Category Archives: Foodways

Chapssaltteok (찹쌀떡), Glutinous rice cake

Text:
The name of the rice cake is a pun to pass a test.
합격하다(hapgyeokhada) – to pass (a test)
붙다(butda) -to stick (to)
합격(hapgyeo) -Wish someone could stick right to

Context:
The informant actually never had this rice cake because they went to an international school, but they originally heard about it from their mother.
This rice cake is usually eaten before Suneung (수능), College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). The informant described it as the most important event, arguably in a Korean student’s life; it is a test that determines one’s entire future- career prospects, income, and personal relationships. It is eight hours long and spans over an entire day, the student must take every subject exam within that window of time. Traffic is discourage on that day to make the country as quiet as possible.
The informant explains there are a lot of ritual around CSAT to gather luck, and Chapssaltteok is one of this to help the student stick to the highest possible score. Oppose to the rice cake, the students are not allowed to eat seaweed because it is slippery.

Analysis:
Chapssaltteok appears during liminal moments and transitional phases in a person’s life, in this case, passing exams. It functions as a rite of passage to bind good outcomes to the person or event. It is a ritual food for protection and luck and a symbol of cohesion.

Chuseok (추석) & Songpyeon (송편), Korean Harvest Festival

Text:

(The following is a cleaned-up transcript from a recorded interview.)

“Chuseok is pretty similar to Chinese and Japanese Harvest Festival, I think. It takes place around late September or early October. And I think historically, it was to celebrate the harvest of rice and other crops. Usually, you have a week off from school and work. During this time, my family visits the cemetery to pay respects to our ancestors. We set out food for them and eat it.
It is also a time when we have a big traditional family gathering. We have meat pancakes, vegetable pancakes, or seafood pancakes. And we also have a special kind of rice cake you only eat on that day called Songpyeon. It is a thick rice cake full of honey and nuts, and super sweet. When you bite into it, it fills your mouth-”

Context:
The informant grew up in Korea and their family has celebrated Chuseok as early as they can remember. They see the festival as a last gathering before winter sets in and “everything gets dark and sad.” The maternal side of the informant’s family is also very Christian, so aside from offering the food and eating it there, they also do prayers. They think people don’t celebrate the festival in a traditional way anymore because a lot of people have moved to the city and are no longer involved with agriculture, so Chuseok has transformed into a great time to gather with family members and enjoy good food. The informant has criticized Koran’s bad work-life balance and overworking culture, pointing out that there is not a lot of time for one to gather with loved ones anymore. To the informant, Chuseok is an opportunity to take a break from life and see family members. It is a time to step back from modern necessities and go back to a much simpler time.

Analysis:
Rituals from Chuseok reflect a continuity of lineage and honoring ancestors is a key way of affirming kinship networks and identity over time. It highlights Koreans’ household-centered cosmology. The informant’s religious background did not take away this traditional cultural value, but instead added to it and continued it.
Songpyeon, the half-moon-shaped rice cake, carries the symbolic meaning of fertility and prosperity to express how harvest is a gift of abundance from nature or spirits. The recipes and techniques are usually passed down through generations orally. Food is narrative in this sense, it tells a story about ancestry and collective memory.
The informant states their deep personal connection with Chuseok and reflects on the change in society. Chuseok is not just a holiday—it’s a ritualized enactment of cultural memory, social values, and spiritual belief.

Spritz Cookies

Text: “For my entire life every single time it’s Christmas or winter break my mom would make spritz cookies with us. We’d all work together to make the batter and bake the cookies. It’s a tradition we’ve done every single winter. I don’t think that’ll change even when I’m an adult, and when I’m an adult I will teach my family how to make spritz cookies. It’s a tradition my mom did when she was growing up, it’s a tradition that we do now, and it’s a tradition that my lineage will be continuing on in the future. The recipe has been passed down for generations on my mom’s side of the family, which is primarily from Wales and England. I think it’s super cool that I’m part of a generational ritual.”

Context: This tradition was shared by the informant, an Event Planner, who has participated in this annual ritual since early childhood. The informant first learned about the significance of spritz cookies in their family history through repeated hands-on experience each winter break, helping their mother prepare the cookies. Their mother emphasized that this was a multigenerational family recipe, handed down from her own childhood and rooted in her family’s Welsh and English heritage. The informant interprets this annual baking ritual as a meaningful act of cultural and familial continuity – something that binds generations together across time and space. They also see it as a future-oriented tradition, one they plan to continue with their own children, preserving both the recipe and the values it represents.

Analysis: This tradition exemplifies the cultural and emotional power of food-based rituals in maintaining family identity and heritage. The act of baking spritz cookies is more than just a seasonal tradition. It operates as a form of intergenerational storytelling and connection. Through this practice, the informant participates in a lineage of family members who have preserved both recipe and ritual, reinforcing the family’s cultural background and values. The emphasis on continuity (“when I’m an adult I will teach my family”) reflects a deep investment in the idea of legacy, which is an important theme in many food traditions across cultures.

The ritual also supports family bonding, especially within the context of a season (Christmas-time) that culturally emphasizes family unity. As a repeated, collaborative act, the baking process intends to bring people together. Because the ritual is tied to the winter holidays, it becomes part of a broader celebration, blending personal tradition with a culturally shared season of reflection and togetherness.

Informant Info

Race/Ethnicity: White

Age: 25

Occupation: Event Planner

Residence: Oak Park, CA

Date of Performance: April 22, 2025

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Relationship: Sister

Schnitzel Dinner

Text: “A tradition I have is that my dad who grew up in Germany will cook schnitzel for the family when we are all together based on a family recipe that he has had in his family for a long time. This is something that’s super special to me because growing up it felt unique and cool to have a dad that was able to cook traditional dishes from a completely different culture. Still to this day I love schnitzel and I love my dad’s schnitzel and I look forward to whenever he cooks it for us!”

Context: The informant, a law school student, shared a tradition where their father, who grew up in Germany, cooks schnitzel for the family using a family recipe passed down through generations. This tradition has been significant to the informant, as it not only connects them to their European heritage but also makes them feel that their family’s cultural background is something special. Even as an adult, the informant still looks forward to their dad’s schnitzel, valuing it both as a delicious meal and as a reminder of the family’s unique cultural history.

Analysis: This is a great example of how food traditions carry deep cultural and emotional meaning. Schnitzel, as a traditional German dish, becomes a way for the informant’s dad to share a piece of their heritage with the family. It’s not just about the food—it’s about what it represents: a connection to a different culture and a way to pass down family history. The informant’s appreciation for the dish goes beyond taste; it’s tied to a sense of pride in their dad’s ability to keep this tradition alive.

The fact that the informant finds the tradition “unique and cool” shows how food can also serve as a marker of identity—something that sets their family apart in a meaningful way. Even though they’re no longer a child, the ritual of eating schnitzel still holds emotional weight, reinforcing the bond between family members and their shared cultural past. This also reflects a broader theme in folklore: how traditions, especially ones rooted in food, help shape our sense of self and family, linking us to the past while creating memories for the future.

Informant Info

Race/Ethnicity: White

Age: 23

Occupation: Student

Residence: Oak Park, CA

Date of Performance: April 22, 2025

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Relationship: Brother

Locro

AGE – 18

Date_of_performance: april 28th 2025

Language: Spanish

Nationality:  Argentinian 

Primary Language: English

Locro for holidays and other special occasions

text:

“This traditional food, I don’t remember when I first heard of it. It was probably just my family doing it, and I have a good relationship with it, as I enjoy eating locro a lot. Although I gotta be honest, the first time I started doing the tradition was last year, and basically in this tradition, what we would do is gather around with friends and/or family and prepare and eat locro for any of Argentina’s national holidays. It can be for National Independence Day or Homeland Day. This Friday I’m gonna eat locro for National Workers Day, and the point of it is to pay honor to the locro, which is a regional typical and traditional dish from here, and at the same time celebrate the holiday. It’s like a stew, and its primary ingredient is white corn. You can add stuff like cow meat or red chorizo. We eat Locro to celebrate the holiday and pay honor to the locro and be grateful for the person who made it. “

Analysis:

Locro looks like an appetizing dish. It is a hearty, thick squash or potato stew found commonly in Argentina. Much like C’s description, the most common ingredient is corn, but there are different ingredients added in as well, in different parts of the country, such as some parts having some squash, potatoes, meat, beans, etc. This traditional dish reminds me of a traditional dish I eat now and then called “Caldo.” It is a Mexican stew/broth we eat on holidays, much like C does here. It mainly contains chicken, corn, and vegetables, and sometimes comes with tomato soup. I imagine part of the reason C enjoys this soup so much is that not only is it good, but he also shares it with the people he loves.