"DuaLeo" what!?

You may be asking, as many do, what in the world is a 'dualeo'!? Well, first, for your sake and mine, it's pronounced 'you-uh-lay-oh' (trust me, I've heard many an interesting concoction that are nowhere close, but quite amusing, nonetheless). Second, to it's origin. 'Dua-leo' is the Vietnamese word for 'cucumber'. While the Vietnamese aspect is often quickly understood by those who know me well, there is typically much confusion as to the relevance of the word 'cucumber'. Where does it come from? Why this word?

It may be difficult to comprehend, but to many a Vietnamese person, the word 'dua-leo' carries a very strong resemblance in pronunciation to my name, Jenelle. Ya, tough to chew, I know, but trust me, it is a pretty accurate observation on their part when their unique pronunciation of 'Jenelle' is taken into consideration. So, for many of my friends who struggled to remember such an odd and foreign name, simply remembering 'cucumber' helped their tongues to grab a hold of my name and not sense that awkardness of, "Dang, I know I know you. We're pretty tight. But what the heck is your name!?" This beautiful word salvaged many from embarassment. And, due to it's uniqueness and apparent randomness, as people continually nagged me to adopt a Vietnamese name (mind you, names such as 'Rose' and 'Flower' were always high on the list of suggestions!), I decided this one fit me perfectly. And so to this day, to many, I am DuaLeo.


P.S. I love Larry the Cucumber!
P.P.S. My favorite snack in Vietnam was dua leo (cucumber) and muoi tieu chanh (salt, pepper, lime). Sounds simple, but let me tell ya...