karafindl

(Translation, Yugoslavia)

The piece of tavern furniture, which appears in any eatery here. It's a holder for the four little vessels - the oil and vinegar for the salad, the salt and pepper shakers, and toothpicks. Some rare versions include a slot for extra serviettes, but generally the food should be served with enough of them on the table, and they do block the view if upright.

The word was kind of confusing to me when I heard it (in 2016, rather late, eh?), because the -findl sounds so german, and the kara- prefix is turkish (black-).

Then burundi came to the rescue, someone there knew that this is the carafe holder, and the austrohungarian gentry just had to invent a diminutive word for it, like they did so often.

Now all of rasejani, including some kids, know the word and use it whenever they can (i.e. ask the waiter to bring it if not there).

Of course, we also have our own as well (... 38 words...)

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Mentions: august 1976., 15-II-2013., 15-VII-2017., 15-VII-2018., 21-VIII-2023., 12-X-2023., burundi, rasejani, in serbian