Stephen and I were reminiscing about our younger childhood days, the days before smartphones consumed our lives. We had corded phones at home (land lines!) and both our families complained about how long we would spend talking on the phones. I told him that in Cantonese we have a phrase, 煲電話粥 (bou1 din6 waa2 zuk1), which literally translates to boiling telephone porridge / congee. It alludes to how you’ve been talking on the phone for as long as it takes to make rice porridge, which requires a long, slow burn. In other words, you’re talking for too long, hah! I also like this article that refers to this term with a more romantic light - also true that couples would talk on the phone for hours on end.
This reminds me of how much of Cantonese speaking includes a lot of food-related idioms. They’re quick-witted and short phrases that is an analogy to some kind of food, but says a lot about a person’s character or situation. Telephone porridge is one that I take to, but as I come across other fun phrases, I’ll be sharing some here too!