Author Archives: Tyler Anne Isaman

Gay Pride Parades

Nationality: Jewish-American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/26/13
Primary Language: English
Language: German

“There is a tradition in the gay community, where every year there is a parade to celebrate gay pride. LGBT members of the community also celebrate this day. I was 15 when I came out and a friend of mine, who was also gay, told me that the parade was a way for members who had just come out to join the larger community. The parades are not only to celebrate how far gay-rights have come, but it is also a holiday for the gay community to celebrate each other and our community. I think that this is equivalent to many other religious holidays, because many people in the LGBT community have left their synagogues or churches, so it is a way to feel included with a cause.”

Although a gay pride parade might be seen as a simple tradition or ritual, David explains that it actually has much significance in the gay community. Many gay people undergo a liminal period when they first come out of the closet, and so the parade and the show of support helps bolster their new identity as a member of the gay community. This idea of ritual to mark the end of a liminal phase is used often in religious ceremonies or in life accomplishments (birth, death, etc.). And the ‘gay pride parade’ can be seen as not only a celebration, but as a necessary step for entering this new community.

Girl Cooked in Tanning Bed

Nationality: German/Portuguese-American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 3/29/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish, French

“In my home town this one girl left my school and move away. Her mom said that she moved in with her dad when her parents divorced. That was probably the truth, but there was still this story that stuck around that she had actually died. This girl was super high maintenance and tanned a lot in tanning beds. The story goes that she was getting ready for prom and went tanning, but she stayed in too long and the bed and the lights actually cooked her. I am pretty sure that the story isn’t true, but now whenever some girl leaves my school to move away they joke that she was cooked in a tanning bed.”

The urban legend of the tanning bed has been around for many years, and I have heard version of it myself. The idea that tanning beds, which give off ultraviolet rays, can be compared to microwaves (and so cook a person) is ridiculous, but the urban legend has been very popular since the late 1980s.

In 1987 Jan Harold Brunvand wrote a story in The San Diego Union-Tribune called “Hot Sotry: Girl Cooks Her Insides at Tanning Salon,” and that claimed a girl was cooked inside a tanning bed. In 1989 The Associated Press printed a story called “Woman Dies of Burns from Tanning Booth.” The fact that Morgan’s story is still relevant shows both the popularity of the gruesome tale, and the concern people have over tanning beds.

Dessert Before Meals

Nationality: Polish/German-American
Age: 55
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Warrenton, VA
Performance Date: 3/8/13
Primary Language: English

“My grandfather worked in the coal mines, near western Pennsylvania, and he would tell all of us children that we should always eat our dessert first at our meal. He said that he picked up the habit, because the coal miners would want something nice in their stomach in case they died in the mines, so they would always eat their dessert first. Whenever I would visit my grandfather or my grandmother’s house we would always be treated to eating dessert first. It eventually took on a carpe diem quality, and whenever one of us kids had to do something difficult or dangerous we would eat our breakfast first. I even used this with my own kids a few times.”

This tale is told around mining areas like Pennsylvania and West Virginia, around where Linda grew up. Under “lunch pail” in a glossary of Appalachian terms, the anecdote about how miners ate their dessert first comes up as well (1). What is interesting about Linda’s story, however, is the spin put on it. The story of eating your dessert first when facing difficulties becomes a tradition her family celebrates. Although probably not always facing death in a coal mine, she uses the story as inspiration to cease the moment and enjoy life now, especially if you have to swallow a bitter bill later on.

 

Sources:

(1) http://www.marilynsueshank.com/linked/glossary.pdf

Bread & Stone Proverb

Nationality: Croatian-American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/20/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish, French

“Before you eat bread, make sure it is not stone a stone instead.”

This Croatian proverb, according to Allison, means that if you see something very delicious or very desirable, you should not too hastily go and grab it. You should instead wait and make sure that the nice thing is actually what you want and not something rotten. Her family’s older generations often use this phrase to express doubt about the younger generation’s love matches. Although Allison says that sometimes the phrase is also used when something is too sweet to be true. For example, she says, if you find a job that pays $5,000 a day, you should check and make sure the job is legitimate before you accept the offer.

Finishing Your Rice

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/15/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

She remembers that when we was little her mother would tell her that:

“If you do not finish all the rice in your bowl, then you will get one pimple for every grain of rice left in the bowl. Because my parents are Chinese-American, my mother thought that it was very bad to waste food. Because they [her parents] were immigrants, they did not want to waste food and were very adamant about me clearing my plate.”

This proverb is a common Chinese-American story. In some variations it is the child who does not finish their food who gets pimples (as in Kristi’s version), but previously it was the future spouse who would have pimples. Most likely the shift of who has pimples from spouse to the child eating has to do with modern day. Today, children do not necessarily see marriage as an inevitable, or may not look forward to it as they did before. As such, the changing of this saying would more closely fit in with Kristi’s mentality. Kristi says that her parents have strong morals they wish her to adhere to and that wasting food was not acceptable. This story was used to try to get her to stay in line.