Author Archives: mmschwar@usc.edu

Family tradition—Holidays

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Francisco
Performance Date: 4/9/18
Primary Language: English

I talked to my neighbor in my apartment Greg, and asked if he had any traditions during holidays in his family. He told me about a tradition he does every year since he was young during St. Patrick’s Day.

 

Greg said that ever since he was young, “My family and I on St. Patrick’s Day will set up a leprechaun trap in our house and outside our lawn. It was something I did when I was younger but now I think we still do it to keep that feeling of being young in our family. Even when I am not home for the holiday my parents set up traps and send me photos.

 

Background Info: Greg’s family is part Irish, so he has always done a big celebration for St. Patrick’s Day. He says that this leprechaun trap is something he loved doing when he was little and now his family still does it for fun and to keep the tradition alive.

 

Context: Greg told me about this during dinner at our fraternity house on the topic of family holiday traditions. He also does a similar thing for Christmas (cookie as a trap to find Santa)

 

Analysis: I never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day that much growing up so it was interesting to hear about this holiday tradition as well as other things that his family does for this March 17th event. I also thought it was funny and cool that his family still does this even though Greg and his brother are older now.

Family remedy

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Arizona
Performance Date: 4/10/18
Primary Language: English

I asked a fellow classmate in my Marketing class if he had any home remedies that he has picked up on for when he is sick, or wants to prevent getting sick.

 

Tommy said that his grandmother taught him that when he is sick he should, “Take a shot of apple cider vinegar mixed with lemon and honey, this usually helps your throat and helps prevent, I also take 1-2 wellness and vitamin C pills”

 

Background Info: Tommy is from Arizona, but his grandparents are from Sicily, Italy. He says that this remedy is something that his grandmother would always give him when he was little if he was showing any signs of being sick, even very minimal ones. It usually helps prevent his sickness and also provides health benefits.

 

Context: Tommy told me about this home remedy while on the way into our classroom when I asked him if he had anything to share.

 

Analysis: A personal remedy that my mom taught me is lemon water and honey which is kind of similar to Tommy’s, but not the apple cider vinegar. I am interested in trying this remedy now next time I feel that I am getting sick.

 

I decided to look up the benefits of apple cider vinegar because I had never heard about using this as a remedy before. For another version of the benefits of this product see:

 

https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/apple-cider-vinegar-benefits/

Family dinner tradition/ behavior at Holidays and all family gatherings

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Arizona
Performance Date: 4/10/18
Primary Language: English

I asked a fellow classmate in my Marketing class if he had any family traditions or behaviors that are done at his family gatherings.

He told me that, “At almost all of our family dinners, especially ones during holidays, my whole family will say a huge grace, and every person (after my mom’s dad starts) will say a short piece adding to the grace. It becomes a collaborative grace giving everyone their own opportunity to add to the grace. Also for all of these family gatherings, all of the women in the family cook and prepare the table, and then all of the men clear the table and wash the dishes, put leftovers away, etc. It’s something we have always done in the Riggs family.

 Background Info: Tommy has family from Sicily, Italy, so what his grandparents brought from that area is the theme of respect and equal effort, which is why the women prep the meal and the men then do their part as well—they also brought over the idea of the big family grace Tommy told me.

Context: Tommy told me about this tradition during the end of our Marketing class after he thought about if he had more things to share with me about family traditions.

Analysis: I enjoyed listening to this tradition that Tommy’s family always does. He made me realize how important his family is to him which put a smile on my face. My family doesn’t say grace before meals, but I have been to meals and family gatherings where they do and I have grown to understand how important it is to the people that do it so listening to this tradition from Tommy was very cool to me.

Life Cycle/Celebration

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: New Jersey
Performance Date: 4/10/18
Primary Language: English

I asked one of my good friends from school if he had any celebrations in his family that he was proud of and wanted to share. What he told me was very interesting and related to my family as well.

 

Jo said that, “My great grandpa was a German exile, and traveled to the east coast near New York and New Jersey area. That is where he primarily grew up. When he got older, he wanted to open a restaurant so he opened a steak house near where he grew up. His signature dish was the T-bone steak, and whenever he would eat it, he would grab the T-bone by the top of the bone and eat it with his hands, it was his way of celebrating the meal and celebrating life. He passed away a while back, but my whole extended family and I always go to eat at the steakhouse which is still there once a year. What we will do is order one T-bone, and pass it down the table for everyone to take a bite from it while holding the bone in their hands, it is our tradition of celebrating my great grandpa as well as celebrating being together in that moment at a family owned restaurant.”

 

Background Info: Jo’s family is from the New Jersey area, but his great grandpa is from Germany so he has ties to parts of the country. His family still owns the steak house and he still partakes in this tradition/celebration every year.

 

Context: Jo told me about this fascinating family celebration during lunch between classes.

 

Analysis: This was one of my favorite collections from my 20 that I gathered. I think that the celebration is cool to pass on, but I was very fascinated by the bigger meaning of the behavioral action of eating the T-bone with your hand, the meaning of celebrating life and freedom as done by the care free action of eating with your hands.

Superstition

Nationality: American
Occupation: Interior Design
Residence: LA
Performance Date: 3/30/18
Primary Language: English

Kara is a close family friend, and I asked her if she had anything particular that she always does, or a superstition. What she told me was very interesting to me and I have never heard of before.

 

Kara told me that her superstition is “Before I go to bed I need to make sure that all of my clothes in my closet are color coordinated and color graduated, ranging from different shades of colors, as well as making sure that they align to primary colors vs secondary colors. It’s something that I always have done and whenever I sleep at home I can’t fall asleep until that is done”

 

Background Info: Kara has an artistic background, so this is why she thinks her obsession with colors and their organization has taken over as a major superstition in her lifetime. She even showed me some photos she had of a t shirt area of her closet where everything was color coordinated like she said.

 

Context: Kara told me about this at a family dinner party where friends came over.

 

Analysis: I have heard of some crazy superstitions but none like this that take a lot of time. I thought it was interesting how it wasn’t only that her clothes were color coordinated, but that they also aligned to the color wheel used in art.