Monthly Archives: January 2011

Joke

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

Catch Riddle

“Question: What four-lettered word ends in ‘k’ and means the same thing as intercourse?

Answer: Talk”

Catherine learned this catch riddle from her brother who is three years older than her, when she was in 5th grade and he was in 8th grade. Also, he told her this joke when they were playing in the church playground.  He wanted to get his little sister, Catherine in trouble in front of the adults of the church. In fact, Catherine fell for the trick and was chastised by her mother. After finding out about this riddle, Catherine’s brother Robert also was reprimanded. She believes that it was common for young boys to play tricks such as this one to innocent little girls as a means of feeling smarter and superior. She was surprised that such perverted jokes were spread at such a young age.

This catch riddle was particularly fascinating to me because I heard a very similar one when I was younger. I also learned this joke in middle school when I was hanging around on the gym of my church. The version I heard goes as follows:

“Question: What starts with an ‘f’ and ends with a ‘k’?

Answer: A fire truck”

It follows the same concept as the one Catherine heard, in that it involves a letter and the intention of trying to get a person to say a profane word. I believe both of these catch riddles follow an anti-authoritarian theme, especially since they were both said at church.

The overall point of these catch riddles are to make the unconscious conscious and trick someone into saying a word that they are not allowed advised not to say. Ever since we were young, we were told we have to be respectful, but it is natural for children to want to deviate from these rules, especially young boys. The idea of intercourse has been the topic of many jokes popular around young children, and was mostly started by young boys in playgrounds.

The catch riddle mentioned by Catherine was also found in American Folklore: An Encyclopedia, in the section entitled “Riddles and Puzzles.” [1] The author states that riddles are “framed with the purpose of confusing or testing the wits of those who do not know the answer.” The initiating participant, or the riddler, strives to embarrass or confuse the ridder’s coparticipant, the respondent. In this case, Catherine’s brother was the riddler who tried to test Catherine’s wits. The obvious answer to both questions posed above is quite profane, and the riddler obviously had the intention of getting the respondent in some sort of trouble.

[1] Annotation: Brunvand, Jan H., ed. “Riddles and Puzzles.” American Folklore: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, Inc., 1996.

Folk Art – Ukrainian

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Marino, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Objects – Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter Eggs)

Image URL: http://www.cs.unc.edu/~yakowenk/pysanky.html

These decorative eggs shown above are called pysanky. Percy learned about this gorgeous form of folk art from his father, who is from Ibano–Franchesik, Ukraine. These eggs are typically decorated with beeswax and dyes. During Easter, most Ukrainian households made these eggs as gifts for their family and friends. Percy said that he has a couple of these lying around in his house from past Easter celebrations. However, he has never personally made one before. When he asked his father about the pysanky, he learned that the symbols and colors used hold many deep meanings. Many pre-date the arrival of Christianity, and have had Christian interpretations layered on after Christianity was established.

He also learned that there were some superstitions and myths attached to the colors and designs of the pysanky. His father said that it is wise to give darker colored pysanky with lots of designs to older people, for they have lived most of their life already. Also, it is appropriate to give young people a plain white pysanky with no designs as a symbol of their youth and possibilities for the future. Percy also recalls his father telling him that girls should never give their boyfriends pysanky with no design on the top and bottom of the egg, for that would indicate that the boyfriends would start going bald someday. This was particularly a fond memory for Percy because Percy has a three-year-old sister, and it was hilarious warning her about her future boyfriend at such a young age. He said that he loves the fact that his house is filled with some aspects of the Peruvian culture from his mother’s side and some aspects of the Ukrainian culture from his father’s side. When asked how he feels about the pysanky, he stated that he thinks they are a beautiful form of art that he hopes to learn how to make someday. He hopes to be able to preserve this Ukrainian tradition by teaching his future children how to make these eggs.

I believe it is vital for all Ukrainian-Americans, especially of the present generation, to be familiar with such traditional objects, for it illustrates a huge aspect of the Ukrainian culture. It is crucial that these beautiful traditions stay preserved and that people are serious about passing the knowledge on to future generations. It provides a window into the importance of aesthetics in the Ukrainian culture, and allows one to experience the hospitality and generosity of the Ukrainian households as they go around each Easter, presenting these works of art as gifts to their loved ones.[1]

[1] Annotation: This folk object is also mentioned in American Folklore: An Encyclopedia, under the section “Ukrainian Americans.”

Brunvand, Jan H., ed. “Ukrainian Americans.” American Folklore: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, Inc., 1996. 724.

Folk Tale – Taiwan

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

Taiwan – Folktale

“There once lived an old man who was really poor. One day he was thirsty so he went to a river and drank the water. As he was walking back home, he realized that his skin was becoming less wrinkly. So, the next day, he went back to the same river and drank some more water. Lo and behold, he became even younger. He came back to his village and bragged about how young he looks. The villagers told him that he shouldn’t drink the water too often, because too much of something is never good, especially when it is a part of nature and does not belong to him. They told him that he didn’t know the repercussions of drinking that water and that the gods might get mad at him. He didn’t care about what the other people said, and he kept going to the river to drink the magical water. Eventually, he kept going to the river, and he drank as much water as he could. The next day, he became a newborn baby with no one to take care of him. So, I guess he died, or something really bad like that happened to him.”

Catherine recalls her grandmother telling her this story when she was a little girl. She said that it has been over ten years since she heard this story, so she forgot most of the details of the tale, but she still remembers the main parts and the morals. She said that this was trying to teach the listener to not be greedy. She also stated that this may seem like a simple concept and lesson, but it is necessary to tell young children about it using an imaginative means such as a story. Although it has a gruesome ending, she felt as though it was necessary to get the point across. She hopes to be able to tell her future children this same story when she gets older, for she does not want the tradition to be lost in her family.

I completely agree with Catherine in that telling stories, such as the one mentioned above, is an excellent way of teaching a vital life lesson to someone, especially a child. The fact that Catherine has not forgotten this story and lesson in over ten years is a testament to this. I also agree that the gruesome ending of the story, the man’s death, is quite effective in warning children not to be too greedy. In addition to Catherine’s understanding of the story’s moral, I believe that another moral in this story is to take all good things in moderation. The fact that the man drank too much of the magic water, which did not belong to him in the first place, led to his demise. Thus, this story illustrates that he could have drunken a little bit of the water and lived happily ever after. Instead, his greed got to the best of him and he could not moderate the amount of water he was going to drink.

Traditional Clothing – Korea

Age: 48
Occupation: Pattern Maker
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 15, 2008
Primary Language: Korean

Traditional Korean Clothing

“??”

“Hanbok”

http://www.mofahcm.gov.vn/vi/tintuc_sk/tulieu/nr060504090947/ns060911163110/newsitem_print_preview

http://dziewczynka.multiply.com/photos/album/7/Hanbok#6

http://dziewczynka.multiply.com/photos/album/7/Hanbok#14

http://dziewczynka.multiply.com/photos/album/7/Hanbok#26

“??” (Hanbok) is a general term for the traditional clothing of Korea. In modern day, it has come to simply entail “dress for Korean women.” However, there exist such clothing as hanbok for men. All hanbok come in a variety of bright colors, and can be either plain or elaborately embroidered. They have soft geometric shapes, elegant folds, intense color, and various levels of embroidery. Most of the skin is hidden for women, except for some of the wrist and a bit of the neck area. Myung Soon, my mother, explained to me that her mother once told her that the amount of skin a woman showed was an indication of her marital status. If she showed a lot of her wrist and neck area, it was an indication of her being single and vice versa. My mother had to wear a hanbok at her wedding reception as well. Around our house, there were a couple pictures of my mother, her mother, and her four sisters all wearing this traditional Korean dress. Nowadays, no one in our family dresses up in this elegant gown because it is quite expensive to find. However, when my grandmother and mother were in Korea, everyone owned one.

The stereotype of the mysterious Asian beauty has been perpetuated for as long as my mother and I can remember. I believe it is largely due to this beautiful traditional dress, and the customs associated with wearing it. I remember being taught to walk gracefully and with my eyes looking downward, in order to portray a subservient image. In my family, the men did not wear traditional Korean clothing, but every New Year’s Day, adults would dress up the younger girls in hanboks. I recall feeling very uncomfortable in my hanbok when I was younger. My armpits felt constricted and my chest felt compressed. However, I loved wearing it because it made me feel as though I was learning more about my family’s culture.

Song – French

Nationality: Caucasian, French
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Summit, NJ
Performance Date: April 18, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: French

Folk Song/Poem in French:                                         English Translation:

“Une souris verte                                                        “There’s a green mouse
Qui courait dans l’herbe                                              Running through the grass,
Je l’attrape par la queue                                               I caught him by the tail,
Je la montre à ces messieurs                                        I showed him to some men,
Ces messieurs me disent                                             The men told me to drop him
Trempez là dans l’huile                                                In oil and hot water,
Trempez là dans l’eau                                                  And he’ll become
Ça fera un escargot                                                     A hot snail.
Tout chaud                                                                  I put her in a drawer
Je la mets dans un tiroir                                              She told me she was too cold,
Elle me dit qu’il fait trop froid                                    So I put her in my hat
Je la met dans mon chapeau                                        And she told me it was too hot,
Elle me dit qu’il fait trop chaud                                  So I put her in my pants
Je la mets dans ma culotte                                          And she made me three small droppings.”
Elle me fait trois petites crottes”

My friend Gillian, who has French ancestry and speaks French, told me about this little song/poem that she used to sing when she was in Kindergarten.  She said that she and her sister were taught this song by her parents to keep them occupied and give them something to do during playtime, either at home or at school.  She taught it to her friends, (who weren’t French since she went to an American school), and they loved it, so they sang it during recess or whenever they had playtime.

Though the translation doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense in English, she told me that it is a common and well-known song in France and is comparable to American children’s songs, such as “Ring Around the Rosy.”   Like Americans, the French also had songs that would keep their children occupied during playtime.  Though the song is very strange and doesn’t make a lot of sense, the topic of a mouse and a snail prove to be entertaining to children, as children seem to like playing with little animals.  When the theme of little animals is paired with a catchy tune (Gillian didn’t know it, she said she only recited it as a child as a poem in a sing-song voice, although in France it exists as a song with a tune), it then seems to create a perfect little song for kids to enjoy with each other.  At such a young age, the fact that the song doesn’t make sense seems irrelevant as long as it is fun to sing and has an interesting topic.  Additionally, when sung in French, it actually rhymes, which further enhances the song’s catchiness.

This song also resembles the leprechaun legend that is believed by many kids in America.  Gillian explained that, like leprechauns, green mice don’t actually exist, but the song creates a legend and a belief for kids to follow and have fun with.  Finding a leprechaun or pot of gold at the end of a rainbow is comparable to trying to find a green mouse in the fields- it is simply a different story.  In teaching kids songs with legends such as these, parents have a way of giving them something to do/look for in order to keep them occupied.  As with many children’s songs, this one is simply entertainment in the form of a silly French legend to keep little kids busy.

This song signifies the general trend in cultures around the world to create little legends or myths that have no purpose other than to entertain children.  When I was little, my parents also always used to tell me stories and sing me songs (such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”) in order to make me do something, whether it be sleep, chores, or simply to stay busy.  Though they seem to make little sense, these songs are key when learning about various cultures because they are representative of the way parents treat their children and how they bring them up in that specific culture.  Songs such as these seem to be especially prevalent because they provide children not only with a song to sing but they also have a goal for the children; here being the uncatchable “green mouse.”

Annotation: CD disc, La Récré, “Une souris Verte” Volume 2. Song 3