is a pepper a capsicum?

[andiesenji]

Cuilidh,
Here is a link to advice on growing chiles (or chillis as in the title of Michael Bailes book: The Fragrant Chilli) in Australia, if you or your husband are so inclined.

Tips on Growing Chillies (and Capsicums)?

The book has been out of print for a long time.  Originally published by Kangaroo Press in 1999  and published in the U.S. in 2001.

Michael hosted a Chilli Festival in March 1998  and writes about the upcoming event  HERE.
and here writes about it after it was over.

Another attendee's report.

And another's, just to give you an idea of some of the fun to be had.

Some advice about how to deal with slugs.

Even if there are just a few folks in your immediate area, the hotlucks are a lot of fun too. 
You know at most parties/picnics, the men will be grouped, talking about sports and the women will congregate, talking about kids, family, home, foods, & etc. 
At a hotluck everyone, whatever the age or sex, talks about chiles (chillis), hot sauce, weird recipes and the best way to grow the hot little devils. 

Way back in the early days (1980s), before the internet when there were only "user groups" with very slow modems, some beer and chile fans got the idea of brewing chile beer and over many months perfected the process and sold the formula to a brewery.  Well, the beer is not all that great, according to beer aficionados, but the real chile-heads have fun seeing just how hot a beer they can produce in home-brewing and drinking same.  Now a lot of brew pubs and craft beer (small batch) brewers here in the U.S. are cashing in on the fad.
I don't know if your husband has an affinity for beer but all of the guys from OZ I have met over the years have been so. 

[Cuilidh]

Thanks once again forall your help Andie, you really are a fount of wonderful information. Yes, my DH does enjoy a good beer (he's a Scot and reluctantly admits that English beer is, really, very good).  I'm not sure what he would think of chilli beer - ah well, we can only try!  We're still working through all the various chilli plants and seed options available from your last post to decide what to grow, but we will have to get a move on as spring is now here and we need to get the plants and seeds away.

[leesmac78]

After working here in International education, I understand that there are many words that are interchangeable.  It gets so confusing.  I was teaching a high level maths class yesterday about "brackets".  The Americans stared at me in wonder.  They call the parentheses. AHHHHH.  But yes, a pepper is a capsicum, unless of course you are here in Germany, then it is a paprika!!

xxx

 

[andiesenji]

After working here in International education, I understand that there are many words that are interchangeable.  It gets so confusing.  I was teaching a high level maths class yesterday about "brackets".  The Americans stared at me in wonder.  They call the parenthesis. AHHHHH.  But yes, a pepper is a capsicum, unless of course you are here in Germany, then it is a paprika!!

xxx

 

Many people have been quoted as saying the English and the Americans are people separated by a common language.

I was an English major, although it was many, many years ago.  Parentheses or "round" brackets are ( )  and square brackets are [ ]  and curly brackets are { } as well as a couple of other versions (angle brackets or chevrons). 

Wikipedia has a pretty good reference that is handy for a quick look-up.

[Cuilidh]

Yes, different phrases and such like can be very confusing.  In Australia, there is a tendency to shorten words and I have been caught out a couple of times.

I was speaking to my friend once and mentioned that I was looking to buy something that was going to cost quite a lot of money and she said that it was exy.  I said that there was nothing sexy about it, what she really meant was that it was expensive.

Similarly, when we were renovating our shop prior to opening a friend asked how the reno was going – I was a bit puzzled as we didn’t have a car, much less a Renault – I had to have it explained to me!!

English is definitely a living and changing language and I really tend to be a bit pedantic and annoyed at these changes, but then, if the language didn’t change we would all be talking about receipts instead of recipes, etc. so I should just sit back and be a bit more relaxed about it all.