Tag Archives: food

Pop Rocks Legend

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English

My informant told me of a myth he heard when he was young that involved a candy called Pop Rocks. Pop Rocks are little pieces of hard candy that pop and crack when one puts them inside his or her mouth. He explained to me that it has been believed that if one was to eat these Pop Rocks and drink a soda, or any carbonated beverage, at the same time, the combination would make his or her stomach explode.

This is very interesting, because I remember hearing this myth when I was a kid; about nine or ten. My informant is from Riverside, California, and I was living in Encino, California, when I first heard it so it seems that this version has diffused throughout multiple areas. Whether there is actually any evidence that such a result could occur from this combination remains to be seen. Neither one of us, my informant nor myself, has ever witnessed the result of ingesting the combination in person, therefore I can safely say that this myth remains nothing more.

Blason Populaire Joke

Nationality: Slovenian/Mexican
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: University of Southern California
Performance Date: April 4, 2011
Primary Language: English

The informant heard the following joke from one of her classmates in high school.

“Okay, so this one is horrible. I ask someone, ‘Do you know what Ethiopian food tastes like?’ Say, ‘No.’ And then I say, ‘Well, neither do Ethiopians.’ The joke is, because, Ethiopians don’t know what Ethiopian food tastes like because they are starved.”

The informant claims that she herself is not usually an active bearer of the joke: “You never tell it. Except right now [laughter].”

She finds the joke amusing precisely because it is so terrible: “Yeah, I think it’s a pretty bad joke . . . It’s one of those jokes where you think it’s really funny but you also know that it’s just an awful joke.”

Part of the humor value of this blason populaire joke is that it is taboo. You know that it’s awful that people are starving to death in Ethiopia, but at the same time it’s easier to laugh about it than to do anything about it. And it feels better to be amused than to be guilty for not helping.

Pig recipe

Nationality: Irish, German
Age: 18
Occupation: student
Residence: Evanston, IL
Performance Date: 25 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: French

German, Irish

French, English

19, student

Evanston, Il

25 April 2011

Roast pig recipe

Pig

Seasoning

Fire

Time

Beer

Every year at one Northwester tailgate, Zach’s Dad has a pig roast and it is an incredible experience. The recipe is a family treasure, and is passed down only in death. Zach likes the pig roasts because his family and friends unite around the table for s “drunken pre-game fiesta” and they gorge themselves on the pork. The recipe is simple and to the point and yet the taste is amazing. Zach tenderly describes the crunch of the skin and the succulent fat.

This recipe, while seriously lacking, is how Zach sees his pig roasts. The ingredients are simple but the tradition is sacred. Everyone gathers around, Zach’s dad is at his rightful place tending the barbeque, and they eagerly watch the pig turn on the spit. This is a folk recipe and a folk custom because it happens in many cultures before games or to celebrate special occasions. The recipe has been handed down and this joke recipe is the answer Zach’s family always gives when people ask for the secret. In other circles, the way the pig gets roasted varies but this recipe is a tradition that Zach’s family will not part with.

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA

Polish Sausage Recipe

Nationality: Portuguese, Irish German
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Performance Date: 22 April 2011
Primary Language: English

Stupid Pollack

1. 100% polish sausage

1. Fresh Bun

Bacon-wrap the dog, grill it, add yellow mustard, mac n’ cheese, grilled onioins, and a whole pickle.

This sausage is very important to Brennan, his dad started eating them in the fifties when hot dogs were in their prime. Back then Polish people were discriminated against and known to be stupid. Brennan said they named this dog the “Stupid Pollock” because it was as if some idiot had moronically put the ingredients together. Not that Brennan hates “Pollacks”, he just loves the sausage and respects the tradition. Brennan’s grandfather taught Brennan’s mom and now she makes them for Brennan whenever he comes home form school.

Brennan told this story with so much detail that it was clear he cherished both the sausages and the memories. It was a family secret, written down for the first time, and is a variation on the classic polish sausage. These factors in combination with the blaison populaire in the title make “Stupid Pollack’s” part of folklore. You can see other recipes like this throughout America, the hot dog and polish sausage are staples with many variations.

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA