tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jul 31 11:46:43 2006

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Re: Klingon WOTD: targh (noun)

Steven Boozer ([email protected])



>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Monday, July 31, 2006.
>
>Klingon word:   targh
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition:     type of animal, [targ]

Used in canon:

   targhlIj yIngagh! yIruch!
   Go mate with your targ! PK

   targhlIj yab tIn law' no'lI' Hoch yabDu' tIn puS
   Your targ has a bigger brain than all your ancestors put together! PK

   bIQongtaHvIS nItlhejchugh targhmey bIvemDI' nItlhej ghIlab ghewmey
   If you sleep with targs, you'll wake up with glob flies. TKW

   qagh, ro'qegh'Iwchab, targh tIq Sop 'e' lungIl Humanpu' puS
   Few humans dare to eat gagh, rokeg blood pie, or heart of targ. S21

   targh Qu'
   Operation Targ (KGT}


Cultural notes:

"a furry Klingon animal that more or less resembles a Terran pig, is often 
kept as a pet... It is also a source of food, and heart of targ is a 
traditional Klingon dish. The tiny Klingon glob flies typically swarm about 
targs, undoubtedly making them that much more appealing." (TKW 173)

"It is usually used with the terms for parents and other relatives ? but 
also for other people or animals for which a child feels some fondness 
({targhoy}, "targy," perhaps, for a pet targ)." (KGT 33)

"Animal that is popular as a pet, but the heart of which is also considered 
a delicacy." (Diplomatic Imperative)


Culinary notes:

{targh tIq}  "heart of targ"

"a traditional Klingon dish" (TKW 173)

"targ are bred for food throughout the Empire, the heart of the bred targ 
is considered weakened by domestication." (KCD)

"The heart of the targ beast, although targ are bred for food throughout 
the Empire, the heart of the bred targ is considered weakened by 
domestication. Only the heart of a wild, hunted targ is considered worthy 
of eating. It is a rare delicacy." (KCD)

Even though the dish may be served with the hearts of more than one targ, 
the plural {tIqmey} is never used in the name of the dish. This food item 
is shown and described in KCD:

"Large animals are usually chopped into pieces, sometimes with attention 
paid to which piece is which (thus a {tIq} [heart] might be served as a 
dish in its own right)..." (KGT 87)

"If a dish with a standard preparation technique (a {nay' motlh}, 'usual 
dish') is being offered, asking how it is to be prepared is a demonstration 
of cultural ignorance. Thus, in addition to pipius claw, questions about 
{bIreQtagh} (bregit lung), {targh tIq} (heart of targ), {raHta'} (racht), 
{tlhImqaH} (zilm'kach), and {Qaj tlhuQ} (kradge tail) should be avoided." 
(KGT 94)

"Animal blood ({'Iw}) is found primarily in alcoholic beverages, but the 
milk ({nIm}) of some creatures (such as the {targh} [targ]) is combined 
with other ingredients to form drinks of rather complex flavor, though it 
is seldom consumed by itself." (KGT 95)


Trek notes:

The Orion trader Harrad-Sar served a roast targ ? identifiable by its 
3-inch dorsal spines - to Capt. Archer and Lt. Reed on his ship. (ENT "Bound")

Dr Antaak's pet targ on the Qu'Vat Colony is named Boshar (ENT "Affliction")

On the day his wife, Sirella, moved into Martok's home she objected to his 
old pet targ, which he had since he was a boy.  Sirella loathed him and 
when she was supervising the unloading of her bags, she "accidentally" left 
the front door open.  His faithful targ, ever-ready to follow the call of 
the wild, tottered outside on his frail legs and disappeared into the 
forest.  Martok never laid eyes on him again.  Martok recalled fondly that 
he was a "filthy, mangy beast but in his bony breast beat the heart of a 
warrior." (DS9 "Strange Bedfellows")

First seen as a pet in TNG "Where No One Has Gone Before" and as a food in 
TNG "A Matter of Honor".





--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons






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