Author Archives: ngorelic

Bee sting paste

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: Insurance sales
Residence: Seattle, WA
Performance Date: April 16
Primary Language: English

I interviewed my 52 year old Aunt who was visiting from Seattle. She was very close with my grandmother, who I never had the opportunity of meeting, and I asked her questions about things that her mom taught her. She did have a couple things that she fondly remembers her mother teaching her, one of those things was how to deal with bee stings.

Collector: “Was there anything in particular that your mother taught you as a child?”

Informant: “Well, one thing that I learned was how to deal with bee stings in a very quick manner. All you need is baking soda and water. My mother would always mix the two into a type of paste and apply it to the bee sting.”

Collector: “Would this work?”

Informant: “Yes! it would make it feel a ton better. After a while the redness begins to go away, the pain begins to numb and the stinger even pops out eventually.”

I thought this fact was very cool because it gave me a little insight into the types of things my grandmother would do, because I never knew her. I tried to research the origins of this practice but there really is not a specific time which this remedy was realized. It does seem as though it is something that many people are aware of, and just as it is a remedy passed down through generations in my family, it is also the same in other people’s as well.

Gogel Mogel

Nationality: American
Age: 94
Occupation: Unemployed
Residence: Seattle, WA
Performance Date: April 16
Primary Language: English

I interviewed my 94 year old grandfather about things that his parents taught him growing up. He is a man that has had many experiences throughout his life but one thing that brought him fondness was something called a Gogel Mogel which is something his mother would give him when he was feeling sick. This is the first time I have ever heard about it but apparently it is something that has been passed down in his family for generations.

Collector: “Is there anything significant that your parents taught you as a child or throughout your life?”

Informant: “Hmmm.. well there was one thing that my mom would do for me whenever I would get sick. She would always make me something called a Gogel Mogel. She would have a hot cup of tea or milk, add honey, and then crack a raw egg into the cup. Every time I would get a cold or the flu, she would make me drink this.”

Collector: “How did it taste?”

Informant: “It was bad at first, but after the fifth or sixth time I actually started to like it.”

This was very interesting to me because this is a remedy for a cold I had never heard before. My grandfather ended up making me one and it was surprisingly refreshing. The drink became known by this name among Jews during the 17th century in Central Europe. It is actually even mentioned in the Shulchan Arukh which is the Jewish code of law where it states that one can eat sweet syrup and a raw egg to sooth one’s voice. It is a drink still served in many Jewish households and is still popular in Eastern European countries such as Poland.

Alux

Nationality: Guatemalan
Age: 50
Occupation: Assistant
Residence: Van Nuys, CA
Performance Date: April 1
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

I interviewed my mother’s assistant who is originally from Guatemala in order to find out more about her culture. I have known her my entire life, yet I don’t know exactly what kind of background she comes from and what values her people have. I talked to her about a few things, including the legend of the Aluxob.

Collector: “Do you know of any legends that are important in your home town?”

Informant: “There is one that is talked about a lot with respect to farming because agriculture is very important where I come from. This is the legend of the Aluxob which are small mayan beings that have special powers and can even change form in order to scare and play tricks on humans. There is a story that talks about their ability help crops grow. These beings are apparently summoned when a farmer builds a house on his property and for years the Aluxob help with his vegetation, but after a certain amount of time they must be locked inside the house that was build or they will go and start tricking people.”

This was a very unique and interesting story because it related to something that actually effects their every day lives which is vegetation and agriculture. While this is just one story about these creatures, after doing some research they possess more roles. Although slightly different, these roles tend to reflect the same character. The Aluxob tend to be very temper-mental people that are happy when they get what they want but are devastated and throw a tantrum when they are not satisfied. Some stories say that the Aluxob as farmers or by passers for an offering. If these people refuse to give them an offering they cause destruction and even spread disease. On the other hand, if they are granted the offering they can bring good luck and protection to those that helped them. Depending on how they are treated, their emotions can change significantly.

Chilaquilas

Nationality: Guatemalan
Age: 50
Occupation: Assistant
Residence: Van Nuys, CA
Performance Date: April 1
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

I interviewed my mother’s assistant who is originally from Guatemala in order to find out more about her culture. I have known her my entire life, yet I don’t know exactly what kind of background she comes from and what values her people have. I talked to her about a few things one of them being recipes that she is very familiar with.

Collector: “What kind of food do you normally eat when you are at home? What recipes?”

Informant: “We basically eat just a lot of beans, corn, and tortilla. These foods are mainly what grow around the area of my home so thats easiest thing to eat and also the least expensive because a lot of my family just grow the food.”

Collector: “Any specific recipes?”

Informant: “There is one recipe that we serve a lot called Chilaquiles. This is a traditional dish from my home town. It has corn tortillas at the bottom with beans and salsa poured over the top. Then, usually chicken or beef is added on top with some shredded cheese and guacamole. It is really good but after a while it gets old because it is practically the same thing for every meal.”

This was a good learning experience for me because I got to learn a lot about the kind of food that she used to eat and cuisine is a very significant part of culture. This dish is popular in many parts of South America and is even served in many U.S. border states and there are even some U.S. recipes for the dish dating back to 1898. Chilaquilas is derived from the word chil-a-quilitl which literally means “herbs or greens in chili broth”. It was interesting learning about Guatemalan cuisine.

La Segua

Nationality: Costa Rican
Age: 65
Occupation: House keeper
Residence: Van Nuys, CA
Performance Date: April 19
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

My nanny/housekeeper of many years is originally from Costa Rica. Because the culture there is so different from ours, I thought it would be interesting to explore some aspects of their culture especially through the stories that they tell and the legends that they have. So, I sat down with her basically to wonder what kinds of stories were exchanged between the people of her country.

Collector: “Are there any other legends that are important in your culture?”

Informant: “Another famous story in my home was called ‘La Segua’. In this story there is a beautiful women who falls in love with a man. This man eventually cheats on her while he is drunk, and when she finds out she goes crazy and turns in to a monster. Then she would walk on the streets alone and when drunk men would be on their way home she would lure them to her with her beauty and then kill them. Her head would turn into a horse head with red eyes.”

This was a very interesting story because it reminded me of the Sirens from Homers Odyssey. As I did more research on the legend, I found out that it was supposed to be a message to drunk and unfaithful men as well as improper and loose female behavior. Segua is derived from the word “Sihua” which means woman in Nahuatl. This is a group of of languages stemming from Aztec or Naguan origin meaning that the story could have stemmed from there. In the actual story the woman was a mix of Spanish and Indian blood, so when she fell in love with the Spaniard she was betraying her people by falling in love with the oppressor. This shows that the predicament that she found her self in was just as much her fault as it was the Spaniard’s, so it is a lesson to both men and women.