Author Archives: Daniel Stafford

TC Love

Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Rochester, Minnesota
Language: English

Story: “In this organization that I’m in, Troy Camp, we have this saying: TC Love. It’s something we use to appreciate each other and the work that we do. In Troy Camp, we do mentorship programs for kids from elementary school to seniors in high school. I love the work that I do in this organization, and I adore the people and kids that I get to work with. So, to show appreciation for these people, we love giving each other shoutouts, and we like to say that TC Love is different than any other kind of love. Just the other day, another member of Troy Camp shared with me her cousin’s embroidery business so that I could get my name embroidered on one of my Troy Camp quarterzips .. so at our next meeting, I made sure to share the TC Love with her by giving her a shoutout! Typically we say, “TC Love to …” and then the person’s name, and then why we are giving them TC Love. Out of all the traditions in this org, this one is my favorite.

Analysis: After speaking with this informant, I could tell that this organization and this tradition means the absolute world to them. Community builds community, and I could tell that this person and this organization fosters such a great community for both the people and the kids in it. Love is such a strong word, and it’s beautiful how different cultures and communities can take that word and adapt it to make it mean something entirely new, but just as special–I could tell this is something that took place for Troy Camp. After our conversation, this informant shared TC Love with me, and just from that, I could feel the weight that the phrase carries.

High, Low, Sunshine

Age: 25
Occupation: Speech Therapist
Residence: Beach Haven, New Jersey
Language: English

Story: “This is one of my absolute favorite things that I used to do in my sorority with my sisters at Auburn University. Every chapter meeting, we would start with a High, Low, Sunshine! It’s kind of like “Rose, Bud Thorn,” except it’s exactly like “Rose, Bud, Thorn” but the “thorn” is in the middle, because we do NOT believe that you should end your happy stories with something bad! But so, typically we do a High, Low, Sunshine for our entire week. Someone will give their high of the week, then their low of the week, and finally– the sunshine is something your looking forward to in the upcoming week! I love doing this tradition so much with my sisters, that I’ve even brought this into spaces at work and with my friends. Now everytime we get together, we always do a High, Low, Sunshine!”

Analysis: This is a beautiful tradition in my opinion. It’s so fascinating how certain traditions can start in one place and then grow exponentially as they catch steam and more people learn to love it. It’s really cool to think about how all of these sorority sisters (who now live across the world) have shared their highs, their lows, and their sunshines with people from all walks of life. This is the kind of cultural folk speech that stretches across many other different cultures–its universal. I even started doing High, Low, Sunshines with my friends and families. It’s beautiful to hear about peoples’ weeks, and I could tell that this informant really loves this tradition. They loved talking about it, and we even ended our conversation by doing a High, Low, Sunshine.

What would a monkey know of the taste of ginger?

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Naperville, Illinois
Language: English

Story: “There is this proverb in Hindi that my mom used to say to me to let me know that I wasn’t smart enough to appreciate certain things. Basically she would use this proverb to roast me. The proverb is: Bandar kya jaane adrak ka swad. Which in English translates to “What would a monkey know of the taste of ginger?” But yeah, basically my mom would say this to me if I wasn’t appreciating something she did for me. If I didn’t love the dinner she made for me one night, she would say “What would a monkey know of the taste of dinner?”

Analysis: This is a phrase that really means a lot to this informant. Growing up they said, it kind of annoyed them, hearing their mom yell this at them, but now when they hear it, it carries a sense of nostalgia for them. Cultural folk phrases carry such deep meaning already, but its the people who use it that increase that meaning tenfold. Without context, “What would a monkey know of the taste of ginger?” is a totally random question–but to this informant, they know exactly what this means. This is the importance of cultural folk phrases: they create bonds amongst families, they bring nostalgia, and they have much deeper meaning than what meets the eye.

It’s Not May, It’s Summer

Age: 25
Occupation: Restaurant Manager
Residence: Sewell, New Jersey
Language: English

Story: “At my restaurant job, our boss is one of the craziest guys I’ve ever met. He’s always ranting about random stuff, leaving notes around the restaurant, and sending texts with zero context. But one day, he left a note basically screaming at us saying that we needed to get in line and work better. However, the one thing he wrote in all caps at the top of the note was: IT’S NOT MAY, ITS SUMMER! Now, the funny part of all this was, it was May. This was years ago, but this is something my coworkers and employees still talk about. Anytime someone is “slacking” or not doing a “good job,” we always crack a joke and say “It’s not May, it’s summer!”

Analysis: It’s very cool and interesting to see how different jobs and different workplaces have their own niche sayings. Typically, all workplaces have their own words and phrases recognizable to their stuff, but this one — “It’s not May, it’s summer” is definitely unique. It’s humorous, it has a great backstory, and its shared amongst the coworkers at this restaurant. Another really cool thing about this “phrase” that they share, is how not only is it used in a humorous way, but it also carries meaning in a serious way–being used to get other employees back on track and doing a better job. It’s super versatile, and it gets its message across. It’s obvious that this message carried a lot of meaning with this informant, and honestly, how important this phrase is to the community that works at this restaurant. Even now, they say the boss is in on the joke!

A Tibetan Tradition

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Salt Lake City, Utah
Language: English

Story: “I went to a Tibetan school growing up in India, I was always class monitor, I was basically the teacher’s pet…but something that I grow up with, going to school in India, was corporal punishment. And as tough as that sounds, it was the culture I grew up with. But there’s this saying in Tibet, where teachers and parents will say “Tibetan kids’ ears are on their ass.” Essentially, this just means that physical punishment is the only way kids will listen and learn… their ears are on their ass. And honestly, this worked for me.”

Analysis: Cultures throughout the world have many different ways of teaching children, and what might seem different in the United States, can be totally normal in different countries. This is a great example of how different cultures foster different kinds of teachings for children, and as this person explained, it kind of worked for them. They later explained how when they first moved to the United States, they experienced a heavy culture shock. Corporal punishment is an ideology that has been passed down for generations, and it’s very interesting to see diverse perspectives on the ideology.