Author Archives: iaffalda@usc.edu

Italian Christmas Food

Nationality: Italian
Age: 56
Occupation: Lawyer
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

The informant is my father (referred to as FI) who is raised by two Italian parents and was raised in a very traditional Italian household. His parents have been married for 60 years and knew each other in their Italian towns since they were age 10. Every year for Christmas there is a huge celebration, and it has a lot to do with the days leading up to Christmas. On Christmas Eve there is a big feast. Below my father discusses what is traditionally eaten and made on Christmas Eve.

 

FI: “The meals and the foods eaten for Christmas are very important. In Italian culture food is everything. It is very important that on Christmas Eve you do not eat meat.  Italians avoid eating meat on Christmas Eve because it is apparently a way to prepare and purify for Christmas. So everyone eats fish. I think traditionally you’re just supposed to have fish, but we always had pasta with seafood. And then Christmas is even more food.  On Christmas Day, we have a huge dinner which is typically more of a lunch because it’s so early, but we eat pasta, roasts and then have panettone.  Panettone is very Italian and my parents would really only get it around Christmas time.”

 

Growing up with an Italian family, these traditions were definitely still carried down, but it is interesting because no other Italian traditions were really brought into my family- only the traditions surrounding food were carried on. Now I am vegan and do not eat, fish, eggs, dairy or meat and I remember when I became vegan 6 years ago, everyone in my Italian family was very upset and it was a big deal, especially around Christmas time because the question would always be “What are you going to eat?”

 

Joke- Grandmother and Grandson

Nationality: Jewish
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

The informant is my film partner (referred to as MR) who has a Jewish mother and was raised Jewish. His mother belongs to a congregation and tries to instill Jewish values on her children who have all had Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. He told me this joke and claimed his mother always told him it was a Jewish joke:

MR: “A grandmother is giving directions to her grandson who is an adult and is coming to visit her.

‘First, you need to come to the front door of the apartment,’ she says,

‘I’m in apartment 201. There’s a big panel at the front, so press number 201 with your elbow and I’ll buzz you in. Come inside the elevator and with your elbow, press the 2nd-floor button.’ She tells him, ‘When you get off, my door is there. Hit my doorbell with your elbow and I’ll let you in. OK?’[

Her grandson says, ‘Ok Grandma, but why am I hitting these buttons with my elbow?’

She says back ‘What…. you’re coming empty handed?!”

CI: Why do you think that your mother insists this is a Jewish joke?

MR: “I think is very Jewish. The grandmother character seems to be pretty common in all Jewish families, and I definitely relate that to my own family. My mother always says, ‘In a Jewish family, you never show up empty-handed. You just don’t.’”

This is particularly interesting to me because while I have never heard this joke it seems to be very Italian as well. Growing up with very Italian grandparents, they would always come with their hands full and bags of food and things no one was expecting. The very involved and giving, grandmother is a common archetype in Italian families as well.  The grandmother is a strong figure in a lot of cultures, but this particular story of the Jewish grandmother is the most similar to the Italian grandmother. I think this also shows Jewish hospitality/ views on gifts.

 

The Irish Man and His Three Sons: The Priest, Doctor and Lawyer

Nationality: Irish
Age: 56
Occupation: Lawyer/screenwirter
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

The informant is my mother who is Irish. Her grandparents were both from County Clare Ireland, which at the time was a town of only around 50,000 people. They had not met until they both immigrated to New York. My mother spent a lot of time with her grandparents when she was growing up in Buffalo New York and this is a story of an Irish folktale they used to tell her.

 

“A poor man had three sons and he wanted to make sure his sons were successful and had money. So the father decides to sell himself to the devil to get money for his children to go to school.  The Devil gave him the money to pay for their education and one child was to become a priest, the other a doctor and the third one a lawyer.

 

After the children finished their education the devil came to take the father to hell. When the devil arrived, one of the father’s sons was there with him. It was the priest. The priest began to pray in hopes that the Devil would spare his father, and in the end, the Devil gave in and gave the old father a few years more to live.

 

Eventually the Devil came again, but this time the doctor was there and he appealed to the Devil to spare the old man, and to everyone’s surprise, the Devil gave him a few more years to live.

 

Finally, the Devil came the third time to claim the old man, the lawyer was there. The lawyer says to the Devil: “You have spared my father two times already, and I do not expect you to do it again. But will you let him live until that candle has burnt down?” He gestured to the burning candle that was burning on the table. The Devil agreed because it was nearly burnt to the end and he knew the candle would burn down soon.

 

Once the Devil agreed the lawyer picked up the candle butt, blew it out and put it in his pocket. And stuck to his word, the devil left emptyhanded.”

 

This story to me tells me a lot about my great grandparents and what Ireland’s worldview is. It shows that being a lawyer is better respected than even a priest and it also shows the fear of the devil. My mother is now a lawyer and I think that this is very interesting because clearly being a lawyer is seen as something very important.

Australian Proverb

Nationality: Australian
Age: 49
Occupation: Accountant/Talent Manager
Residence: Australia/Los Angeles
Primary Language: Panjabi

The informant was my best friends mother (referred to as KM) who is Australian. She is from Brisbane Australia and has been living there for around 50 years now. She works as a talent manager and an accountant. She told me her mother used to tell her the following proverb.

 

KM: “The more you know, the less you need.”

 

I think this short proverb is very powerful and says a lot about Australian culture. I think a lot of people in western culture view knowledge as power and power also equates to material items and money. So this is kind of the opposite of that. Knowledge is power and therefore, it is the only thing you need. Through my time in Australia and my friends, I have over there I saw a lot of people living a minimalist styled life. Obviously, people live in excess over there as well, but I think this is a beautiful way to live by. When you know more you become more resourceful and are filled with less desire to constantly consume.

 

 

 

 

 

El Cucuy

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 54
Occupation: Babysitter
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

The informant was my childhood babysitter (referred to as JC) who is from Mexico. She moved to the United States about 25 years ago and would frequently go back to Mexico, bringing me dolls and candies. Every year for Christmas she would make homemade tamales. When I was little and misbehaving she would always tell me  El Cucuy will get me. Recently I asked her to tell me more about El Cucuy.

 

JC: “Behave or El Cucuy will come and find you… We say that to the children to make them behave.El Cucuy is kind of a boogeyman. He gets children who have misbehaved to their parents and can show up to steal you in the night.  He hides in your closet or under your bed and will come to eat your spirit and take you. It is a way for the children to listen.”

 

Growing up and hearing this, I was never really scared because I think that folklore about things coming to get you or haunt you can only really work if it is a widespread tale that most people have talked about. As I didn’t grow up in Mexico, the only time I had to hear of El Cucuy was from my babysitter and so it seemed made up and unreasonable to me. However, I do think that if more people were talking about this I would have believed it and been more intimidated. I think culturally it is interesting because El Cucuy seems to be the equivalent to the boogeyman, which is also a way for parents to get their children to behave.

 

For another version of this story see “Boogeyman,” 2005 film by Stephen Kay.