I have always had a zest for celebrating Canada Day. As a kid growing up in Ontario, Canada Day meant family picnics. In Manitoba, during the 1980s, I had a zest for hiking in Riding Mountain National Park on the July 1st holiday. As a young family, we attended Canada Day parades and festivals on the waterfront while we lived in Sarnia, Ontario. Our years in Moose Jaw meant a zest for watching the fireworks with friends and family.
Zest means keen enjoyment. Her personality was always bubbly and she had a definite zest for living.
Zest can also imply an enjoyable exciting quality. Whenever we go to concerts at the Regina Casino we find that the humour of the entertainers can add zest to the performance.
In Middle French (1300 to 1600), the word zeste originally referred to the bitter, woody membrane that divides the kernel of a walnut. Citrus peels were sliced into thin strips similar to walnut partitions, so the term zeste began to describe the fragrant outer skin of oranges and lemons used to flavor foods. The English of the mid-1600s, used zest to refer to tiny pieces of citrus rind that were used to enhance the flavour of food and beverages. The recipe called for adding zest from oranges to provide an additional taste experience.
In the 1700s, zest’s association with citrus peel adding flavor to food and beverages evolved to imply anything that adds excitement or interest to a dish or a conversation can be labelled zest. Eventually zest was extended to suggest enthusiastic enjoyment.
Synonyms for zest include spice, piquancy, zing, tang, relish, and gusto.
Spice implies the state of being stimulating to the mind or senses. Once a person hits retirement age a new hobby will add spice to life.
Piquancy denotes the quality of bringing mental or sensual excitement. The tension between her reserved nature and his dramatic personality gave the show’s hosts an unusual piquancy.
Zing refers to active strength of body or mind. Our one granddaughter has the adventurous zing to go out and conquer anything.
Tang means the quality of being invigorating to the mind or senses. The way he told the story of his trip to Japan gave me a certain tang of excitement.
Relish is the enjoyment of or delight in something that satisfies one's tastes, inclinations, or desires. I eat barbecued hamburgers with great relish, because I love them topped with mustard and relish.
Gusto implies vitality marked by an abundance of vigor and enthusiasm. The Riders were able to match the opposition’s gusto for most of the game.
On July 1 add some zest to your celebrations of Canada Day. You could garnish your cheesecake with some zest on top, orange or lemon or lime rind. Some might like to add zest to their cocktail or beer or mixed drink. Get together with family or friends and revel with zest in your particular festivities for Canada Day.
And interestingly, the June 25th edition of the Taipei Times bolded the headline: Extra zest for Celebration Canada in Taipei.
“It’s that time of year for Canadians to invite friends from Taiwan and around the world to join the “Celebration Canada” outdoor party at the Taipei Hakka Cultural Park on Saturday. Visitors can experience Canadian culture and community spirit through live music performances, Canadian food and drinks, and family friendly activities. The event in Taipei recognizes Canada Day on July 1 and is traditionally held on a Saturday. It is organized each year by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan in partnership with the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, with support from volunteers and corporate sponsors. The event will have extra zest this year, as Canada is currently co-hosting the FIFA Football World Cup tournament with the US and Mexico. Officials said many cities are planning to hold soccer-themed activities for their traditional July 1st celebrations.
Happy Canada Day!
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
