Monthly Archives: May 2012

Architecture or Architorture?

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/12/2012
Primary Language: English

The informant is currently in college, studying to become an architect.  Architecture studies involves many forms of torture–many sleepless nights, professors telling you to do one thing and then changing their minds, and even cutting yourself accidentally with razor blades.

Out of this torture, architecture began to be called architorture.  And it has stuck, because it is, unfortunately, very close to reality for many architecture students.  The informant says this occupational lore is very popular among architecture students, as it’s a witty way to acknowledge the suffering that comes from their work load.

I agree with this interpretation.  Also, I believe the collective use of this term helps bind the architects together into a family.  Having a common term–and one that acknowledges the true nature of the schooling–helps build a community, and community ultimately makes the “architorture” a little bit more bearable.

 

Love Hiccups

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/12/2012
Primary Language: English

The informant was eating lunch with a Indian friend one day, and suddenly began hiccuping.  The Indian friend chuckled, and told the informant that when you hiccup it means that somebody that loves you is thinking of you.  The informant is actually a very frequent hiccuper, and so this belief was extremely satisfying to him!

The informant asked his friend where this belief came from.  The Indian friend said he learned it from his mom, but that he didn’t know where it came from or what the true meaning was. The informant offered no analysis of the belief, except the fact that he liked it.

I think this belief is a way to turn what can be a nuisance–a particularly bad case of hiccups–into a much more positive experience.  Hiccups are transformed into a reminder that one is loved, and that those people that love you are thinking of you.  It’s a poignant and comforting belief.  This belief may have survived for a long time, especially if it was passed down through a family with a history of bad hiccups!

Don’t Do Anything You Wouldn’t Do Twice

Nationality: American-Bangladesh
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/10/2012
Primary Language: English

The informant heard this proverb from an older man one day at work.  The man told him, with a smile, “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do twice.  Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do twice.”  The informant laughed upon hearing this, but still remembers this proverb years later.  The informant thinks there is wisdom in this proverb, but doesn’t agree with it entirely–and he thinks it is most true when the “anything” involves a huge risk.

One immediate rebuttal of this proverb that popped to mind is–try everything once.  But there’s certainly things that should never be tried, and plenty of things that should be done twice.

 

 

 

 

Don’t Drink Water after Eating Eggs

Nationality: American-Bangladesh
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/10/2012
Primary Language: English

The informant’s grandfather always told him this when eggs were served at the breakfast table—don’t drink water right after you eat eggs.  Why?  Because, the grandfather said, it will give you really bad breath.  You have to at least eat bread in between, but drinking water right away is a recipe for disaster.

The informant says this is something his grandfather has often said at the breakfast table.  The informant said he doesn’t really believe it, but still remembers his grandfather’s words whenever he eats eggs.

I agree with this interpretation.  I would suggest that perhaps, one time, the grandfather or an ancestor of his incidentally was stricken with terrible breath after eating eggs and drinking water, and this was where this folk belief came from.

Foot Cramp Remedy

Nationality: American-Bangladesh
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/10/2012
Primary Language: English

The informant was sitting at a kitchen table one day with his Grandma.  Suddenly, the informant began experiencing a painful, sudden foot cramp.  He reached down to grab at his foot in pain.  His Grandma, understanding what was going on, got up and told him to stay still.  She pinched the tip of the big toe that was cramping for several seconds, and all of a sudden the cramp vanished.  The informant’s Grandma told him that this folk remedy had been passed down for generations in the family–she had learned it from her mother.

The informant still uses the trick to this day, and says it works most of the time.  The informant thinks this “trick” might be partly psychological, but he also thinks that when you pinch the tip of your toe, you have to flex your foot a bit which increase circulation–and decreases cramping.

I agree with this interpretation.