Author Archives: Matthew Guichard

Tradition – Italian-American/Northeast

Nationality: Italian-American
Residence: Pasadena, CA
Performance Date: April 08, 2008
Primary Language: English

Italian-American/Northeast Tradition

Performer’s Tradition and Analysis: Back east everyone has a basement.  My Italian relatives had basements that were finished and extensions of the house.  They even included an extra kitchen.  There was always so much food that it seemed totally necessary to have an extra refrigerator.  Around the holidays, cooking took place for days beforehand.  Basements were also the center for large family parties with extended family and friends.  My maternal grandparents had six children so there were so many in-laws and their families all gathered in the same place.  They played lots of music, mostly Frank Sinatra and Perry Cuomo.  Frank Sinatra was really a favorite because he was from New Jersey (where we all lived) and so was very well received.

Collector’s Analysis: In analyzing the use of the basement in certain parts or American, it is clear that its modes of function are distinctly regional. In the Northeast, the basement is considered another room in the house and for Italians it’s a meeting place for the family. In contrast out West in California, basements rarely serve any use in houses. In my family (in Pasadena, CA), the basement has no purpose except for storage.

Sports Ritual – Houston, TX

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Primary Language: English

Sports Ritual-Houston, Texas

Ritual, Performer’s Analysis: Before every Astros baseball game, me and the other batboys would spit out gum, drop kick it from the dugout onto the field for good luck. It was for good luck, and the winner

For the Rockets games, as a pre-game ritual, all the ballboys woud huddle up on the court and chant  “THIS IS OUR HOUSE, NOBODY’S WINNING IN HERE!”. The ritual was started by all of the ushers at Toyota Center, and the ballboy’s adapted their own form of it.

Collector’s Analysis: Rituals as we have discussed in class are very common. Often times sports teams use perform a certain ritual to bring good luck or good health during the games. Ironically, in Sam’s first year as ballboy for the Houston Astros the team went to the World Series, with the gum kicking their lucky charm. Perhaps the Astros’ success explains why Sam and the other ballboys continued the ritual before every game for the following two years, even if the team did not do as well.

Sports Ritual

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: South Pasadena, CA
Performance Date: April 21, 2008
Primary Language: English

Volleyball Ritual

Ritual: Pretending to Strap on Rockets to our shoes

Collector’s Analysis: All the middle blockers would be the last to stretch and after stretching, Noah and his teammates would make a gesture as if we were “strapping on rockets” to our shoes so they would be able to jump higher during the match. They hoped that it would bring us good luck.

Again, pre-game rituals are seen as a token of good luck. Ironically, when Noah’s team was not doing as well, they adjusted their pre-game ritual to ensure it followed the “original” variation, if there even was one.

Legend – Costa Rican

Nationality: Costa Rican
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 15, 2008
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

Legend-Costa Rica

La Cegua:

Muchas historias tiene, pero me atrajo la sencillez con que me contó Don Jesús Alvarado la suya, campesino de Quircot comunidad situada al este de la ciudad de Cartago, Costa Rica.

This is a story told by a famer of a Quircot community, near the town of Cartago, Costa Rica as told by mr jesus Alvarado.

Dice así:

It goes like this:

Los hombres trasnochadores y borrachos tenemos más probabilidad de topárnosla cuando venimos de la cantina pasando por trillos y cafetales.

The partying and drunk men are more likely to run into her when we come back from back from the small taverns neer the streams and coffee plantations.

Bella como el girasol, de curvas pronunciadas y grandes bustos, piernas torneadas como bizcocho de maíz, su cara por mi borrachera no se notaba muy bien.

Beautiful like the sunflower with pronounced curves and large breasts, legs are defined and soft, due to my drunkness her face is hard to see.

Al pasar junto a ella en mi caballo a las 11 de la noche, me pidió fuego para encender un cigarro, de inmediato saqué mis fósforos y al encender, miré su cara de yegua, con sus grandes dientes y sus ojos rojos y endemoniados, caí desmayado sobre mi caballo y duré 4 días con la lengua trabada.

Passing next to her on my horse near 11 in the evening, she asked for a light for her cigarette. I immediately took my matches and when lit, I was able to see her face, large teeth and red demonic eyes. I passed out on top of my horse and for four days I could not speak.

Performers Analysis: As a kid growing up in Costa Rica, La Cegua, along with La Llrona, is one of the more famous legends. I learned this particular one as a middle schooler when we were learning about native stories, histories and culture.

Essentially, the story warns that for the guys who go clubbing or party, they should be careful who they meet on the return home. One should never make a move on a girl if they cannot tell their face.

Collectors Analysis: La Cegua, like La Llrona that we discussed in class is a Latino legend. In terms of La Cegua, it is mostly found in Costa Rico, with a certain amount of variation in the country. La Ceguas fulfills the qualities of a legend because it invites discussion about beliefs, takes place in a real world setting, and overlaps with history. It can be considered a historical and local legend within Costa Rica.

Recipe – French

Nationality: French
Age: 44
Residence: San Marino, CA
Primary Language: English

French Recipe

La Fouace Nantaise »

This delicious sweet bread type was conceived in the 19th century by the local grape wine grower of la Haye-Fouassière, a small country town located only 20 miles away from my home town Nantes.  It is shaped like a six branch star.  This is a rather filling bread made of flower, leaven and cold sweet sirup.  It is enriched with butter and sugar.

This is a treat that my grand-mother made and I loved it.  It was delicious with a cup of tea with milk as an afternoon snack.  I remember eating it at my grand mother’s while watching black&white television with my cousins. It is also the customary to eat Fouace at the wedding toast.  Although I was too young to have a drink at many of my aunts and uncles weddings, I used to grab as many pieces of Fouace as I could!  Adults will eat it with a glass of Muscadet (local white wine).

Here is the receipe for la fouace nantaise :

5 people ; préparation : 15 minutes ; Time of rest for the dough : 10h ; cooking time : 20 minutes

What you need :

· 500 g of wheat flower

· 100 g of butter

· 15 g of yeast

· 4 eggs

· 1 small glass of brandy

· 10 cl of milk

· Eau de fleur d’oranger

· vegetable oil

In a pot, prepare and mix the wheat flour with all the ingredients (the soft butter, the yeast, the three eggs, the glass of brandy, the milk and few water drop of orange tree flower).  Let the dough rest for the hours.
Shape the dough in a crown or six branch star shape on a lightly oiled wax paper and let it cook for twenty minutes at medium heat in an oven (thermostat 6).

Collector’s Analysis: This dish is a classic item from Nantes, and as a kid myself I grew up eating it even in the United States. Because the metric system is not used in the United States, using the American system actually changes the taste of the dish somewhat. In addition, the bread in France rises differently, preventing the Fouace I’ve tasted in the United States from being similar from the ones in France.

Annotation: “The Country Cooking of France” by Anne Willan