Tag Archives: family

Nosebleed Cure

Nationality: Indian, Chinese, American

Primary Language: English

Other language(s): N/A

Age: 19 yrs

Occupation: Student

Residence: Plano, Texas

Performance Date: 2/10/2024

Text:

“Oh yeah, well whenever I had a bloody nose in my house and my mom was around, she would tell me to pinch and squeeze my left pinky and then the blood would stop after a few minutes. She told me this when I was really young and I’ve been doing it since. I mean I’m pretty sure it works, like I feel like the blood kinda stops when I do it. My mom always said it was a sort of acupuncture technique that her mom taught her and so on. So I mean I still do it, it reminds me of childhood.”

Context:

My informant, TF, is a friend of mine from my freshman year at USC, from Plano, Texas who then moved in late childhood to LA. I remember one day in the first semester of freshman year, our friends and I were talking about our families’ backgrounds, a way to get closer to one another, and one of us mentioned the topic of family traditions. I remembered TF mentioning having a sort of folk medicine tradition in his life that he still does. He just simply talked about it but never went into full detail. But once I heard about this project, I thought it would have been perfect to question him further about this topic.

Analysis:

This is a family tradition TF says, but I did some research to see if it’s well known, and apparently, according to Harvard Health’s article: Stopping nosebleeds: a pinch will usually do the trick, this is a rather uncommon but still scientifically acceptable way to stop a nosebleed. According to the author and Dr., Mary Pickett, “Most nosebleeds occur when a blood vessel in the nose’s soft cartilage leaks. These are called anterior nosebleeds. Posterior nosebleeds come from blood vessels higher up in the nose. It makes sense to treat every nosebleed as if it is an anterior one, and to try to stop it at home. You will be right 94% of the time.” She then explains to pinch a finger, a thumb most likely, and hold until it goes away within a few minutes. I find this really interesting. I had no idea that pressure points in your fingers could stop nosebleeds. I also would love to know where TF’s mother’s mother learned this from, maybe it’s a generational thing for TF. I mean this article was published in 2013 and based on TF’s age at the time he says around which his mother told him about this, the article wouldn’t have been made yet. This passed down ‘nosebleed cure’ could be a traditional family technique for TF, maybe one of their family members was a doctor, or got lucky, or was told by another friend, peer, or even anyone with medical ties.

Heal Little Frog Proverb

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Other language(s): Spanish
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/21/2024

Text:

Sana sana, colita de rana
Si no sanas hoy
Sanarás mañana

Translation:

Heal heal little frog tail
If you don’t heal today,
you will heal tomorrow

Context:

This is a story the informant learned from her mom who said it to her whenever she was sick or injured. She doesn’t know what the frog part means, but thought it was cute. Her mom would also kiss whatever part was injured right before she said mañana. She further explained that when she calls her mom and is sick, her mom still repeats the proverb. This was a proverb that had been passed down for multiple generations, as the informants mother also heard it from her mother. The informant said that she could not remember a time being sick, where her mom did not say the proverb.

Analysis:

I think that this proverb is an excellent example of one that is passed down through family. The fact that it become a tradition whenever the informant was sick demonstrates that it holds sentimental value, and will most likely continue to do so. This type of proverb also is likely to get passed down, as people tend to positively associate it with family and love. I find it interesting that for many people, proverbs in their native tongue hold a unique level of sentimental value. Furthermore, the proverb’s inclusion of healing the next day is more applicable to sick people, as it reminds them to remain hopeful and focus on getting better, rather than hoping for miracles that may never occur.

Mangia, y’all

Nationality: Dallas, TX
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Language: English

Text:

A ritualistic saying that acts as performative speech to signal that people may start eating (similar to “bon appetit”).

Context:

The informant comes from an Italian family that currently lives in Dallas, TX. Her family emigrated from Sicily 6 generations ago through Louisiana and settled in South Texas; they have lived in the same city ever since. Her generation is actually the first generation that is not fully Sicilian Italian, because her father is from Nebraska. Members of the family will commonly say this phrase before meals.

Interpretation:

Given the family’s deep connections to both Italy and Texas, both places are fundamentally intrinsic to their family identity. This saying is not only a form of performative speech that instructs people to begin eating, but an indicator of a deeply loyal family history as a source of pride. Saying this phrase ritualistically before eating contextualizes mealtimes as a ritual through which to connect with the family through food, in both the past and present.

Sichuan Rhyme about Domestic Life

Text:

Original Script in Mandarin Characters:

锅你洗了哇? 碗你洗了哇? 脏衣服一抹多, 你都洗了哇?

Pronunciation in Sichuan Dielect, Noted in Mandarin Pinyin:

guō nī xī lě wā? Wān nī xī lě wā? Zāng yī fu yí mō duō, nī dōu xī lě wā?

Transliteration:

You wash the wok? You wash the bowl? Dirty clothes so many, you finish washing?

Translation:

Have you washed the wok? Have you cleaned the dishes? Have you done the laundry?

Context: 

The informant is a 24-year-old female who currently studies in the United Kingdom, and was born and raised in Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan province). Sichuan dialect is her first language. Like other Sichuan families, the informant’s family used to have their TV on at dinnertime around 7 to 8 PM, when the local channel plays a TV series called The Happy Henpecked (“幸福的耙耳朵”, “耙耳朵” means soft ears and specifically refers to henpecked husbands in Sichuan dialect). The informant first learned the aforementioned rhyme as the first few lines from a rap at the beginning of the series’ opening theme music. As the TV series and its theme music grew popular among Sichuan people, the rhyme became an identity marker of Sichuan people who have seen this widely-known TV series due to its catchiness and somewhat accurate depiction of the Sichuan domestic life.

Analysis: 

Henpecked husband is a Sichuan stereotype that is not only recognized locally, but also transforms into a joke across mainland China. Known for their fiery temper, Sichuan wives are portrayed as the dominant “head of the family” in Chinese mainstream media. The Happy Henpecked is a comedy that depicts Sichuan domestic life in a humorous way, and the content of the aforementioned rhyme communicates exactly what to expect from a dialogue between the series’ protagonists, when a “bossy” wife questions her husband how is his progress in doing chores. According to the informant, most Sichuan Gen-Zs and their elder family members likely remember the rhyme because the popularity of the TV series has made it Sichuan’s cultural symbol.

Structurally, the rhyme is broken into three questions, with the first two questions containing 5 characters each and the last one broken into 2 phrases of 5 characters each. In addition to its rigid structure, the three questions end the same with “洗了哇” (“Have you washed…”) and rhyme together. As for the tones of the endings, they all end with an upward tone which is favored in the way Chinese people usually end a question or a poem. 

Rejecting socially constructed gender roles and gender stereotypes, the rhyme portrays a domestic relationship symbolized by a dominant wife and a submissive husband who finishes most chores. Unlike what people oftentimes expect from a piece of folk speech decades ago, the Sichuan henpecked husband stereotype proposes an anti-conservative family dynamic that embodies a relatively new view on gender and domestic life.

Capirotada Cultural Dish

Informant Info:

  • Nationality: Mexican
  • Age: 50
  • Residence: Los Angeles 
  • Primary language: Spanish 
  • Relationship: mother 

Text: 

Capirotada(cultural food) 

Context:

EP explained to me the cultural and religious significance of the traditional Mexican capirotada dish. The capirotada dish is made during a specific season, as EP says, “la temporada de cuaresma.” Cuaresma is basically the Lenten period, in which Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter occur. She views this period of time in which she prepares for the death and the resurrection of Jesus by fasting and making this cultural dish. She learned this traditional dish from her mother who would make it during the Lenten period. EP goes into depth on the ingredients of the Capirotada, “La canela, clavo, y piloncillo se cuece, y así se hace la miel que se pone arriba de todos los ingredientes antes de hornear.” She first makes a sort of sweet juice/syrup to put on top of the ingredients. The ingredients consist of: white bolillo bread, tortillas, bananas, apples, queso fresco, raisins, prunes, viznaga, different types of nuts and dried fruits, etc. She said that you put the syrup that was made prior on top of all the ingredients and then you can bake it. 

Analysis:

Capirotada is made in different ways, and it also depends on the preference of the person making the dish. Not everyone will make it the same; each person has their own touch. I have grown up eating capirotada as well, but when I would ask other people if they had tried or heard of it before, they would say no. It is a dish that is not as commonly made or known. When I was younger, I always thought it wasn’t something I wanted to eat, but as I grew older I learned to appreciate and actually love to eat the dish. While the capirotada might not look as physically appealing as other desserts, it is truly delicious and holds a special place in our Mexican culture.