.
We could be eating supper and Dan might need the ketchup. Instead of saying “Mel, could you please pass the ketchup?” he will say “Can I have the pickle juice”. I automatically reach for the ketchup, pass it to him and wait for his “yep” to affirm that I got it right. Sounds confusing but I think I've mastered it. I basically reach for whatever is closest to me and if I get it right the first time, I feel quite content, and if I'm wrong it becomes a process of trial and error.
Another thing VanDyk men do, is scream strange things randomly. Out of the blue they will say a new phrase or word that they think is cool, look to each other for confirmation and burst into raucous laughter. They all think it's very funny; I usually have missed the joke. Although, I have been affected slightly by this as I manged to give them a word to get glee from. The word is 'surprise' spoken with a Dutch accent (putting the emphasis on the 'SU', leaving out the first 'r', small emphasis on the 'p', rolling the second 'r' and changing the 's' to a 'zzz' ). It's a satisfying thing to say, and I'll be that you have just tried it and now have a smile on your face. Go ahead, say it! SU-PRRRIZE!
One random thing that Dan used to say while making coffee was “Crème de Moitié-Moitié!”. It used to make me smile and I assumed it was just a made up phrase. However, one day as I was making coffee (and probably spewing the phrase with a grin on my face) I noticed the words on the cream carton! I thought I was seeing things. It turned out, my husband was actually speaking French! WOW! He added a 'de' but that just means he was making it more French, right?
The words no longer appear on the cream carton-they have changed it to 'Crème 10%'. Boring and subsequently, my husband does not shout “Crème 10%”. But I bet, if I pointed out to him that the French side also states 'Toujours Fraîche' he might find some delight in that phrase. Since the lovely 'Crème Moitié-Moitié' is no longer printed on the carton, I do not have the pleasure of hearing it spoken by my husband. Truth be told, I miss it.
Do you have any quirky communication stories to share? Please feel free to leave them in the comment box.
Here is a picture of the old carton:
(Dare I admit, that it took me over 5 years of marriage and 2 years of dating to finally see those words on the carton?!)
