Monthly Archives: March 2024

Twist on Known saying

Text: “If at first you don’t succeed, hide all evidence that you tried”

Context: My informant is a friend of mine who first heard this proverb from her older sister. She said when she first heard it, and how it put a clever twist to the known saying: “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”, she began sharing it with her friends, and repeating it whenever someone would bring up the original saying.

Analysis: While the proverb is fairly simple, and meant to be a humorous way to subvert a listener’s expectations, it has some interesting interpretations. Replacing the motivational message to never give up with the idea of hiding that one ever tried, appeals to a person’s desire for ease and comfort. While most would agree trying again is usually best, there is usually a desire to take the easy way out, which the proverb pokes fun at.

Italian Chef Joke

Text: “Did you hear about the Italian chef who died? He pasta way”

Context: My informant is a friend of mine who first heard this joke when it was told to him and his friend “a few years back”. My friend says that while he didn’t immediately find it very funny, his friend thought it was so funny he began crying laughing. Since then, my friend says this cheesy pun has become an inside joke that always gets them laughing despite how unfunny they may find the original line.

Analysis: I find it interesting how a joke my friend found to be unfunny can become one that continuously gets him laughing simply because of the reaction of someone around him. I think this shows a somewhat unintentional yet crucial aspect of the jokes we tell. While on the surface level they are intended to get a laugh, the ultimate goal is to bring people together, which this joke definitely succeeded in.

Snow Day Superstition

Text: “Did you have any snow day traditions or superstitions when you were growing up?”

“I remember when my brother and I were little, I’m not sure where we heard it from, but we believed that if you saw the first snowflake fall, and wished for a snow day, we would get one … I remember one year my brother and I were playing outside over the weekend when it started snowing. We wished for the snow day and it came. I remember we couldn’t wait to tell our parents about it, and that we totally believed it was because of us.”

Context: My informant is a friend of mine who grew up in Michigan. Growing up in a state that gets regular snow, he says snow day traditions were pretty popular, and that he had heard of and tried a bunch of different traditions, but this one was his favorite.

Analysis: My informant’s tradition is pretty different from most snow day superstitions, which mostly involve the person going out of their way to do something, such as wearing pajamas inside out and backwards or flushing ice down the toilet to cause a snow day. My informant’s tradition however is somewhat based on luck, in that if you have to be watching when the snow starts. I think this adds something special to the snow day traditions, in that because you can’t do it every time snow is predicted, if the snow day comes, it’s pretty convincing to a young kid that it was because of them.

Big 2, A Family Game

Nationality: Chinese, American

Primary Language: English

Other language(s): Mandarin

Age: 19 yrs

Occupation: Student

Residence: Houston, Texas

Performance Date: 2/19/2024

Text:

“So, when I was like 3, at family events or gatherings, my family would get together and play this Chinese game called Big 2. My parents introduced me to it and would teach me the rules every year until I got it once I got older, and now we have been and still play it at every gathering, me and the whole family. I like the game, I mean, it’s no poker, but it’s a nice way of getting everyone together you know?”

Context:

My informant, JT, is a friend of mine from my freshman year at USC from Houston, Texas. I talked with JT one night in second semester freshman year up until 5am about our families and our relationships with them. Within this discussion we mentioned our family traditions and he explained one of his after I explained one of mine. At a later time, I asked him about it once more. 

Analysis:

After some slight research on this game, Big 2, I ended up finding out that this may not be a common family tradition within all Chinese families, but it was one which resonated with JT’s Chinese family. The game, 大老二 (Dai Di), or Big Deuce/Big Two, is a commonly played game which originated in coastal China around 1980; it became very popular in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan and also in the Philippines and Singapore, and has also spread to some western countries. The rules of the game are as follows: The objective is to get rid of all of all the cards in your hand by constantly one-upping your opponents with cards played singly or in certain poker combinations (2 cards, 3 cards, or 5 cards). The value of each card or combination comes from the numerical order of the card(s) used, as well as their suits. The cards of the smallest value are the 3s, followed by the 4s, and so on and so forth till the picture cards. Then, it’s the Aces, followed by the 2s. The suits ascend in value in the following order: diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades. Therefore, the weakest card in the game would be the 3 of diamonds, and the strongest is the 2 of spades. This is more of a gambling game, which may make sense as to why JT loves Poker so much. I think the game is fun in concept and would love to play it myself. I truly find the influence this game has in Chinese culture and family tradition to be greater than I expected. I didn’t know this game could apparently bring a family together at gatherings and teach gambling to children as well as it did with JT, because he’s actually pretty good at Poker. This game seemingly goes back into late 20th century Chinese culture and has made a dashing transition and migration of the western world.

A Hindu Creation Story

Nationality: Indian, American

Primary Language: English

Other language(s): N/A

Age: 19 yrs

Occupation: Student

Residence: Frisco, Texas

Performance Date: 1/18/2024

Text:

“Nah I don’t really believe in god. My parents when I grew up told me about The Hymn of Creation from this Hindu scripture. Basically I grew up thinking that nobody knows how the universe came into being and that the idea of one singular being God is like, not as realistic as you would think. I mean the concept wasn’t drilled into my head at all or anything like that so that specific Hindu based ideal never really crossed my mind again but it did form my idea of God and creation.”

Context:

My informant, PL, is a friend of mine from my freshman year at USC from Frisco, Texas. I talked with him and a bunch of my friends about our beliefs in God after one of us asked that question randomly during a 2am walk outside of campus. We all gave our answers and PL gave his, saying he doesn’t believe anymore but did. I asked him to elaborate on this later in time and that is what he said.

Analysis:

In my research I found that this creation Myth is well known in Hindu culture. The Hymn of Creation is from the Rig Veda: the oldest and most sacred Hindu scripture, which concludes that, as PL said, nobody knows how the universe came into being, and even questions whether anyone or thing could know. This ideal was founded in between 1500 and 1000 BCE and explained that the God Indra, in particular, is the creator of This world. Scriptures say that “He separated heaven and earth, made them two … The act of creative violation and the power of keeping apart the pair so that they become Father Heaven and Mother Earth … is the test by which a creator god establishes his supremacy. … He is hero and artist in one.” It is concerned with cosmology and the origin of the world but not fully the universe. This well known Hindu creation story was seemingly passed down through generations is PL’s family, which is well versed in Hindu culture. I personally don’t know what to believe myself, but this creation story is one I’ve never heard of, and sounds very intricate and massive in Hindu mythology.