Informant: My informant, L.K., is 19 and was born in New York but raised in Dubrovnik, Croatia from age 5 to 18. L.K. father is working for a tourist agency and part time water polo referee and his mom is a financial manager for a restaurant in Croatia. He has a younger brother and sister with his family being fully Croatian, but has integrated small values from his time in the United States.

Folklore: “The recipe for a homemade energy drink containing:

Spinach

Apple

Lemon juice

Half of a banana

Pineapple

Ginger

Parsley

Plant based powder (bought at local store in Croatia).”

When L.K. reached high school and was still playing water polo, he always seemed to be feeling more tired than when he was younger. School became a lot harder and he was forced to give more effort than he had in the past to try and keep his grades up. He told his dad his situation and told him about the family recipe that his parents had taught him for a homemade energy drink. Every morning he would make the exact same smoothie and he felt that like he was getting his energy back. He still uses the same recipe every day, but he now he has to substitute the plant based powder only found in Croatia with kale and spinach.

Analysis: I like hearing about healthier recipes like this because I do believe that recipes that are natural always seem to work better than ones put out by companies. The plant based powder is a Croatian product that is similar to a powder that is found in the United States but L.K. and his family still has the powder shipped from their town in Croatia. L.K. family is reluctant to change their family recipe and would rather spend the extra money that try something new.