Category Archives: general

‘A Person Leaves Behind their Name’

Age: 53

Date of Performance: 02/25/25

Language: English, Japanese

Nationality: Japanese

Occupation: Immigration Lawyer

Primary Language: Japanese

Residence: Tokyo, Japan

“Okay, thanks, Mom, for doing this.”

“Of course! Haha, I might have to think a bit first, though.”

“Take your time. So do you have any experience with these kinds of minor genres of folklore? Right here.”

“Yes, um, so when I was very young, maybe during grade school? We used to have a shrine, or altar? Called a 仏壇 (Butsudan) which was for my grandmother with a lot of things like 位牌 (ihai), which is like a wooden engraving of her name, 仏像 (butsuzo) which is basically a Buddha statue, and rice, and flowers, things you would honor the dead with. And so we’d typically say ‘人は死して名を残す (Hito wa shishite na o nokosu),’ which translates to ‘A person leaves behind their name.’ And… yeah.”

“Okay, and is this saying something you reflect on often, or have reflected on often? Does it still carry the same weight as maybe it once did?”

“Yes, I’d say so. I don’t think about death often, not because I push it away, but I have always acknowledged it. I am not sure if I am making sense, but I am not sure when the last time I have been scared of dying was.”

“No, you make perfect sense. Thank you.”

Context:

My mother came across this saying when she was very young, and her seeing a continual reminder of her deceased grandmother was a formative experience in how she conducts her life. The tradition of keeping a Butsudan shrine is commonly found in many Japanese homes, and it serves as a way to ritually honor the dead. The ihai has pretty much a direct tie to the proverb, as the only thing left of her deceased grandmother is her name, the memory of her name, on the shrine.

Analysis:

Based on my interpretation, it seems that her and her family, instead of shunning away from something as eery and dreadful as the idea of death, embrace it as a natural part of life. Everyone internally understands that death is an inevitability, but to keep a shrine dedicated to one who has passed is almost a symbolic gesture in acknowledging, even welcoming it into their home. It reframes death as not some tall, daunting, and inevitable experience, but a completely natural and almost mundane part of life. The proverb is a direct reflection of this attitude, that all you leave behind is your name. It is to embrace death and nothingness, while leaving behind you and your memory.

chili crab gesture

Age: 20

Date: 02/22/2025

Language: English

Nationality: Singaporean

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

The “Chili Crab” gesture—holding up both hands with fingers spread wide and moving them like crab pincers.

Context:

Growing up in Singapore, I’ve always known the “Chili Crab” gesture. It’s something my friends and I would do whenever we were craving chili crab or planning a seafood feast. We’d hold up both hands, spread our fingers like crab pincers, and snap them in the air while saying, “Wah, chili crab time!” I remember my cousins doing it at family dinners, and even my parents would use it occasionally when deciding where to eat. It’s such a simple but fun way to reference one of our most famous dishes, and even now, if someone makes that gesture, I immediately know what they’re talking about, no words needed.

Analysis:

This gesture reflects how deeply food is woven into Singaporean culture. Chili crab isn’t just a dish; it’s a national favorite, a shared experience that brings people together. The existence of a hand sign for it shows how much significance it holds beyond just being something to eat.

Unlike more universal gestures like the thumbs-up, the “Chili Crab” gesture is specific to Singapore, making it a unique cultural marker. It represents not just a love for food but also the way Singaporeans express themselves, through humor, playfulness, and a strong connection to local traditions. For those unfamiliar with it, the gesture might seem unusual at first, but for locals, it instantly conveys a craving, an inside joke, or an invitation to enjoy a classic dish together. In this way, it serves as both a symbol of cultural identity and a reminder of the shared experiences that define Singaporean life.

I gotta go call the president

Minor Genre: Folk Speech (Tabooistic Vocabulary) 

Text: I gotta go call the president 

Context: My informant said he politely says this to leave the room when he needs to defecate. When asked about it, he said that defecating is his “business,” so it makes sense if he refers to it as calling the president. My informant first heard this tabooistic vocabulary from his aunt when he was around twelve years old. It stuck with him because it was funny, clever, and aligned with his humor. Although he is not calling the president, he feels empowered as not everyone knows what he means, but he can still laugh about it. My informant mentioned that this is an indirect way to let those around him realize he needs to leave the room for personal reasons. In his words, “it lessens the tension of needing to poop.” He uses this phrase anytime he is around people and needs to use the restroom. When I asked him about it, he said he would never stop saying he needs to call the president unless he finds something funnier to replace it. 

Analysis: Generally, tabooistic vocabulary will tell someone much about a culture. In this case, hiding/ or avoiding the biological language for needing to defecate is very typical of Western societies where bodily emissions are considered dirty, disgusting, and a private matter— taboo. Because my informant grew up in the United States, he learned that it is inappropriate to exit a room by saying he needs to defecate, so instead, he disguises it as something completely unrelated to using the restroom. Because he fears not being socially accepted, he replaces the tabooistic vocabulary with a euphemism to make it socially acceptable. 

“Water doesn’t boil when you watch it”

Age: 19

Date of Performance: 2/24/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

  1. Text

The informant is a sophomore student at USC, who is studying Public Relations & Advertising. He quoted a proverb that says, “Water doesn’t boil when you watch it.”

2. Context

“I heard this, I think, from my friend’s mom. It’s just like a saying.”

“It’s about how obsessing over something just makes it more difficult to do it because when you watch water boil, it takes forever. But when you step away and do something else, time flies and it feels almost immediate.”

“When I was really young, I think I was 8 or 9, is when my neighbor’s mom told me this. Or maybe it was my own mom?”

3. Analysis

The informant’s uncertainty about who taught him this proverb represents how the family influence wasn’t necessarily the important factor in this phrase. It is again, another metaphor involving water and tied to human behavior. It is a teaching of patience, and letting things happen without obsessing over them. It teaches a larger lesson through a metaphor about a rather mundane action.

A Long Lost Friend

Nationality: American

Age: 81

Occupation: Retired

Residence: Mill Valley, CA

Performance Date: December 1st, 2024

Primary Language: English

Language: English

MAIN DESCRIPTION: 

“All right, a few years ago, normal morning I just woke up. I was gonna get up and go to to the bathroom. when I felt like I couldn’t get out of the bed. 
I felt like something was like sitting on me right I mean, I could still breathe and all, but I just felt like I couldn’t get up and I was thinking, is this a heart attack or something? And then finally I did get up and I went to the bathroom. I came back, got in bed and there, I felt it again. 
It was just like somebody sitting on me and and when I started with maybe I picked up my phone and looked at the date and it was July 2 and I suddenly remembered that that was the birthday of my best friend Leonore, who had died of breast cancer years before, and I think it was the first time I ever forgot her birthday and I think she was pissed that I forgot it. So after that, I mean after that everything went away and it was just that weird experience of having this presence there who didn’t hurt me, but was making herself known.”

INFORMANT’S OPINION:

JS: What do you think this appearance means spiritually?

MB: “I felt it related to our friendship, which started in sixth grade and we were she was my closest friend through high school and then once I started going with my husband uh and she she she developed an interest in Spanish culture. And she ended up um taking a job in Mexico and marrying a Mexican person there, had children with him and then later divorced him and she got tired of him and Mexico. 
And she came back and met a really wonderful guy who she married and they lived right in the East Bay until she developed breast cancer. She was she died at 49. It was terrible, so anyway, I felt it was just her maybe disappointment and a little annoyance that I had that remembered her birthday. 
But I didn’t feel it was evil. I mean, she wasn’t trying to kill me. Yeah like, “hey, it’s my birthday.””

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION:

Who can say for sure what our human connections to the afterlife or spiritual realm might be? There have been so many examples of people having near death experiences and describing similar sensations of light and hovering. It’s not hard to believe that Lenore paid a visit to MB, if not to just say hello, maybe to nudge MB to not forget her existence or her presence, even if only in spiritual form when she “sat on” her chest on her birthday.