Text
“My dad’s side of the family is Jewish so they had a lot of like food and meals that they would eat either for special occasions or like just throughout the year because it’s like Jewish food. And the one that’s carried through to my immediate family is matzo ball soup because it’s a really good remedy for like a cold or just general sickness normally in the winter so the cultural tradition here is getting lots of matzo ball soup and using it as like a cure to sickness when we’re not feeling well.”
Context
ML says that not a ton of Jewish customs carried over to her immediate family, but matzo ball soup was one that did because of their belief in its comforting and curing powers. She remembers eating it when her or her sister were sick, and she said that eating it did make her feel better.
Analysis
ML’s story is an example of material culture, specifically foodways, as well as folk medicine. The tradition of eating matzo ball soup contains religious and traditional values in her family, but also showed a long standing belief in its remedial and comforting powers. ML notes that not many other Jewish meals or traditions were passed on to her family, showing that some beliefs or pieces of folklore are stronger or hold more meaning and are able to be passed on more easily even as other traditions of the same folk group fade away. For ML, this belief was enforced by evidence, as she said that eating matzo ball soup did genuinely make her and her sister feel better, which only serves to enforce the folk belief. ML’s story with the soup is a great example of Kaptchuk’s discussion on healing rituals, as the soup represented a sensory experience, family, and hope along with the nutritional value, all of which combined to comfort ML. I think this is a very powerful idea, because my mom would make a specific noodle dish when my brothers and I were not feeling well, but I remember the love and the care that the meal represented more than how I felt after eating it.
Category Archives: Foodways
Chicken Wishbone Tradition
Text
“So back when I was probably like eight to probably 12, my dad and I used to do, I know this is like a pretty common one, like pulling the bones apart on a wishbone on like, a chicken. So we used to, like, the first day we like, pick up food from Costco, we’d get a rotisserie chicken. We’d bring it home and we’d dress it whatever. We’d have the wishbone and the belief was we’d each hold an end of the wishbone. I don’t know how familiar you are, but it’s got like two ends. And we’d pull it apart and whoever got like the chunk at the end gets their wish granted. So you’d think of a wish, you pull it apart, and then you get your wish, or you don’t get it. There are no like, bad effects for like, not getting your wish. It’s not like the opposite would happen or like something bad would happen. But you really wanted to get that chunk at the end. My dad used to like hold it a certain way that he’d get it every single time. He’d hack it. I don’t know what he’d do, bro. But, yeah, I like, got my wish, like, twice. So, yeah.”
Context
RR participated in this tradition with his dad every time his family ate a whole chicken, and it was always he and his dad that did it. They would both think of a wish and pull on each side of a wishbone and the person coming away with the bigger piece would have their wish granted. RR notes that he has no idea how, but somehow his dad would almost always have the bigger side. He doesn’t mention if any of his wishes were granted.
Analysis
This is an example of a widely known piece of folklore that was passed down within a family. It’s a small ritual that happened between RR and his dad every time they ate a whole chicken, and shows how folklore can tie people together and build relationships through certain rituals and traditions. It’s pretty powerful, and speaks to the value of folklore, that even though RR would always lose, he still continued to participate because of the family meaning behind the ritual rather than the actual result of getting a wish granted. The wishbone tradition is an example of a magic superstition, as participants believe that getting the larger piece of the wishbone will result in a granted wish.
Cold Water
Text
*Translated from Chinese
“Ever since, I guess my mother hurt her body from all the hard work that she did, so ever since that she would suffer from rheumatism and she would especially feel pain in her joints and muscles when it was raining. And drinking cold water would make her joints hurt, so she basically confirmed to herself that drinking cold water was bad for the body because that was also something she learned from her parents and grandparents growing up, to not drink cold water or cold drinks because they would cause health issues or mess with your body.”
Context
KL notes that her mom was taught from her family that drinking cold water/drinks was not good for the body and health, and personally confirmed it after it made her joints act up. KL (who is my mom) then learned this idea growing up, and would tell my brothers and I not to drink cold water/drinks too often when we were growing up. She says that her husband (who is also Chinese) does not believe in this idea and says that it is just an old traditional Chinese belief that has no scientific backing and should have been outgrown by now.
Analysis
This opinion on cold water is an example of traditional Chinese folk medicine beliefs that were passed down to my mom then to my brother and I through family advice and sayings. For my grandmother, or KL’s mother, the belief was validated by her experience with rheumatism, showing how beliefs become stronger through lived experiences. The most interesting part of this story is the conflict. Dundes makes a point that we should not just disregard folk medicine because of scientific reasons, which is what my dad/KL’s husband tries to do by dismissing the belief because there is no scientific proof behind it. It’s interesting that my parents are both Chinese, and have both passed down similar folklore such as Chinese New Year rituals, Chinese stories, and values, but vehemently disagree on more “non-scientific”, pure folk beliefs. This could be because my mom had that lived experience that enforced the belief from her mother while my dad didn’t, but could also be because my mom is more apt to believe in the “supernatural” or the unknown, while my dad believes that most things in life are under his control. Either way, this story shows how even among the same folk group, beliefs will vary.
Rosca de Reyes/Wreath of the Kings
Context: The Rosca de Reyes/Wreath of the Kings is a sweet bread commonly made/consumed during January 6th, the Day of the Three Kings
“Every year on January 6th, many who are Catholic celebrate the Day of the Three Kings following Christmas. Because of this, we have a yearly tradition where we eat la Rosca de Reyes (Wreath of the Kings), in which it is a sweet bread that’s super good. You usually eat it with either hot chocolate or champurrado. However, the tradition also comes with a fun game. Inside of the bread are a few little white babies that represent Jesus when he was born. If your slice of bread happens to have a little baby Jesus, you usually have to make tamales the month afterwards. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone though, I think some people make different foods.”
Analysis: La Rosca de Reyes seems to be a common tradition in many Mexican-Catholic Communities where many continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus after Christmas. The Biblical story of the Three Kings explains how the Three Wise Men traveled to see the birth of Jesus in order to deliver him gifts. Because of this, many celebrate this day with different foods, one of the foods being The Wreath of the Kings.
Sparkling Cider
Text: “A family traditional of mine is that the sparkling apple cider to me is such a special thing because I used to only drink it during like holidays and stuff and like family get-togethers. I would drink it at Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter. Basically anytime that there was like a holiday dinner. I didn’t drink sparkling apple cider unless it’s a holiday or something. Even still today I only have it at special occasions, but now I’m an adult I can choose when is special. Like my friends and I we did a little gingerbread house night and I brought it. I brought a bottle just cause I was like this is a special event to me, so I’m gonna bring this. But my grandma used to get us these little glasses that we would use for kids so that we had our own fancy glass instead of giving us a wine glass. My dad would do the same thing for us at New Years, so when the ball drops and it starts the new year we all drink the champagne, even though it’s sparkling cider, but it made us feel like we were drinking champagne.”
Context: AL’s parents and grandparents would by them and their sibling sparkling cider for every holiday. It would be in fancy glasses and made the kids feel like they were drinking champaign. Despite being an adult now and being legally able to drink champaign, AL still sees sparkling cider as a fancy drink. They now get it themselves for whatever they deam a special event – whether with family or with friends.
Analysis: This beverage became a tradition that was not just fun, but made kids seem a part of adult culture, such as making them have similar looking drinks on New Years like champagne, and made kids feel included. This tradition became so beloved after being repatead a plethora of holidays for years that it became a huge part into positive and important celebrations that now AL has transported the beverage to have it at multiple fun events that they deem important. Therefore expanding the tradition. This can show that tradition can be expanded from repition and positve beliefs around the topic.