Category Archives: general

“Cuando Cuelgo Los Tenis”

Age: 20
Occupation: University Student
Language: Spanish

Informant Information:

Age: 20

Date of Performance: 2/15/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: University Student

Primary Language: Spanish

Residence: Los Angeles, California

Text: “Cuando cuelgo los tenis”

Translation: “When I hang my shoes”

Figurative Meaning: “When I die”

Context:

Whenever the informant’s mother was upset or disappointed with the informant’s behavior, she would use the Spanish phrase “Cuando cuelgo los tenis” (“When I hang my shoes”). The phrase was used hypothetically, implying that the mother’s death could be a consequence of the child’s actions.

Analysis:

This phrase is commonly used by parents in Mexican Spanish to evoke guilt or a sense of responsibility in their children. When a parent is upset or disappointed, they may use this expression to suggest that their child’s behavior is distressing enough to contribute to their eventual passing. This type of statement reflects a universal theme in parenting, where guilt is employed as a tool to encourage compliance and reinforce family values. While the threat of death is not meant to be taken literally, it emphasizes the importance of respect, familial bonds, and the physical and emotional impact of one’s actions on their loved ones.

“I whisper secrets, , make trees sway, My voice is felt, but not seen in play. Though I’m invisible, I can be heard all day.”

Age: 20


Date of performance: 2/22/25


Language: Chinese


Nationality: Chinese


Occupation: Student


Primary Language: Chinese & English


Residence: United States

Riddle:

“I whisper secrets, make trees sway, My voice is felt, but not seen in play. Though I’m invisible, I can be heard all day.”

Context:

This riddle is usually heard at Chinese lantern festivals in which is meant to be interacted with predominantly by children. This is the case because it is considered a beginner-level riddle. Children interact with these riddles from the festival as they are attached to lanterns during the event. These lanterns serve as a reward system and if you get a riddle correct, you are awarded a rice dumpling.

Interviewee mentions that most riddles from Chinese Culture are predominantly from Chinese Lantern Festivals. They heard this knowledge while growing up from their mom, but it is also generally well-known in Chinese culture. Furthermore, they mentioned it was such an easy riddle and refused to provide the answer upon introduction of the riddle having me try to figure it out on my own.

Analysis:

I was able to answer the riddle pretty easily despite feeling like I was being tricked by my friend. The answer was the wind, which felt pretty self-explanatory to me in the end. I find myself so used to the trend that riddles try to trick people through the use of making the answer something you can’t see that I naturally fell back to thinking of the wind first; which in this case was right as it’s a common riddle answer.

I found it quite interesting how riddles were introduced to children at events, not only that but through the use of lanterns. I’m so accustomed to them just being a verbal challenge that this is such a fun way to implement them and challenge kids. I find it such a fun way to help children integrate into Chinese festivals and help them feel involved in their culture

How much does it cost to get married?

Age: 20


Date of performance: 2/22/25


Nationality: Chinese


Occupation: Student


Primary Language: Chinese & English


Residence: United States

Joke:

Kid: Dad, how much does it cost to get married?

Dad: I don’t know, I’m still paying for it

Context:

Growing up, the interviewee, heard this phrase from listening to Chinese Soap Opera. They believe this joke plays on the stereotypical husband ‘hating’ his wife archetype and is commonly seen in old media. The interviewee interprets it as a dig towards a woman’s pricy needs and serves as a misogynistic comment towards wives in general.

Analysis:

While I agree with it serving as a misogynistic comment, I believe it might also play into the concept of marriage as a whole being an overwhelming price. May it be because of the wife’s choices/preferences or the cost of marriage as a whole, the whole act of having a marriage over the years has become a general burden on people’s wallets as we grow expensive tastes to accentuate our “love” for one another in physical form.

Mexican Fork – Joke

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Undergraduate Student at the University of Southern California
Residence: Icon Plaza Apartments in Los Angeles, CA
Language: Chinese

Text:

Use your “Mexican Fork”

Context:

“Sometimes, when my family is eating food–and of course we are using chopsticks–someone will try to pick up something difficult to balance with their chopsticks, and we’ll tell them to use their ‘Mexican fork’… aka their hand. Our grandpa used to say it all the time. It is a little… uh… race-y so we only ever say it around family.”

Analysis:

The performer is a 3rd generation Chinese-American, and their grandfather came to America (specifically Lousiana) as a teenager around the 50s. This joke is interesting because it has an America-centered perspective. After all, the default eating utensil is a fork. By saying Mexican “fork” instead of “eating utensil”, it implies that the Chinese “fork” is a chopstick while, in this case, the Mexican “fork” is one’s hands. This could be heavily influenced by the American go-to utensils being spoon and fork and is an interesting reflection of their grandfather’s assimilation into the American folk culture. Additionally, it’s interesting that the performer prefaced that the joke is controversial and only said it in private as it reflects the attitude around the saying changing to be less acceptable over the past 7 decades.

The Tables Have…

Text: “Oh no! The tables are tabling.”

Context: My family and I reference this inside joke a lot, but we are all unsure how this saying has originated. We presume that it must have been when my sister and I were younger and were still learning what popular folk phrases were. In this case, I think one of us was trying to reference the saying: “How the tables have turned.” However, I think one of said that the tables are “tabling” instead. Although I believe this saying has stuck because my family found it humorous and endearing. We usually say this in rather serious situations where one of our family members is leaving whether it’s for college or on a trip. Usually, on the days up until the day of departure, my family is very vocal about how much they will miss the family member who is leaving. Once the departing family member is about to leave, they suddenly feel distressed and also have feelings of missing the family right as they are about to leave. At this moment, my family would go, “Oh no! The tables are tabling!” meaning that situation and our feelings have been completely reversed.

Analysis: Although this phrase is used in moments where my family reverses emotional states, we use this phrase as a way to humorously cope with the situation. The humor in the phrase comes from its grammatical error as using table as a verb when it’s usually a noun. I would say that this error adds to its charm and reflects what my family finds silly and meaningful. In this way, I think it the use of this phrase marks our culture as a family and reinforces our bond through shared humor and feelings. Ultimately, this phrase shows how our inside jokes are used over time and gains layers of meaning that go beyond its original mistake. What started as a childhood mistake has become an endearing way for my family to express their love for each other and the bittersweet nature of parting.