Author Archives: Tiffany Chang

Myth – Chinese

Nationality: Cantonese-American
Age: 34
Occupation: Engineer
Residence: Anaheim, CA
Performance Date: May 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Cantonese

To achieve the desired sex of a baby, the husband should eat meat in order to have a baby boy or eat seafood to have a baby girl.

The informant first heard this myth after he got married.  His parents wanted him and his wife to have a baby boy to carry on the family name, so they fed him a lot of meat.  Carl says that only what the husband eats determines the sex of the baby, not the wife.  The male has the Y chromosome that decides whether the baby is a boy or girl, whereas the female has both X chromosomes.  In his experience, Carl does not believe in this myth because he has two boys of his own.  For the second baby, he tried to eat more seafood, but still had another boy.

Since Carl was born in California, he did not believe in a lot of the myths that were brought over from his parents.  For this myth, the meat could symbolize a male because it is tough and strong, which will make a healthy boy.  The seafood is more gentle and soft, which could symbolize a healthy girl.  In this way, the Chinese culture has a latent belief that the sexes have different roles in society.  Because the girl is gentle, she will be more submissive to her husband, who is more tough and will make the big decisions.

Although these myths were believed, the maximum effect can never be achieved because the husband will probably not restrict himself to only meat or only seafood.  Therefore, this myth cannot be fully proven and thus remains a myth to this day.  Since Carl was born in the American culture, he learned from science that the odds of getting a boy versus a girl is at random, and that one cannot be favored over another.  This dichotomy between science and belief is evident, and in the Western faith, most people believe in science over myth.  The Chinese culture believes in the ancient legends and myths and follows it in hopes of getting what they want.  If they do not get the favored results, then it only means that they did not follow the myth correctly.

Folk Speech

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Pasadena, CA
Performance Date: May 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

What should I wear to the meeting? You should go in your “birthday suit.”

Lillian told her friend to wear her “birthday suit” to the meeting as a joke.   She learned this from high school when another friend said it to her.  She said that to go in a birthday suit means to go naked.  She accepts this speech and does not know where it could have come from.

Although this is a simple phrase, it can be interpreted in many ways.  First off, teenagers constantly joke about nudity, especially with the media encouraging sexual references.  This folk speech could refer to one’s birthday, when one is the center of attention.  A person could “wear her birthday suit” for somebody else, which would be a satisfying present.

Folklore is commonly spread in many ways, whether it is a couple words or a long story.  In this case, simple phrases with sexual connotations are very common and easy to spread.  By having words that refer to a completely different idea, people can have inside jokes with whoever knows the folk speech.  Thus, there is an inside group who is familiar with the phrase, making it folklore.

Belief

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Pasadena, CA
Performance Date: May 2007
Primary Language: English

If one receives a chain e-mail, then one has to follow its instructions to pass it along.  If it is not resent to more people, then one will have to suffer bad outcomes.

Carolyn knows this belief from middle school but does not believe that it is true.  She says that when she first started receiving chain e-mails regarding crushes, she would respond to it and forward it to as many people as she could to ensure her safety in future relationships.  She said that the e-mails would seem cursed, especially because it would build up suspense as the reader would scroll down to the bottom.  When she reached high school, she realized that the bad luck that they specified, which included loss of love and friendship, did not really come true.  Because of her age, however, she believed it when she was in her early teenage years.

It is very common for pre-teens and early teenage children to trust anonymous emails that tell can foretell one’s future.  Just like a fortune-teller, a chain e-mail has the same effect in that it decides the magnitude of one’s love based on how many people it is forwarded to.  The influence of technology on the 21st century has brought beliefs to an entirely different level.  Now that the internet is the fastest way to transport information, it is expected that folklore is passed down in this fashion.  It is expected that these chain e-mails exist because of their quick diffusion throughout society based on people’s eagerness to avoid more trouble.  These constantly circulated chain e-mails are common in the young teen generation because of their gullibility and naivety.  Because the influence of lust and love begins in middle school, the presence of chain e-mails regarding luck in relationships is highly abided by.  The transition between elementary school and high school is a rite of passage that all adolescents have to go through in order to reach adulthood.  In this transition stage, there are many beliefs such as the chain e-mail that young teenagers trust in.

Legend – Chinese

Nationality: Taiwanese
Age: 62
Occupation: Developer
Residence: Taipei, Taiwan
Performance Date: May 2007
Primary Language: Chinese

The Chinese zodiac originated from an old story about the Jade Emperor.  The legend states that all the animals were given an assignment so that they could decide who could be at the beginning of the zodiac.  In this race, the animals had to cross to the other side of the river.  The ox worked hard to get across the river, but did not notice the rat on his back who cheated to get to the front.  There was also a cat who raced, but did not make it to the top twelve, keeping it away from any place in the calendar.  The final order of the zodiac is as follows: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and finally pig.

Mrs. Chang has known this story from when she was young because it basically tells how the calendar was made.  She says that the Chinese count the years by the animal and recognize each other’s births through the zodiac year that they were born rather than the actual numerical year.  She says that this story is how the Chinese explain their way of categorizing each animal in the zodiac sign, but does not know where the story originated.  It is an ancient legend that is spread throughout China and Taiwan that brings much spirit into the culture.  The various zodiac signs symbolize the character of the people born in that year.  For example, the rat is the first animal and the people are considered leaders with great charm and intelligence.  The ox, however, is dependable and calm.  These attributes relate to the story and how the animal acts to get what he wants.

One more animal that is vital to Chinese culture is the dragon, who is considered as a sign of good luck and harmony.  The Chinese often want to have children born in certain years for good luck.  Therefore, there are more babies born in the Dragon years than in any other zodiac year.  This is because the parents wish for good luck for their children, which show that they are very watchful of their children’s futures.  There are significant birth fluctuations among the Chinese population because of these varying zodiac signs (Goodkind).  The selection of a good year for the Chinese is vital to having a successful life and ensuring that their children will be healthy.  The Chinese culture also focuses on passing down their heritage from one generation to another, looking strictly after their children to ensure that they are fulfilling their role to reproduce effectively.  They are also focused on these zodiac signs to look for luck for them and their descendants.

Annotation: This legend was found on Daniel Goodkind’s “Chinese Lunar Birth Timing in Singapore: New Concerns for Child Quality amidst Multicultural Modernity,” Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol, 58, No. 3.  (Aug., 1996), pp. 784-795, Retrieved from Jstor.

Proverb

Nationality: Cantonese-American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Pasadena, CA
Performance Date: May 2007
Primary Language: English

“Distance makes the heart grow fonder”

Lauren has heard this proverb in many situations when growing up, but actually put it into application as she left for her first year of college.  She was separated from her long-term boyfriend in Los Angeles, but kept this proverb in mind to make things work.  She says that the time and distance apart from each other makes their time together more meaningful.  Though they get to meet every other month, summer, and winter break, the distance does not completely alter their affection for each other.  In fact, she says that their relationship is built on trust now more than ever, showing that the distance is actually better for them.  They lead independent lives, yet still depend on each other for support and a familiar face to talk to.  With today’s culture, she claims that long-distance relationships are sometimes helped by this proverb; instant messaging, webcams, and the unlimited phone calls make the difference.

Since this is from the American culture, the fast-paced lifestyle is expected to come with this proverb.  The American mindset is to be independent and ambitious, so it does not look on relationships as a restriction to one location.  In the past, when one is in a relationship, the woman traditionally stays with the man at home when he studies and works.  However, modern relationships have an equally divided role, where the woman needs to pursue her dreams as much as the men.  Thus, this proverb is very expected in American culture as the distance does not discourage a relationship.  On the contrary, the Americans reason to themselves that the distance actually helps them bring it to the next level.  This reasoning shows that the culture rationalizes things in order to pursue the American Dream, even relationships that can be put aside for awhile for academics and job purposes.  Today, distance could make the heart grow fonder, yet one has the choice to believe whether or not this is true and if it is applicable to everyone.