I’ve long felt a kinship with Worcestershire sauce. Similar to my surname, it’s a word you don’t see very often, so pronunciation can be a problem for both. I worked with a fellow who never got my last name correct, as it proved to be a tongue twister for him. “Wanaileous” was the best he could muster. My wife, a former elementary teacher, had a student refer to her as “Miscellaneous” rather than Mrs. Wilenius which was actually a close guess. So yes, Worcestershire and Wilenius have issues that Soy and Nelson do not.

It took years, but I eventually overcame the problem of pronouncing “Worcestershire” by saying it, slowly and deliberately, as it is written, “Wor-ces-ter-shi-re” with five syllables. I’m actually rather proud of myself for having mastered it. However, it’s accepted English (since the English invented it, they do as they please) to throw out the rule book and pronounce it either “Wu-stuh-shr” or “Woo-ster-sheer.” It seems to me that this bending of language rules has reached a level of complexity akin to a pretzel. Still, there is no use arguing, as most would rather say it with three syllables anyway. I wonder what North Woods English teacher, Mrs. Passcuzzi (Pass-koo-zee) would have to say about all this? Could the British knock a syllable or two out of her name or my name as well? Probably.

Worcestershire shauce was first used to enhance meats, and I pronounce it that way because my mouth overtakes my brain by the time I finally get to “sauce.” Since then, the sauce has found uses for everything from an ingredient in a Bloody Mary drink to marinades, a meatloaf additive, a flavor to spice up soups and casseroles, or to add a savory flavor to ketchup. It’s found in most people’s fridge, but few likely realize its base ingredient is fermented anchovies. Most countries in Europe were fermenting milk for cheese or grapes for wine. Leave it to the Brits to come up with fermenting fish to make a sauce. Still, I’m glad they did.

That’s all I have to say about Worcestershire shauce as time is of the essence and I need to move on to other matters. A canoe trip is planned. There are formalities to finalize, gear to get, and shandwiches to make. But isn’t it odd that folks have trouble pronouncing Worcestershire or Wilenius yet can easily say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?” You may recall the word is the title of a song in the movie, Mary Poppins. The film’s plot was set in England. I, for one, am not surprised by that at all.

Leo is retired and lives in rural Cook with his wife, Lindy. He is the author of three books, She Won’t Mow the Daisies, The Cabin Experience, and Life Over Easy. Leo can be contacted by email at llwilenius@gmail.com.