CONTEXT: The interlocutor (ZG) is a high school friend of the interviewer. She and her twin sister grew up in a Chinese-American household in Los Angeles. DESCRIPTION: (told over call)(ZG): “I don’t know if this is what you want but there’s this mooncake woman story my mom used to tell me and my sister of… Continue Reading »
Description: On certain days, people will burn fake paper money next to the bonfire as a way to give the dead fortune in their afterlife. Background: The ritual is something that the informants family frequently practices. Transcript: ML: So you know about the burning money for the dead right? Me: Yes, but tell me how… Continue Reading »
Text/Interview: DS: “Yeah, according to my mom, it’s bad luck to kiss or hug underneath a doorframe. I’m not quite sure why this is, but I remember my mom told me it’s an old Chinese tradition.” Context: DS is a Chinese American who has lived in the United States his entire life. His grandmother lived… Continue Reading »
Context: My informant is a 26 year-old woman who is of Chinese descent. She grew up in Hong Kong and lived there until she moved to Pasadena at the age of 7. Listed below is an account of a Chinese holiday called “Harvest Festival”. She detailed her experience of the holiday growing up and where… Continue Reading »
Background: A friend and I were talking about the COVID-19 situation in the US. She mentioned that at late February, when COVID started to spread in the US, some people bought masks and sent them to Wuhan, China to support the medical workers there. She brought up this common saying: Main piece: 泥菩萨过河——自身难保 Pinyin: ni… Continue Reading »