The informant told me of a proverb she learned from her father who was born and raised in Israel. The proverb is central and common to Israeli culture and is as follows: “It’s better to be the head of the coyotes than to be the tail of the lions.” The informant explained that in the Israeli culture, everyone wants to be a leader and that Israeli people typically want to be super independent. Her father tells her this proverb in times where she feels lost and when she is not motivated to keep going forward. She explained that she feels a sense of pride whenever her dad tells her this proverb, or whenever she thinks about it. I think this is a proverb that we should all follow, it says a lot with minimal language and is telling of true character.
Whiffle Ball
We used an over the line game principle; on the tennis court; we played when we were young, dad and I vs. brothers, to make it fair since I was the youngest. The premise is like baseball with the same rules. If the ball was hit over the fence on the left or right side, it’s an automatic three outs. It used to be that you could peg the runners with the whiffle ball after they left the base and they would get out, but since I would always get hurt by how hard my brothers threw the ball, we changed that rule. We would play this game from when we were children up until our teens, we would always play it during summer holiday events and usually every night in the summer. It was unique because it was our own rules. My dad enjoyed playing it because he loved being with his kids and it was a part of us growing up. It was a nice way to bring us all together and made us feel more familial.
Live Beneath Your Means
Informant learned this proverb in a time of monetary deficiency where he overextended himself in terms of keeping track of money in his previous business world. He heard someone say this and it has stuck with him for decades. The informant said it taught him to spend less and to be diligent about keeping track of money; as a result of this proverb, he now only spends money on his debit card. This is a proverb he will continue to speak about for the rest of his life and has passed it onto his own children.
Mexican Salt Shaker Superstition
The informant described that it bad luck to pass salt from hand to hand. The informant explained that if need the salt, you put it on the table first and the let another person grab it. She has known this superstition her whole life because her grandmother was really into it and believed it could really have some serious effects. There wasn’t really any origin from what the informant told me but that everyone in Mexico does it. I think this one is interesting because I’ve never heard of this being associated with bad luck, if it were in the states, I’d have a lot of it. Instead, comparatively, here it’s mainly if you drop the salt shaker and salt spills is when it’s bad luck. The informant told me there wasn’t any way to reverse what happened, unlike here, you throw salt over your right shoulder. It’s wild that a whole country does this though, and I think it speaks to the customs of this culture. The informant says that whenever she does it by accident here, she feels very uncomfortable, but it doesn’t really count since she isn’t in Mexico City.
Knight, King, Queen
The informant of this one asked me the riddle. At first I couldn’t make it out, so she told me it again. Upon hearing it the second time, it became evident. The riddle goes as so: One knight, a king, and a queen go out on a boat. On the water, the king falls off. How many people are left on the boat? The answer: two. The answer seems like it should be one, because when phrasing the riddle it sounds like “one night,” not “one knight.” The informant is unsure of where she heard this one and assumes it was probably when she was young. It was not from her family so she assumes that it might be from summer camp. I enjoyed this riddle because most riddles I don’t get. There was a smile on the informant’s face when she told me this and I think she was smiling because she knew I would get it. The informant plans to pass this riddle along to her own family and friends throughout her lifetime. I think I’ll share this riddle amongst my friends after hearing it.