Author Archives: Claire Preising

Proverb–Hebrew

Nationality: American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student, Oxford University at Emory
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: 27 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Hebrew

My informant has been hearing this proverb from her mother and grandmother her entire life. She says, “I was always a really impatient kid, who wanted more than what I had–especially when it came to holidays like Hannukah when we would exchange gifts. One year, when I was around seven, I got a computer game when I really wanted a Gameboy. I remember sort of trying to disguise my disappointment, but my mom still pulled me aside later and used this proverb to remind me that what I have is always better than what I don’t have, regardless of how much I want the other thing. It’s definitely something that has stuck with me since then, and I try to remember it all the time.” The proverb goes as follows:

“The berry I have got tastes better than the melon I was promised.”

I really like this proverb, and to me it seems like something to live by; there are many practical applications of it in everyday life. It seems to be fairly similar to the English proverb “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” meaning that you should always be content with what you do have as opposed to what you could have. I’ve never heard this particular Hebrew iteration of the proverb, but it is interesting how similar the meanings of the two are. In addition, the gustatory aspect of this proverb makes it more accessible to all audiences. In addition, I found a notation in an old newspaper article from 1885, which shows how far back the proverb goes.

Annotation: “Talmudic Proverbs: Striking Illustrations of the Popular Wisdom of the Hebrews.” Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1922) 23 May 1885: 2. Print.

Humor-blonde joke

Nationality: American
Age: 17
Occupation: Student, Los Gatos High School
Residence: Los Gatos, CA
Performance Date: 26 April 2011
Primary Language: English

My informant remembers his best friend Michael telling him this joke in middle school in Irvine, California, and he told me that his friend heard it from a soccer teammate. He says he thought it was really funny the first few times he heard it, but now it has lost some of its entertainment value because he has heard it so many times from the same friend.

“A brunette, a redhead, and a blonde escape from prison. In order to hide form the cops, they hide in an abandoned farmhouse. There are three burlap sacks in this farmhouse, and each of them climbs into one in order to hide. When the cops search the house, they say, “There’s three burlap sacks here, so kick them to make sure no one is hiding in them.” The cop kicks a sack and the brunette yells, ‘MEOW,’ so the cop says ‘It’s just a stupid cat.’ The cop then kicks the next sack and the redhead yells, ‘WOOF,’ so the cop says ‘It’s just a dumb dog.’ When the cop kicks the last sack, the blonde screams, ‘POTATOES!'”

I thought this joke was really entertaining when I first read through it. I’ve never heard this particular variation before, but I have heard a few others like it. The brunette-redhead-blonde theme seems to be common with blonde jokes, and follows the “Rule of Threes” that is also prevalent in Western folklore. It’s interesting that such a deeply rooted aspect of tales (the Rule of Three) can come across in such a modern, informal joke. As a blonde, I don’t find blonde jokes offensive; honestly, I feel like the blonde stereotype is an entertaining one because I know just as many airheaded brunettes and redheads as blondes.

Remedy–homeopathic

Nationality: Indian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student, University of Southern California
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: 26 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Telugu

My informant is a talented singer, who is active in school choirs as well as a traditional Indian singing group. As a result, she often gets sore throats from all her singing, and has relied on this remedy for her sore throat since she was around eight or nine. Her Indian singing teacher was the first to tell her about this when she was in elementary school. Since then, she has heard about it from several different groups, including her high school choir director and her choirmates. She says there have never been any ill effects from her using this remedy, so she’ll continue to use it. However, she does think that the water probably hydrates the body and makes the sickness go away.

“To get rid of a sore throat fast, heat up a mug of water until it’s hot enough to make tea, then put about a tablespoon of honey into it. The honey should dissolve, but it’s okay if it doesn’t. I even go as far as to just eat the honey straight out of the bottle if my sore throat is really bad. The honey coats your vocal cords and heals any rawness in your throat.”

I’ve tried this before when I had a sore throat, since my informant swears by it. While it worked, I am still a bit skeptical about how effective a household product could be when curing something like a sore throat. However, her point about the hydration probably does help. I hadn’t heard this before, but my mother used to tell me that hot tea was a good combatant against colds and sore throats. It seems that the two operate on the same principle.

Tradition–Telugu

Nationality: Indian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student, University of Southern California
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: 26 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Telugu

My informant was raised in the United States, but identifies strongly with her Indian heritage. She is of the Brahman sect and Telugu nationality. This particular tradition is performed during Telugu New Year, which is usually around April. She says that she has never made this particular ritual food herself, but has eaten it since she was a child. As she says,

“There’s this kind of ceremonial food you eat every year for New Year’s. It has five different parts, and each part has a different taste. They all symbolize the five sentiments and emotions you’ll be feeling in the coming year; sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, sour. Salt is for fear, red chili pepper is for anger, neem flowers are for sorrow, tamarind or lemon juice is for mischief, and honey or sugar is for sweetness. New Year is called ‘Ugadi,’ and the food is called ‘ugadi-pacchidi.'”

I thought this tradition was really fascinating, mostly because the symbolism of each piece can be easily explained to an outsider. I am not familiar with Indian culture, and it was very interesting to sit down with my informant and ask her about specific things that she and her family do during holidays and festivals. This tradition also makes a lot of sense, and the symbolism is very meaningful. Indian culture uses food for a lot of different things, as we discussed in class, and the story behind this particular Ugadi ritual food makes me want to partake in the celebration.

Annotation: “Telugu association celebrates Ugadi.” India Abroad (New York, NY) 34.29 (2004): C2. Print.

Urban legend

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student, University of Southern California
Residence: Arlington, VA
Performance Date: 14 April 2011
Primary Language: English

My informant heard the following urban legend from her older sister, who lives in northern Virginia. She says that she doesn’t really believe it, but it could be true because of the chemical reactions involving alka seltzer.

“If you feed a seagull alka seltzer, the bird will explode within around half an hour because it can’t expel the gas through farting or burping so the gas builds up inside it. My sister heard this from a friend in her rock-climbing group in Virginia, and he said he had tried the experiment with his brother or something.”

My informant is not sure if this is true, but says she thinks it seems plausible. She is skeptical, however, about whether or not her sister’s friend actually tried the experiment. I have also heard this urban legend, though I heard from my older cousin while feeding seagulls at a beach barbecue when I was around ten. There is a similar urban legend involving rice, which says that birds will die after eating rice because the grain expands in their stomach. I do not believe either of these are very plausible, but could not find any definitive information on either.