Author Archives: Timothy Clayton

Beer and Egg for Vitality

Nationality: American
Age: 66
Occupation: Retired
Residence: New Orleans, LA
Performance Date: 4/20/12
Primary Language: English

When the informant’s Grandma was a teenager, she was sick a lot—and the Grandma’s mother made her drink a special “elixir” to restore her vitality.  This elixir was half a glass of beer with two raw eggs cracked into it, first thing in the morning.  This drink was supposed to make the informant’s Grandma strong and to help her gain back weight if she was sick.

When the informant fell sick as a child, his Grandma would tell him that at least he didn’t gave to drink this “elixir!”  The informant believes this elixir exists because it was passed down in the  family for generations.  The informant also thinks this could be used as an elixir because it has lots of calories in it to restore health.

I agree with this interpretation.

Food that Sticks to Your Ribs

Nationality: American
Age: 66
Occupation: Retired
Residence: New Orleans, LA
Performance Date: 4/19/2012
Primary Language: English

The informant remembers his Grandma saying the phrase–“that’s food that’ll stick to your ribs.”  This phrase was used to refer to good, hearty food–food that wouldn’t leave you hungry an hour later.  This metaphor refers to a meal full of meat and starches, eggs and bacon and steak.  The informant says his Grandma got this phrase from her mother, who grew up in the Depression.  The informant added his Grandma was very thin and sick a lot as a child, so the Grandma’s was always trying to get her to eat more food–food that’ll “stick to your ribs.”

The informant also added that his Grandma’s mother was a big, big woman.  The informant believes this phrase was used a lot and passed on by his Grandma’s mother because she grew up in the Depression, when food was scarce.

I agree with this deduction.  I’d also add that “stick to your ribs” also has a literal meaning.  If the food sticks to your ribs, it’ll prevent you from becoming very skinny–and being so skinny that people can see your ribs.

 

Annotation: The phrase “stick to your ribs” appears on many cooking websites, often for a hearty meal.  One example is this “5 Stick To Your Ribs Soups from Around the Country” page–a webpage detailing hearty and manly soups: http://artofmanliness.com/2010/11/02/5-stick-to-your-ribs-soups-from-around-the-country/

The Pre-Game Meal

The informant played football in high school, and he says his Grandma would always cook him a steak and a baked potato a few hours before the game.  It was a game-day ritual for the informant and his Grandma, and he never missed a meal.  The informant saw this meal as “the ultimate comfort food in the family”–the Grandma would also cook him this meal when he was sick.  His Grandma said this was food that would make him well and give him energy.  The informant appreciated these meals, and thought it was good luck to have this good, hearty meal before a game.

I agree with this interpretation.  Having a meal high in protein and carbohydrates makes good sense before a sporting event.  I’d also suggest that the “comfort food” value of the food may have also calmed the informant’s nerves as well before the game, in addition to filling his stomach.

 

Black-eyed Peas on New Year’s Day

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/19/2012
Primary Language: English

The informant says that her grandfather always used to make black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.  The grandfather always said it was good luck to eat them on January 1, but the informant believes it was just because her grandfather enjoyed making black-eyed peas.  The informant believes it was “just some kind of weird thing” her family did.

While the ritual may seem “weird” to the informant, I think this belief is actually fairly wide-spread.  I’d suggest that eating some kind of vegetable, that comes from the Earth, could be some kind of New Year ritual–as in, perhaps it reestablishes one’s connection with the Earth.

Descended from Pocahontas?

Nationality: American
Age: 66
Occupation: Retired
Residence: New Orleans, LA
Performance Date: 4/19/2012
Primary Language: English

The informant was always told the same story since a young age–he and his family were descended from Pocahontas, which is why he didn’t have any hair on his chest.  The informant’s mother and grandmother would recount this tale to him often, grandmother filling in details where the mother missed them.  A handful of generations back, Pocahontas and John Rolfe had married and created some distant ancestor of the informant’s family.  “We are the heirs of Pocahontas,” the informant’s grandmother would proclaim.

The story was told more when people commented on how the informant had no hair on his chest, or was triggered from any discussion of chest hair or ancestry.  The story was also told more around Thanksgiving.

The informant says he later read that Pocahontas didn’t have any children, which kind of killed the legend for him.  However, the informant says he recently discovered that Pocahontas actually did in fact have a child, reigniting the legend.  The informant is doubtful of the legend, but it’s still told in the family, but mainly as a joke.  The informant believes the story still exists simply because it was passed down from mother to mother, with each person believing the story was true.

I agree with this.  I’d also like to suggest that the story gave the family the sense of a unique identity–being descended from Pocahontas would link them directly to history, and maybe even make them “more American.”  Even if the story is just a fantasy, it’s an interesting linking of a family to history.