Arab Three Kiss Greeting

Nationality: Lebanese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 2/14/2023
Primary Language: English
Language: Arabic

My informant (18), from Lebanon, describes a greeting: “So a standard Arab greeting, is, typically in the Middle-East, you have to do three kisses on the cheek. It must be on the cheeks. It’s not allowed to be an air kiss. It can be a cheek to cheek thing.”

The informant went on to explain further implications of the gesture, saying that if not done properly, “it’s gonna be a sign of disrespect. It’s typically used as a formality. So if you do any less than 3 it’s seen as informal. It’s like you didn’t complete the transaction of greetings which is very important in Arab culture. How to greet people, how to welcome them into your home. If you are welcoming an individual into your home and they don’t give you three kisses, […] then it’s seen as they don’t respect you, they don’t hold you to a high authority, they are uncomfortable in your home. And usually this is seen throughout most Arab culture. It’s not seen as a first formal greeting, it’s mostly done between family members. But it can also be seen as a casual greeting between family members. […] Like ‘you’re welcoming me into your home, you’re feeding me, you’re entertaining me, you’re bringing a smile to my face’. And everyone must do it and even kids are taught it from a young age. It’s mostly family, but, family and close friends. The main symbol is deep loyalty to one another.”

Because the greeting is both a gesture of respect and also mostly used for family members, we might expect that family is very important in this culture, especially respect between members of the same family. It is important to maintain a level of respect within tight social circles, and to communicate this respect and appreciation of hospitality.

Proverb: All that Glitters is not Gold

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Cook
Residence: Renton WA
Performance Date: 2/22/23
Primary Language: English
Language: N/A

Text

The informant didn’t initially understand what a proverb was, prompting me to provide an explanation. From there, it only took them a brief moment for one to come to mind.

They stumbled through their recitation, “I have one- well, is it a proverb? I’m sure you heard it before.”

“What is it?”

“All that glitters is not gold.” They laughed, “I heard it from Spongebob. Didn’t really get it until later though.”

Context

RELATIONSHIP –
The proverb isn’t something that the informant uses often, but they say that it came to mind because it’s standard, genuinely good advice.

WHERE THEY HEARD IT –
The informant first heard this proverb from the Nickelodeon T.V. show Spongebob Squarepants. After coming across it there, they looked to their family for an explanation on its meaning.

USE OR INTERPRETATION –
The informant interprets this proverb as “When someone thinks something is good, but it isn’t.” They gave the example of a person getting a dream job they heard was great, only for it to be terrible for them and not what they thought it would be. “It’s something that was precious to them, but actually turned out to be their downfall.”

Analysis

“All that glitters is not gold” seems like the type of proverb that’s common to know, but not as common to say or hear someone say (at least, in recent times), lending it the status of “an oldie, but a goodie.” The proverb elicits an immediate visual component where the audience compares a mental image of a nondescript “thing” glittering and a piece of gold. The inherent value of gold stands out and serves to contrast the glittering object. By essentially stating “just because it glitters, that doesn’t mean it’s gold,” the audience is immediately warned of their interest in the stand-in for the glittering object. It warrants caution and prevents a leap of faith into engaging with something just the slightest bit glittery.

Brown and Sticky Anti-Joke

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: United States
Performance Date: 2/16/23
Primary Language: English
Language: N/A

Text

The informant was very nonchalant about telling this joke. It was the kind of “let’s get this over with” demeanor that someone has when they expect you to already know the joke they’re about it tell. Regardless of that mutual understanding, they had a grin on their face that made it evident it was a joke they liked to tell.

“Okay. What’s brown and sticky?”

I responded, “Ohh, yeah. I’ve heard this one before.”

“Sticks,” we said together. And despite both knowing the punchline to the joke, we both shared a brief laugh as it was still an effective joke.

Context

RELATIONSHIP –
The informant considers to be their “first joke ever,” and it was the first subversive joke that they had ever heard. Because of this, it’s the first joke that comes to mind when they think about telling a joke. Even then, they don’t consider it to be a “funny joke.”

WHERE THEY HEARD IT –
The informant attributed this joke to playground humor around when they were in the “second grade.”

USE OR INTERPRETATION –
Typically used as their go-to joke to tell, the informant tells this joke as something easy and clever– if the audience hasn’t heard it before. They described the joke being especially effective for kids, but much less effective for adults who can automatically infer the correct response.

Analysis

This joke is both simple and subversive. It baits the audience into expecting the question of “What’s brown and sticky” to result in something more akin to a riddle where the answer would simply be an object that is both visually brown and texturally sticky. Part of what makes this subversion particularly effective for children is the inherent potty/gross-out humor that arises from asking someone for something brown and sticky. When the punchline (and more joke-y aspect) is revealed to be “sticks,” it additionally serves as a moment to embarrass the audience for their “gross” thoughts.

“What is something that runs but has no feet; has a bed but never sleeps?”

Performance Date: February 17th, 2023

SM is a 20 year old environmental studies major at USC. She grew up in Dallas, Texas, where she would spend weekends camping with her family and being out in nature. In her past time, she enjoys hiking and exploring new areas. The following riddle was told to her when she was younger by her grandfather while they were camping once.

“What is something that runs, but has no feet; has a bed, but never sleeps?” “A river.”

Riddles are very popular in many cultures, especially with children. SM heard this riddle when she was a young girl, and it was told to her during a camping trip. This riddle stuck with SM for so long not only because she heard it as a child, but because of its content. As someone who is a huge nature lover and environmentalist, it’s no surprise she loves this riddle. Most riddles have some sort of uniqueness that puts it into categories. As a writer, the riddle that stuck with me the most is “What’s black, white, and read all over? A newspaper.” The riddles that stick with children as they grow up usually relate to a part of their personality or interests, so there is a hint of familiarity. Riddles are meant to stump or confuse the audience they’re being told to, so when children can find familiarity within them, the riddles tend to stick.

Old Man and the Well Joke

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: USC Student Housing
Performance Date: 2/20/23
Primary Language: English

Main Performance:

JC: Why’d the old man fall in the well?

Me: I don’t know, why?

JC: He couldn’t see that well.

Me: *Laughs*

Context: The informant is from Cleveland, Ohio. To the best of his memory, he recalls hearing this joke from a friend his sophomore year of high school.

Thoughts/Analysis: The main crux of the joke relies on its use of a double entendre in the word “well”. Without the context of the setup, the punchline simply refers to the old man’s vision being poor, or not well. But with the added context, the listener questions whether the teller means the old man’s vision is poor, or if it is selective towards specific wells. Although some might consider the joke lame, I found it at least a little funny.