Author Archives: Robbie Maletis

Recipe

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Louis Obispo, CA
Performance Date: April 1, 2008
Primary Language: English

Recipe—Clam Dip

6 ounces of cream cheese

¾ cups of mayonnaise

1 can of minced clams

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

1 small clove of garlic

“A popular dish of my families is clam dip.  While this seems like a common condiment to have at a party or gathering it holds a special meaning to my family.  When I was a child we had many family gathering, from birthdays to Thanksgiving, and at each of these events we would have a clam dip to go with the potato chips.   While there are many different variations to making this dip only our family’s recipe would be served.  To continue the tradition even further the dip has only been made by great grandmother.  This continued for all of the family gatherings until she passed away nine years ago.  Although the dip was always her recipe that did not stop the tradition as now the responsibility of making the dip has been passed on to my grandmother.”

While clam dip seems like something very simple it goes to show that almost anything can have a special meaning.  Brian went on to tell me that after his great grandmother pasted it was almost a way or remembrance when they would make the clam dip for each party because it was something that she was very fond of.

Contemporary Legend

Nationality: Jewish
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 29, 2008
Primary Language: English

“From what I heard after the billionaire Walt Disney died he was cryogenically frozen.  What’s even crazier is that some people say his body is currently buried underneath the Pirates of the Caribbean exhibit at Disneyland.  I even heard that he froze himself so one day when the technology is there, he can be unfrozen and brought back to life.”

This is probably one of the most bizarre urban legends I have ever heard.  Although I am not sure if this is a wide spread rumor I feel that living in Los Angeles, just minutes form Disney headquarters, makes this urban legend more prevalent.  This legend seemed so weird to me that I looked it up online and actually found a couple of sites that have a synopsis about this myth.  While the sites said records show that Walt Disney was cremated on December of 17, 1966 he was very secretive about his funeral.  There was even one site that said that no one was allowed to be present when he was buried, not even family.  Leading many to believe that this rumor of being frozen is true.  While this does bring about some suspicion it seems like a little bit of a stretch to say he’s frozen under magic mountain.

Joke

Nationality: Jewish
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Newport, CA
Performance Date: April 14, 2008
Primary Language: English

“Jim has been good his whole life.  He has always done the right thing, treated people the right way, and been an all around decent person.  One day, God came down from heaven and wanted to reward Jim for all the good that he has done in his life.  God says to Jim you can have whatever you want because you have done good things in your life and I want to reward you for this.  Jim thinks about it for a while and goes, ‘you know what, I want a freeway from California to Hawaii because its my favorite place on earth and it would be so much easier to drive there’.  God says, ‘Jim that is impossible, you don’t understand the work it would take to make that happen.  Can I grant you another wish’.  Jim is disappointed but understands.  He then goes on to say, ‘you know what I really want, my wife to understand me.  I want her to know why I come home from work and watch football all night, and why I don’t pick up on her subtle hints.  God…I want to know how woman think’.  God pauses, looks down at Jim and says, ‘so how many lanes would you like that highway’.”

Jared learned this from a friend in his fraternity earlier this year.  He said the joke occurred in a setting when him and a few of his friends were just relaxing after a long week of school.  At the end of the joke Jared admitted that while he was pretty sure that was how the joke was to be told, he was not positive.  He said after he had heard the joke the first time several other versions had been told to him that were slightly different.

This is a great joke that plays off of the comical situations of men being unable to understand woman.  In this case we see even God, the creator of mankind, unable to explain to Jim how woman think.  The joke also does a good job at setting a good plot for the kicker at the end of the joke.  The key with telling this joke successfully is in the timing and if done improperly the joke could be ruined.

Another point to notice when the joke was over, Jared felt the need to tell me that he had heard different versions and wanted to assure me that he had heard others.  In his opinion he felt that the first version he had heard first was the original and each other version came from someone else’s modifications.  While he might think this to be true in actuality there is no one right version and the joke will continue to change as it gets passed from one person to the next.

Proverb

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Newport, CA
Performance Date: March 2, 2008
Primary Language: English

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Max said his mother started telling him this proverb two years ago when he was in college.  Max would tell his mom about his grades and would “guarantee A’s” after the first midterm.  He would try to convince her that he had everything under control and that the class was easy.  She would always respond by telling him that he can’t let one good exam go to his head and it was important that he stay focused on his work.  Although Max didn’t follow his mother’s advice the first time he admits that she was right, and he had to learn the hard way that you can’t just cruise through a class and expect to get an A.

This proverb as a lot of meaning behind it and can be used in numerous situation.  Its overall message is to not try to predict the future because you never know what could happen.  Often time’s people find themselves in trouble because they have made to many assumptions that don’t pan out.  I personally use this quote in the same context as Max does.  When it comes to my academics it is important for me to stay focused even when things look promising.  An example of this is finals week, where many people don’t study hard enough for a class just because they have had previous success in it.  This proverb is one that every college student should know in order to stay focused and motivated.

Proverb – Nicaragua

Nationality: Nicaraguan
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 26, 2008
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

Haz la luz de la tea, no hay mujer fea

Do what is right, not what will gain approval

Carlos learned this proverb from his mother four years ago when he was leaving his home in Nicaragua to come to USC.  Leaving the comforts of home was a difficult decision for Carlos but he knew USC would give him an educational expierence he could not find anywhere else.  This left his struggling with the fact that she would only see her son a few times a year.  Carlos had never been away from home very long and moving to a completely new environment in Los Angeles concerned his mother.  She did not want her son to change who he was just to confer with the Los Angeles norm, so she told him this proverb.  Carlos had been raised with a strong sense of morals and responsibility, and moving do Los Angeles did not concern him.  While his mother had complete faith that Carlos would only succeed when in Los Angeles she wanted to make sure that he did not lose sight on the things that had made him such a good person.

This is a proverb that rings very true, especially in the fast past and always changing California lifestyle.  It is very easy to get caught up in the current trend to fit in and before you know it you are a completely different person.  You can never go wrong when you do what you know is right and stay true to yourself.