Tag Archives: fish

Bamboo Leaf and Rice

Nationality: Chinese American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/19/12
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese

There was once an evil king that did not care about his people and did not listen to anyone. A kind governor tried to help the king, but the king would not listen. The governor was so distraught that he committed suicide by jumping off a cliff, into the sea. The people under the governor’s rule loved him immensely and they did not want the governor to be eaten by the fish in the sea, so they covered sweet rice with bamboo leaves in order to satisfy the appetite of the fish, so that their governor’s flesh would not be eaten.

My informant first heard this story from his parents on May 1st as a child, as it is tradition to eat bamboo leaves and rice on that day in honor of this event. The fact that the governor committed suicide out of shame due to failure and an unwillingness to continue to work for an evil king is an interesting moral lesson to teach to children through this legend. Respect for the elders and the dead is also features prominently in this story as it does in traditional Chinese culture and explains why the tradition is still practiced today.

Swedish Lutefisk Recipe

Nationality: Finnish, Swedish American
Age: 77
Residence: Temecula, CA
Performance Date: 4/8/12
Primary Language: English

The informant is 77 years old. She was born in Minnesota, and is of Swedish and Finnish descent.

Over Easter Brunch, my informant supplied me with some traditional Swedish folklore. The first thing that came to her mind was a recipe for Lutefisk that her family used to make. This is what she told me about the traditional Swedish recipe:

“Lutefisk is an old Swedish fish dish. It’s cod preserved in lye. I think my mother used to soak it in milk, or actually probably water. The only time she would make it was Christmas Eve. I used to help a little bit, but I think I mostly got in the way. It was actually really disgusting. No one liked it, not even my mother who spent the time making it every year! I don’t know why we kept making it for so long, but it was a traditional thing that made us feel more connected to our roots. After leaving the old country, it was nice for my parents to have a little something traditional, even if no one really enjoyed it!”

I agree with my informant’s reasoning about why the tradition continued. If no one actually enjoyed eating the lutefisk, then it was most likely made as a way to stay in touch with the family’s Swedish heritage after moving to America.

Recipe:

1 piece dried lutefisk, sawed into 6 lengths

2 tablespoons lye

Prep: Soak the fish in water for 3 days. Add two Tbsp. lye into a gallon of water. Soak for 3 days in this solution. Then soak for 4 days in water, changing water every day.

Cooking: Tie the fish loosely in a square of cheese cloth. Drop in a large enamel pot of boiling water. Cook 10 minutes or until well done. Remove cheese cloth put on a platter and debone. Serve with a mustard sauce.

Superstition – Chinese

Nationality: Cantonese-American
Age: 34
Occupation: Engineer
Residence: Anaheim, CA
Performance Date: May 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Cantonese

For good luck, never flip a fish over.

Growing up in a family-run Chinese restaurant where his dad was the chef, Carl learned this superstition from his parents from when he was young.  At a meal, a fish is usually served family style, but there is an accepted way to eat this fish.  He says that one is supposed to eat the meat from one side, then remove the bone to eat the other side. Carl once asked his father where this superstition came from, and learned that it came from the ancient fisherman culture.  According to this story, if one flips the fish over, then it symbolically flips the fisherman’s boat over.  This flipping over of the boat is bad luck, thus flipping the fish over is bad luck as well.

The Chinese culture, which includes the Cantonese culture, is filled with various superstitions that one learns while young.  These superstitions originated in Asia, but as the immigrants came over to America, these beliefs were brought over with them.  In this way, Carl is brought up with the same Chinese beliefs that his father grew up with, even though he is in a completely different country.  The effect of the 2nd generation Cantonese-American does not rid one of a culture, but rather integrates the Chinese culture with the American culture.

Since Chinese fishermen have a long past, it is expected for them to have many superstitions about luck.  Thus, these beliefs are transferred to modern habits of dinner etiquette rather than a struggle with good luck.  In other words, the superstitions of the past are now acknowledged as good manners and not simply for luck.  Though it seems as if the bone is being removed for ease of accessing the meat of the opposite side, this is actually a superstitious act to get good luck.  Chinese society revolves around luck and is believes that it will help achieve a successful life.

Tradition – Sicilian-American

Nationality: Italian-American
Age: 16
Occupation: Student
Residence: Hillsdale, NJ
Performance Date: March 16, 2008
Primary Language: English

Tradition—USA

“On Christmas Eve, Sicilians eat 7 different types of fish.”

Liz informed me that she has been observing this tradition for as long as she can remember.  Every Christmas Eve, her mother cooks seven different types of fish for the family to eat.  During normal meals, they eat some sort of chicken or red meat, but not on Christmas Eve.  Usually her mom prepares Salmon, Calamari, Shrimp, Mussels, Clam, Tuna, and Snapper.  This combination of sea creatures varies from year to year depending on what the family feels like, and whether or not family from out of town [with certain preferences] is visiting.  The most important piece is that seven, no more no less, types of fish are prepared and consumed.  This tradition is observed by most Sicilians and has biblical implications.  Seven is arguable the most important number in the bible.  As Italian Food Editor Paula Laurita describes the importance of the number “seven is a number of perfection”—the seven days of creation, seven sacraments of the Catholic Church to name a few (Italian Food Editor).  Though seven is an important number for Sicilians, Liz herself has always wondered why seven types of fish are consumed on Christmas Eve.  Yes, the number seven is important, but why this food on this particular day?  This question shows how with folkloric traditions sometimes people are clueless,  but traditions are observed religiously nonetheless—almost the same as if they were recorded somewhere.

This is an interesting piece of folklore because numbers and what they mean to different cultures are a big piece of folklore.  To Indians, good luck and good things come in groups of fours.  To us Americans, good things come in groups of threes (third time’s the charm,  three little pigs, etc.)  It is thus interesting to examine the way in which Italians observe a tradition in sevens.  It also must be noted that both the origins and reasons for this tradition are mysterious.  Eating seven different types of fish and not seven different types of vegetables or meats may have been a random tradition or may have come about for a very specific reason, either way it has given Italians a way to celebrate the importance of the number.

Laurita, Paula. “Italian Christmas Eve: Feast of the Seven Fishes.”  Italian Food Site. 2008