Category Archives: Foodways

Rouladen

Age: 60
Occupation: Computer Security
Language: English

 “Oma used to make Rouladen So it’s beef that’s hammered really thin and then inside of that you wrap bacon, pickles, mustard, and then I’m not sure if its soaked in wine or not. It might just be a gravy. And then its rolled up. And when it’s served, its served in gravy. And its really good if you like the ingredients. It’s a really soft meat when its cooked. And we would serve it with red cabbage, also with wine. And you’d usually have mashed potatoes with it too. Oh, and you could have optional dumplings instead of the mashed potatoes. Or I think we’d have it with dumplings and mashed potatoes. But that was more up in Canada at my grandmother’s house.

Context: “It might be for someone’s birthday, like if it was Opa’s birthday he might get Rue Laden. Or sometimes for holidays like Christmas, we’d have it instead of turkey or something. You will see German restaurants make it too, but not as good as Oma because she uses the right wine.   Also sometimes when Opa would say we hadn’t had it in a while, or when we had visitors over. It was a special dish”

 Informant describes this as a uniquely German dish.

Analysis: Although this dish is not extremely limited in its preparation, being made multiple times a year, the informant still regards it as a special meal reserved for celebrations and times outside the normal day to day. These can be life-cycle events like birthdays, or seasonal occasions such as certain holidays, but they are all significant in that they seem to call the family closer together. The role of the chef, the informant’s mother, is of incredible importance to the informant as her version surpasses restaurant offerings and is more ‘authentic’. The familial element and process of cooking this dish seems just as important as eating it. Furthermore, the informant seems to derive national identity from this dish. Having emigrated from Canada to the US and his father having emigrated from Germany, the informant feels this dish is representative of his heritage and that it relates him back to Germany even though he does not live there. 

Ritual – Secret Santa + Gingerbread cookie making

Nationality: American
Occupation: USC Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

On Christmas Eve my informant and their family bake gingerbread cookies and doing Secret Santa

“Every every my family does Secret Santa on Christmas Eve. The youngest in the family says who they have first and then that person opens their gift and so on. While this is happening we eat the gingerbread cookies we made in the morning together. We use cookie cutters to make them into different shapes and decorate them however we want and each person gets to eat their own creations.”

This Christmas Eve tradition combines a ritual gift exchange with communal food preparation, both serving to reinforce family bonds, creativity, and shared identity. Secret Santa is a gift exchange that functions as a structured, participatory ritual that relies on the act of giving, surprise, and anonymity. In folklore studies gift-giving can be seen as a form of symbolic communication conveying affection, reinforcing social ties, and social obligation. The youngest in the family starting the gift-giving off adds an age-based hierarchy to the ritual, highlighting the importance of youth and continuity in my informant’s family. This ordered giving also introduces a ritual sequence that keeps everything organized and emotionally engaging. The shared activity of baking gingerbread cookies reflects a domestic ritual centered around a traditional way of preparing the food. The personalized decoration and use of cookie cutters makes the baking both creative and communal, promoting self-expression within the structured family framework. Eating the cookies during the gift exchange linked the two rituals together, adding multiple forms of participation to the cohesive festive tradition. The structure, baking in the morning then decorating then eating during Secret Santa, gives Christmas Eve a rhythm that separates this ritual from the everyday. Overall, this ritual tradition is a great example of how folklore functions in the modern family blending ritual and repetition with creativity to create a sense of shared identity and celebration. It’s a lived tradition that focuses on values like connection, generosity, and joy through shared acts.

A Cautionary Tale of Garlic and Onion

Nationality: American
Age: 32
Occupation: Unemployed
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Language: English

Text:
“Ever since I was little, my mom would always tell me the story of a bride who ate garlic the night before her wedding and ended up fainting at the altar. Both my brother and I were taught growing up not to eat super fragrant, pungent things on sacred days such as weddings or funerals, as you want to be sweet—in both scent and spirit. Thus, on the day of my wedding and the birth of my children, I did not eat garlic or onion. Also, when I was expecting my girls, I did not eat it either.”

Context:
This legend was shared by the informant, P, during a conversation about traditional Indian practices. P explained that the belief was passed down to her by her mother, who told her the cautionary legend of a bride passing out at the altar as a result of eating garlic the night before. This story taught P that pungent foods should be avoided on sacred days. She clearly deeply values this legend, as it guided her behavior during her wedding and the birth of her children.

Analysis:
This is a legend because it is telling a cautionary story that is believed to be true and is passed down to reinforce a specific cultural belief. The dramatic story of the bride fainting at the altar helps justify the belief that eating pungent foods on important days can cause bad luck. This legend highlights the Indian cultural value placed on purity and spiritual cleanliness during sacred days such as weddings or funerals. This practice, continuing through generations, highlights how legends can shape our everyday practices—especially during periods of transition.

Protecting Fruit Trees

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Language: English

Text:
When we moved into our new house, my sisters and I were ecstatic about having a plum tree in our backyard. Much to our dismay, we realized that the tree was sick and dying. My mom explained that despite the fruit tree not being healthy, it would be bad luck to cut it down, as the tree symbolizes good luck and fertility. She explained that in Indian culture, there is a myth that you can never cut down a fruit tree. This is because the tree is symbolic of a mother who is having children, and cutting it down is almost like harming a pregnant woman. It is seen as bad luck and not life-preserving.

Context:
This folklore was shared to the informant, A, by his mother, P, during a casual moment discussing the tree in their backyard. P is originally from India and most likely learned to associate fruit trees with fertility from her own family. P clearly interprets this belief as a sacred tradition that guides her behavior, and by passing it to her son, A, she is continuing this cultural value across generations.

Analysis:
This is a myth because it uses a sacred and symbolic story to offer an explanation for a natural-cultural taboo. It helps explain the belief that fruit trees are not just plants, but also mothers who are spiritually protected. This myth highlights Indian culture’s strong values surrounding respect for life and harmony with nature. By actually preserving the tree and not cutting it down, A’s family is showing the power that myths can have on our behavior. Despite not being in their home country, where this myth originated, A’s family continues this tradition, highlighting how myths contribute to our cultural identities regardless of time or place.

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.