Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Bezeq, Repairs, and Yum Bum Bum- Part Three

So, on to the last part. I had just moved into my new apartment, and with new places come new sounds. I mean, have you ever stayed alone in a new place and heard the house creaking? There are plumbing drips, wood creaks, and all sorts of other sounds. Plus, an apartment means that you have to get used to the neighbors' sounds also.

So, when I heard one of those loudspeaker cars (the cars that drive around to announce funerals or events that need to be taken care of on that day- a quick way to get the news out) saying "Yum Bum Bum", I ignored it at first. But it kept bugging me, as he meandered his way up and down my block, repeating those same three syllables over and over again.

So, I dragged NBD outside with me, and saw a group of kids milling around near the parked car. I asked my neighbor what they were gathering for- and she replied with those same three syllables.

Now, by this time I was quite curious. So, I asked. "What is Yum Bum Bum?" She replied, "You mean to tell me you don't know what Yum Bum Bum is?"

So I answered in the negative, and she started describing it to me. "You know the candy where sugar is poured into a big machine and comes out in fluffs?"

And it dawned on me.
"Cotton candy? That's what Yum Bum Bum is?" She nodded yes. So, this guy drives around and sells cotton candy, freshly made, to the neighborhood children. Rather cute- but at least I got an education in Modern Hebrew.

Any other fun words in Hebrew I should know about?

4 comments:

itsagift said...

Sounds like the kind of word it should be! Yum! Bum, bum - the noise of the cotton candy machine going around and around!!

corner point said...

I thought cotton candy was called Sa'arot Savta....


Oh, and what are Yunkers?

nmf #7 said...

Itsagift- I never thought of that- so nice!

Corner Point- I didn't know about that either. Maybe Yum Bum Bum is slang?

Yunkers or Junkers in English, is the private hot water heating system used by Israelis. If your dud shemesh (the solar hot water heater on your roof) is not working (like mine) or not available (like in winter), then the Yunkers is the electrical system that you can use to heat the water instead. Some say it costs the same amount as the solar panels, so they use it all the time. I'm using it until I can figure out what's wrong with my dud.

Keelay said...

you got it
It's probably a dud.

;)