August 24, 2005
Help Name Butterstick!
Help name the baby panda something else besides Butterstick, unfortunately...the National Zoo has posted a contest on their web site that anybody can participate in: a naming contest for the zoo's newest addition. Unfortunately the moniker Butterstick, a nickname that was popularized in these very pages and promoted throughout the blogosphere, is not an option. Surprisingly. What you can choose from follows:
Hua Sheng (hwah-SHUNG), means China Washington, magnificent
Sheng Hua (SHUNG-hwah), means Washington China, magnificent
Tai Shan (tie-SHON), means peaceful mountain
Long Shan (lone-SHON), means dragon mountain
Qiang Qiang (chee-ONG chee-ONG), means strong, powerful
Hmm. What's the deal with "China Washington" or "Washington China"? And why isn't there an option for "Adorable Roly Poly One"? Anyways, voting will continue until September 30, with the winning name announced in October. Additionally, one participant will be chosen for an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. - which may not seem so exciting to readers of this site, but, BUT: you also get a "private, up-close" visit with the pandas. Sign us up.
UPDATE: Those who love democracy can vote for a list of options, including Butterstick, right here. We're not sure exactly how it works, but it's nifty indeed. Let freedom reign!
Image courtesy of the National Zoo
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Maybe they could call it China China China China.
Since we're borrowing from Heller and all.
Butterstick-enabled survey here.
We need to start a butterstick revolution. Let's all of us go to the FONZ fundraiser tonight at the zoo -- which features a lot of beer mind you -- and talk up naming the new panda child Butterstick rather than magnificent Washington China (which really is just awful).
Again, the Chinese don't eat butter!
Second, the first two names suggested by the National Zoo, Hua Sheng and Sheng Hua, don't *actually* mean China Washington and Washington China, respectively.
"Washington" in Mandarin Chinese is pronounced "hua sheng dun," so I don't know why the Zoo thinks an abbreviation will work. To their credit, the character "hua" can also stand for the formal word for China. But this dumbing down of subtle Chinese puns doesn't seem to be working so well with the American masses.
I have a friend from Hong Kong who likes butter with jelly on his toast. And another friend from Taiwan who puts it on bread at restaurants.
Andrew, what Chinese food has butter, milk, or cheese in it?
Pizza.
http://www.pizzahut.com.cn
-WC
Who cares if the Chinese eat butter! The proposed names are completely nonsensical anyway. The proposed names are just bizarre (China Washington? What is that?!) So what's the difference if Butterstick is nonsensical to the Chinese? Either way you go, somebody's getting confused. At least with Butterstick we get amusement mixed in with the confusion.
Fine fine fine, Jim...the Chinese don't eat milk, cheese or butter. You point is made.
I guess we will have to name it Dogcat.
Time for some "Vote Butterstick" swag to be made over at Cafe Press.
Aside from Butterstick, I like "Qiang Qiang" because it sounds close to "Chung, Chung" which is the noise during the Law & Order sound cards.
I'm Chinese and I eat butter, it's yummy. If you're not Chinese and you eat Chinese food, you may want to reconsider the paradigm under which you assume that because you don't see butter in any of your Panda Express, that "THE CHINESE" don't eat butter. The Geneva Convention has no rule restricting the diet of Chinese people to Chinese food only.
it'll always be butterstick to me!
Nâi yóu bàng. My Chinese colleague's rough translation of 'butter stick'.
黄油条 = Huángyóu Tiáo = buttersick (or yellow fat twig if you want to get all literal about it).
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