Category Archives: Material

A Social Curse – “The Cheese Touch”

Taken from audio recording:

“Informant:
Yeah, that makes sense. I know you mentioned this earlier, but the “cheese touch” was a huge thing at my school because Diary of a Wimpy Kid was filmed at my middle school.

Pearson:
No way.

Informant:
Yeah! So in middle school, the “cheese touch” was a real thing. It wasn’t even actual cheese, but more like the cooties thing—someone would “have” the cheese touch, and everyone would avoid them. The kid who played Greg Heffley, I think he actually went to my middle school, and his dad worked in the school system. So it was an even bigger deal for us.”

Analysis:

I experienced the “cheese touch” as “cooties” when I was in elementary school and some of middle school. I think it’s super interesting how this movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid had such a big impact on so many schools, especially the one my informant went to because the movie was filmed at their middle school. I’m sure it felt way more real for them. I think the idea is really interesting. Honestly, I don’t really understand it and didn’t really back then either. I guess “cooties” and the “cheese touch” are a little different. “cooties” was more of a gender vs. gender thing at my school versus the “cheese touch” being more about socially isolating someone for whatever reason. The “cool kids” in school wouldn’t be the ones getting the “cheese touch” while “cooties” in my school didn’t have that kind of social hierarchy restriction. I feel like the “cheese touch” is used more as a way to even further alienate kids that aren’t very popular and that’s a horrible thing. It, to me, is like another form of bullying and that’s really sad.

Age: 20

Date of performance: Told to me on February 13, 2025. Popularized after the 2007 “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student at USC

Primary Language: English

Residence: From California, lives somewhere in the Los Angeles area

Folk Joke: “Make Sure You Get to the Back 40”

Age: 73
Occupation: Retired
Language: English

Informant Information:

Age: 73

Date of Performance: 2/26/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Retired

Primary Language: English

Residence: Alameda, California

Text:

“Make sure you get to the back 40.”

Definition:

Back 40 – A term referring to the undeveloped or uncultivated portion of a farm, often a hypothetical 40 acres, symbolizing overlooked or less glamorous responsibilities.

Context:

The informant’s parents, who grew up on large farms in the rural South during the Great Depression, frequently used this phrase even after moving to a more urban, middle-class area of Mississippi. The informant’s mother, for example, would say this to the father while they had a family lunch in their relatively small, half-acre yard. Despite no longer living on a large farm, the parents continued to use this folksy expression as a nod to their agricultural roots.

Analysis:

The humor stems from the irony that the informant’s family no longer had a literal “back 40” to tend, having moved to a smaller suburban lot. Yet, the phrase remained a lighthearted reminder not to overlook their less obvious or neglected responsibilities. In essence, “make sure you get to the back 40” playfully urges attention to what might otherwise be forgotten.

By using this phrase regularly, the informant’s parents preserved a cultural tradition, connecting their suburban life to their farming roots. The joke carried both nostalgia and irony, reinforcing their Southern agricultural heritage while simultaneously adapting to a new, more urban environment.

Apples & Honey: Jewish New Year Ritual

Age: 63
Occupation: Retired
Language: English

Informant Information:

Age: 63

Date of Performance: 2/18/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Retired

Primary Language: English

Residence: Alameda, California

Text:

“Both my parents were Jewish, and at the new year—which, in Judaism, is a holiday in the fall when apples are in season—you cut apple slices, dip them in honey, and that will give you a sweet, prosperous new year.”

Context:

The informant, a California native from a fully Jewish background, grew up celebrating the Jewish New Year with her parents.

Analysis:

Eating apples dipped in honey is a Jewish tradition during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Their round shape symbolizes the cyclical nature of the year, while the honey’s sweetness represents hopes for a prosperous and joyful future.

Before eating, participants often recite a blessing expressing their wish for a “sweet new year,” reinforcing the ritual’s symbolic nature. For the informant’s family, this ritual was a celebration of their Jewish identity and means of passing down traditions to future generations. The timing, coinciding with apple season in the fall, also reflects the natural alignment between cultural customs and the regional produce available in California.

Taylor Ham vs Pork Roll

Nationality: American
Age: 47
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Morris Plains, NJ, USA
Language: English

Text:

“Taylor ham is North Jersey and Pork Roll is Central and South Jersey.  I grew up in Central NJ (Somerset County) so I grew up calling it Pork Roll.  There is no difference between the items.  I first heard it from my parents.  The Plaza diner in Morris Plains calls it Taylor ham but we are in North Jersey.”(LeRoy)

Analysis:

Knowing either of these is already a marker that one is from or has familiarity with New Jersey. This breakfast meat isn’t sold widely across the US, mostly in New Jersey and in a little bit of Pennsylvania. I interviewed my mother, who is a New Jersey native. She has moved around a little bit and gotten the whole experience of the importance of this debate. Where you are determines what it’s called and some people take it more seriously than others. This means if you order taylor ham/pork roll and call it by the “wrong” name for the region, some people won’t answer or will expect you to correct yourself. 

The importance of this debate is really a testament to where you are from. There is such a distinction between Central/South Jersey and North Jersey that this is part of the divide. There are many factors such as Mets vs Yankees, Jets vs Giants, Philadelphia vs New York, and Pork Roll vs Taylor Ham. There is pride in where you are from and where you live, so these debates are a healthier way to engage in this mock rivalry. Having pride for one’s home comes out in many ways, including healthy rivalry and one-upping. 

Jeep Ducking/ Duck Duck Jeep

Object:

Rubber Ducks

Context:

The informant and the interviewer were walking around the USC campus and spotted a Jeep with a great amount of rubber ducks in it, thus sparking this conversation.
People who own Jeeps like to give rubber ducks to other Jeep owners. You can spot a lot of Jeeps with many different types of rubber ducks on their dashboard. The informant theorized that it is a millennial trend. They recall that it started during quarantine as a way to bond the Jeep community together.

Analysis:
A heartwarming game within the Jeep community, it is well needed during quarantine. People still keep it up nowadays, but more as a collector to show off the different rubber ducks they own.