"Tomato" and "oregano," trans-Atlantic

The words "tomato" and "oregano," both pronounced differently in American versus European, taste great together.

They're also both important to pronounce correctly as determined by region.

Although I was about 8½ years in Ireland, I always spoke with an American accent — but when I said "tomato," I said "toMAHto."

I learned early that if I said "toMAYto," it would change the topic of the conversation. It's distractive. Even if nobody says anything — unlikely in Ireland — you know when people are distracted by such a moment.

If you really just want to talk about food, you've got to say it properly: "OreGAHno."

Coincidentally, "OreGAHN" is the exonym for Oregon, where I grew up. Nobody pronounces it like that here, but everybody says it like that everywhere else, including in an Irish restaurant where I was Steve from Oregano.

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