Please click here for full Audio/Visual page -
The Power of Tuna Fish Salad
The Power of Tuna Fish Salad
I had just come back from a trip to the north. I'd had a wonderful trip. But, never-the-less, it was great to be back. My small flat in Vienna was a nice place to come home to. I paid off the taxi and took the lift up to my flat.
I opened the door. There was something waiting for me. Something I hadn't expected. And, it wasn't very nice. It was the worst ever smell I had ever, ever smelled! Something had gone very bad. I turned on the light. But, the light didn't work. I had no power at all. I went next door to my neighbour.
My neighbour Niki explained. It had happened the day I had left. My electronic alarm clock had gone off as usual with its terrible buzz at 6 in the morning. And, this terrible very loud buzz kept going and going - and soon the neighbours were desperate. They were very upset. Then Niki, my next-door neighbour, had an idea. Disconnect. And, that's what they did. With one screw of the fuse, my power was gone. There was silence. The very loud buzzing had stopped. The neighbours were happy and my loud buzzing alarm clock was quickly forgotten. And, then, 3 weeks later I was back. Niki screwed the fuse back and the power returned. The buzzing started again, This time no problem. But, there was the smell. It was dreadful.
It was the kitchen. I opened the fridge. There was the problem. The root of the smell. The fridge was full of black smelly mould.
When Niki turned off the power, the fridge had gone off as well. And, it was then that the tuna fish salad went into action. First, it went bad, then it decayed, then it went mouldy in a fine fury way, and then the mould spread. All round the inside of my fridge. My fridge was completely destroyed.
But, there is a funny side to this story as well. A kind of irony. This was the first time I had ever put food in my fridge. Only beer and wine until then. And, when I left for the north, I hadn't even thought of the fridge and the old tuna salad. But, I should have thought of the buzz. A stupid mistake. I had left home before the alarm was set to go off.
But, next time I knew better. I bought a new fridge, there was nothing else I could do. But, I never once used it for food. Food destroys fridges – and fridges cost money. Stick to that which you know – and – by way - don't forget your alarm – you might lose all that you have!
The power of tuna fish salad – the strongest salad there is.
Vocabulary
dreadful – furchtbar
disconnect - ausschalten
fuse – Sicherung
never-the-less – nicht desto weniger
power - Strom
root - Wurzel
trip - Reise
upset – enttäuscht
