Quesadillas

Text:

Quesadillas are a traditional Hispanic food that can be found in most Latin American countries and Latin American communities.  They are a flat-like food, wrapped in either flour or corn tortilla bread, and cooked with an abundance of extra ingredients, such as tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese.  While meat is almost always used in the dish, the kind of meat used often varies.  Most often, either chicken or pork is used.

To make a quesadilla, first cook a slice of tortilla bread on a frying pan at low heat.  Only cook the tortilla bread until it’s warm to the touch and slightly golden.  After this, take the tortilla bread, and leave it to rest on a cutting board.  While it rests, take the frying pan, and use it to cook the meat that one plans on putting in their quesadilla.  It is important that one avoid shredding the meat used in the quesadilla until after it cooks.  While the meat cooks, dice up the food that one plans on using in their tortilla.  While the food varies, traditionally, sour cream, cheese, and salsa or guacamole are used in a quesadilla.  Spicy foods can be used as well, such as peppers, but are not used as often for quesadillas.  Once all the ingredients are properly diced up, place them into the tortilla bread, and wait for the meat to finish cooking.  Once it does finish cooking, place it in the tortilla bread as well.  Then, roll the tortilla into a flat, rectangular shape, and place it back into the frying pan.  Cook the quesadilla until both sides of the tortilla bread are brown, by which time it will be ready to be served.

Context:

The subject, N.S., grew up in a Hispanic family, and had a number of Hispanic recipes and foods as a result, including quesadillas.  The subject explained that quesadillas were always an excellent and versatile food for his family to make, as they were simple in instructions, didn’t take long to cook, and had a number of food items and nutrients to be a part of the meal.  The subject also explained that they could be made for any meal, and were especially good for a quick lunch in case the subject and his family were in a rush to be someplace fast.

Interpretation:

Quesadillas likely are such an important stable in the Latin American culinary culture because of their ease of access and general nutritional value that each quesadilla has.  Quesadillas in general do not take long to make, and can be feasibly made quickly enough to create a full meal without spending too much time or worrying about how long each quesadilla will take.  Additionally, quesadillas contain a number of food stuffs that are generally valuable and nutritional, and are able to fill a number of food pyramid requirements through their consumption.

Soda as Medicine

Text:

The subject informed me that drinking soda could help someone recover from a sore throat or other kind of throat infection.  The subject was told that the carbonation from the soda was deadly to the viruses that cause sore throats, and that therefore, drinking a soda whilst having a sore throat could help them immensely with alleviating the symptoms and giving them some relief from the pain.  Furthermore, they were told that different sodas could benefit them more than other sodas when it comes to sore throats; while sodas like Dr. Pepper and Coke could help somewhat, Sprite and 7-Up helped significantly more, and even could help cure sore throats within a single day.

Context:

The subject, L.D., learned of this cure from their parents, and first learned of it from them when they were young and had a sore throat.  During this time, the subject was told that drinking some soda would be able to help with a sore throat, and that they can have some if they wanted to.  The subject also noted that they were often only given soda during these times when they were young, and that their parents were more lax when it came to them drinking soft drinks and eating junk food when they were sick as compared to when they were healthy.

Interpretation:

It is likely that giving the subject soda when they were a kid was a way for the subject’s parents to provide their child some comfort and support whilst they were sick so that they would be able to feel better whilst being so sick.  Because of their desire to keep their kids from asking for soda more often, the parents likely told them that soda would help with their sore throats so that their kids would only expect them whilst being sick.  They likely also wanted to make sure that their kids had some kind of medication that they could accept that they’d know well, would believe that it would help them, and would be something they would want to drink, as opposed to medication they wouldn’t want. 

Legend: The Sussex Wisconsin Bugline

Age: 21

Text:

In the Village of Sussex, Wisconsin, there is a trail (the Bugline Trail) that runs through our village and three neighboring villages. This trail is commonly used by all, except after 8 pm. It’s not the trail is closed or anything; the locals just chose to avoid it after dark.

Context:

Informant: “My parents and my grandparents have all grown up in Sussex, Wisconsin, right, and the Bugline trail, has always been an unofficial cornerstone of the community. It was actually only recently paved and added to the park system like 7 years ago. My parents always let me use the trail to walk between my community and my friends’ (it’s like a 15 minute walk). I literally could, even as a kid. But, they would never, ever let me use the trail after 8 pm. I was always told it was because there were stories of people getting kidnapped or going missing at night when using the trail, but I’ve literally never seen any news reports or anything about it. It was always just something everyone knew not to do.”

Analysis:

Given that Sussex, WI is my hometown, I’m all too familiar with this legend. I’ve heard so many versions of it over the years: a farmer once went insane and now haunts the trail, there’s an active KKK coalition by it, literally everything. The one thing to know about my hometown is that the people are very superstitious. So, I’m not surprised that this legend exists, especially when it exists with very little validation. I do know however, that every retelling of this story is basically a memorate at this point; everyone has their own unique take, and it’s hard to piece together the core of the narrative when everyone has such a personal interpretation of the legend.

Legendary Figure: Jhansi Rani

Nationality: India
Age: 18

Text:

Jhansi Rani was an Indian queen in the 19th century who was known as one of the strongest female icons and legends in Indian culture. She was one the only major queens/matriarchal figures in post-British Indian colonization and was known for fighting off a British incursion with her newborn baby strapped to her back.

Context:

“From 1st through 3rd grade, my immigrant mom used to always make me dress up as this random Indian queen. I wasn’t really sure who she was, but she let me strap my American Girl Bitty Baby to my back on the costume, so I didn’t have many complaints. Literally over spring break, I was looking through baby photos with my mom and asked her about the costume. She explained the legend of Jhansi Rani to me, and explained how that story was so inspiring and powerful to her as a child, and how sad she is that it’s been slowly fading from Indian culture over the years. She was just trying to get me to connect with my culture which I honestly really appreciated.

According to her Jhansi Rani was a story that her mother used to always tell her about as a kid, especially because her mother, my grandma, had grown up during the post-imperialism era where many anti-British power stories and symbols were common. Apparently, in India there are many statues and even now movies dedicated to Jhansi Rani, and many all-female Indian primary schools, like the one my mom went to, have entire days dedicated to her where they dressed up in her signature braids and war attire, just like my mom dressed me on Halloween.”

Analysis:

Jhansi Rani is a tremendous inspiration to all Indians, as both a symbol of anti-British imperialism and resistance as well as a symbol of female power and prowess. Women warriors were far more respected back in Jhansi’s day than in even modern times (women were not allowed into the Indian military until more recently), so she symbolizes female empowerment which is why many young girls dress up like her, schools honor her, and the Indian media has spent so much time recovering her story of late.

Historical Legend: Birbal

Nationality: Indian
Age: 20

Text:

Birbal was an Indian Minister during the Mughal Empire in the 16th century. Similarly to other historical legends such as Sir Arthur, Birbal is a figure that has been widely represented across much of Indian folklore. Many tales, short stories, and even film adaptions have been made about him that focus on his supposed wit and prowess as well as his relationship with King Akbar, another historical Indian legend.

Context:

Informant: “When I was a kid, my dad used to always tell me stories about Birbal, a witty Indian historical figure who’s probably featured in like every other Indian children’s tale. Some of my favorite stories include ones like Birbal being tasked with counting all the crows in the kingdom or attempting to win the King’s daughter’s hand in marriage. Not sure if any of those stories are actually true, but they were definitely fun to listen to as a kid.”

Analysis:

There are honestly so few historical legends who have so many tales and stories written about them. Birbal is absolutely a real historical figure, but having also heard his stories as a kid, I doubt any of them were actually real. In Indian culture, intellect and wit are highly respected and valued traits; many stories surrounding Birbal are also tales with a strong morale tied to them, usually about using wit and charm to solve situations. Many Indian historical legends are usually religious or political characters, so it’s nice to have a legend, even as dramatized as Birbal, with lighter and a more taleu-esque role in our culture.