on an open fire

It's crazy how the brain works.

We all know the Christmas song glorifying the "chestnuts roasting on an open fire," right? When I saw chestnuts for sale today at the grocery store, I thought, "I have never had roasted chestnuts! I should but some and roast them in my fireplace!" And I did.

As I sat cracking my chestnuts, I realized that somehow I had forgotten two winters in Japan during which time chestnuts were a frequent snack. How did I not remember this? I'm going to surmise on some neurology here, but I think my memories concerning chestnuts were connected not to the word "chestnut," but it's Japanese counterpart, "kuri." Since I first ate chestnuts in Japan, I associated them with the new word I learned to describe them - "kuri." When I think of "chestnuts," my mind finds no related experience.

But perhaps, I have it all wrong. My chestnuts today did not turn out like kuri. Maybe they aren't the same thing at all.