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“When my boys and I were hiking the Portuguese Bend at night right on the coast on the cliffs, the ground like started shifting beneath us like kind of like an earthquake, it was pretty nuts. And at first we just kinda thought it was an earthquake but then we texted our boys back home and they didn’t feel anything, so we kind of just chalked it up to being the Portuguese Bend Curse because I don’t know, there was like no other explanation I guess.”
Context
RK explains that this is a curse/legend that is well known among his friends and other Palos Verdes residents, especially those that have spent time around the Portuguese Bend. He says that while hiking with his friends, he felt the ground move in a way that felt like an earthquake, but when he double checked with friends and family they didn’t feel anything. He says that he and his friends had no explanation for what happened, so they attributed it to the Portuguese Bend Curse. RK says that he’s been back to the Portuguese Bend a few times since that happened but nothing similar has happened.
Analysis
The Portuguese Bend Curse is a legend that is popular among the Palos Verdes area of Southern California, and RK’s specific story is a memorate. His experience shows that in weird moments that feel unexplainable, people will turn to folkloric and supernatural explanations for the event. This legend also shows that there is more to a place than just its geography; there is a ton of added identity to the Portuguese Bend that is built through stories and human memories. RK’s story is also a great example of Lindahl’s argument that legends and beliefs become stronger or validated through personal experience, as RK knew of the curse beforehand but never had any strong opinions about it until he experienced the ground shake in person. It’s also interesting that even though RK hasn’t felt the ground shake since that moment, he still believes in the Portuguese Bend Curse because of that one memorable and jarring experience.
Author Archives: Ren Leong
Chicken Wishbone Tradition
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“So back when I was probably like eight to probably 12, my dad and I used to do, I know this is like a pretty common one, like pulling the bones apart on a wishbone on like, a chicken. So we used to, like, the first day we like, pick up food from Costco, we’d get a rotisserie chicken. We’d bring it home and we’d dress it whatever. We’d have the wishbone and the belief was we’d each hold an end of the wishbone. I don’t know how familiar you are, but it’s got like two ends. And we’d pull it apart and whoever got like the chunk at the end gets their wish granted. So you’d think of a wish, you pull it apart, and then you get your wish, or you don’t get it. There are no like, bad effects for like, not getting your wish. It’s not like the opposite would happen or like something bad would happen. But you really wanted to get that chunk at the end. My dad used to like hold it a certain way that he’d get it every single time. He’d hack it. I don’t know what he’d do, bro. But, yeah, I like, got my wish, like, twice. So, yeah.”
Context
RR participated in this tradition with his dad every time his family ate a whole chicken, and it was always he and his dad that did it. They would both think of a wish and pull on each side of a wishbone and the person coming away with the bigger piece would have their wish granted. RR notes that he has no idea how, but somehow his dad would almost always have the bigger side. He doesn’t mention if any of his wishes were granted.
Analysis
This is an example of a widely known piece of folklore that was passed down within a family. It’s a small ritual that happened between RR and his dad every time they ate a whole chicken, and shows how folklore can tie people together and build relationships through certain rituals and traditions. It’s pretty powerful, and speaks to the value of folklore, that even though RR would always lose, he still continued to participate because of the family meaning behind the ritual rather than the actual result of getting a wish granted. The wishbone tradition is an example of a magic superstition, as participants believe that getting the larger piece of the wishbone will result in a granted wish.
Cold Water
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*Translated from Chinese
“Ever since, I guess my mother hurt her body from all the hard work that she did, so ever since that she would suffer from rheumatism and she would especially feel pain in her joints and muscles when it was raining. And drinking cold water would make her joints hurt, so she basically confirmed to herself that drinking cold water was bad for the body because that was also something she learned from her parents and grandparents growing up, to not drink cold water or cold drinks because they would cause health issues or mess with your body.”
Context
KL notes that her mom was taught from her family that drinking cold water/drinks was not good for the body and health, and personally confirmed it after it made her joints act up. KL (who is my mom) then learned this idea growing up, and would tell my brothers and I not to drink cold water/drinks too often when we were growing up. She says that her husband (who is also Chinese) does not believe in this idea and says that it is just an old traditional Chinese belief that has no scientific backing and should have been outgrown by now.
Analysis
This opinion on cold water is an example of traditional Chinese folk medicine beliefs that were passed down to my mom then to my brother and I through family advice and sayings. For my grandmother, or KL’s mother, the belief was validated by her experience with rheumatism, showing how beliefs become stronger through lived experiences. The most interesting part of this story is the conflict. Dundes makes a point that we should not just disregard folk medicine because of scientific reasons, which is what my dad/KL’s husband tries to do by dismissing the belief because there is no scientific proof behind it. It’s interesting that my parents are both Chinese, and have both passed down similar folklore such as Chinese New Year rituals, Chinese stories, and values, but vehemently disagree on more “non-scientific”, pure folk beliefs. This could be because my mom had that lived experience that enforced the belief from her mother while my dad didn’t, but could also be because my mom is more apt to believe in the “supernatural” or the unknown, while my dad believes that most things in life are under his control. Either way, this story shows how even among the same folk group, beliefs will vary.
“B Card”
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“There was a thing when I was in middle school where if someone said they were gonna do something anybody could say B Card right after and if you didn’t do the thing that you said then your friends would neck you (slap you on the neck). I remember I thought it was just a thing like with me and my friends at my school in 6th grade but I remember when I went to a new school in 7th grade, one of my friends said it one day and everybody like knew what it was in our friend group like it was a common thing which was kinda surprising. I think it stood for bitch card, like you’re a bitch if you back out of doing the thing you said. And anything was fair game too so you had to just like watch what you were saying around your friends.”
Context
BS explains that this was a long running verbal game among his multiple friend groups in middle school. Essentially, if BS’s friend were to say an action (ie. “I’m gonna get an A on this test”), BS could then immediately say “B Card”. If the action then wasn’t completed, then BS could slap his friend on the neck. No matter how outlandish the action, anything could be B carded at any time. BS also says that this was a game that existed in 2 different friend groups at different schools.
Analysis
“B Card” is an example of folk speech among young boys, and also a game that utilizes play frames as a way to hurt your friends under “acceptable” rules. It also marked your acceptance or standing of certain friend groups, as not every group understood or valued the saying, and “B Card” was never explicitly taught nor have I ever seen it on social media. BS and I went to the same school, but I also had a similar experience where the school/friend group I came from before also played the “B Card” game with slightly different rules like punching instead of necking, showing that “B Card” existed in multiplicity and variations among us middle school boys. In my opinion, “B Card” could have been a way to hold each other accountable to the things we would say, an example of Mechling’s point that jokes can be used as social tools, but it was definitely a game that gave us an excuse to hit each other due to the mostly outlandish/impossible things that middle school boys would say they were going to do throughout the day.
Bangun Pagi
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Malay lyrics:
Bangun pagi, gosok gigi,
cuci muka, pakai baju,
makan roti, minum susu,
pergi sekolah, senang hati.
English translation:
Wake up, brush your teeth,
Wash your face, put on clothes,
Eat bread, drink milk,
Go to school, be happy.
*Translated from Mandarin Chinese
“I learned this song from my kindergarten teacher in Malaysia and it was a song for kids to remember their morning routines to start the day. Years later with my kids, when they were young, I would sing this song to them while waking them up before school. And they’re so hard to wake up, so I would use water on my hands to splash on their faces too, while singing the song.”
Context
This is a song that KL (who is my mom) learned 40 plus years ago as a young girl growing up in Malaysia. Even after moving to America and raising a family 40 years later, KL still remembered this song and used it as part of the routine of waking us up as that’s how the song was used when she was young.
Analysis
This is an example of verbal folklore / a folk song that my mom learned orally from her teacher in school. Functionally, it outlines a morning routine, but the value of the song is moreso found in its rhythm and memories/association with the song as a way for kids in Malaysia to wake up in the morning. It’s interesting how she turned a song that she learned from her hometown (rather than her family) into a piece of family folklore that my brothers and I still remember to this day. Bangun Pagi also represents the oral spread of folklore and folk songs, as outside of singing it, my mom never explicitly taught us the meaning of the song but my brothers and I still understand the song and its meaning from waking up to it over and over again. Sims and Stephens make a point that folklore should be understood through its context rather than purely its text, which in this case is especially interesting because even before I ever understood the actual meaning of the Malay lyrics, I knew that hearing this song meant that it was time to wake up and get ready for school. Even though my parents didn’t instill any Malay traditions in our family once they moved to America, this Malay song (which is the only Malay I know) became a core part of our family’s lore and connects us to the Malay folk.