Tag Archives: food

Schnitzel Dinner

Text: “A tradition I have is that my dad who grew up in Germany will cook schnitzel for the family when we are all together based on a family recipe that he has had in his family for a long time. This is something that’s super special to me because growing up it felt unique and cool to have a dad that was able to cook traditional dishes from a completely different culture. Still to this day I love schnitzel and I love my dad’s schnitzel and I look forward to whenever he cooks it for us!”

Context: The informant, a law school student, shared a tradition where their father, who grew up in Germany, cooks schnitzel for the family using a family recipe passed down through generations. This tradition has been significant to the informant, as it not only connects them to their European heritage but also makes them feel that their family’s cultural background is something special. Even as an adult, the informant still looks forward to their dad’s schnitzel, valuing it both as a delicious meal and as a reminder of the family’s unique cultural history.

Analysis: This is a great example of how food traditions carry deep cultural and emotional meaning. Schnitzel, as a traditional German dish, becomes a way for the informant’s dad to share a piece of their heritage with the family. It’s not just about the food—it’s about what it represents: a connection to a different culture and a way to pass down family history. The informant’s appreciation for the dish goes beyond taste; it’s tied to a sense of pride in their dad’s ability to keep this tradition alive.

The fact that the informant finds the tradition “unique and cool” shows how food can also serve as a marker of identity—something that sets their family apart in a meaningful way. Even though they’re no longer a child, the ritual of eating schnitzel still holds emotional weight, reinforcing the bond between family members and their shared cultural past. This also reflects a broader theme in folklore: how traditions, especially ones rooted in food, help shape our sense of self and family, linking us to the past while creating memories for the future.

Informant Info

Race/Ethnicity: White

Age: 23

Occupation: Student

Residence: Oak Park, CA

Date of Performance: April 22, 2025

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Relationship: Brother

端午节 (Duānwǔ Jié) Dragon boat festival

Title: 端午节 (Duānwǔ Jié / Dragon Boat Festival)

AGE: 18
Date_of_performance: May 1, 2025
Language: English
Nationality: Canadian
Occupation: Student
Primary Language: English
Residence: Toronto, Canada (formerly lived in Beijing, China for 11 years)

Folklore Explanation:
“Dragon Boat Festival came every summer when we were growing up in Beijing, and while we didn’t really do the full traditional thing, we definitely participated in some of it. Sometimes we’d go to watch the dragon boat races—usually if there was something happening at Houhai or a local event—but most years we just focused on the food. You know how obsessed I am with 粽子? Those sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves? That was the best part. Some had red bean, some had pork—there were even a few sweet ones I really liked.

We’d usually either buy them fresh from the market or sometimes help someone make them if we were invited over. The festival itself wasn’t something we celebrated formally, but it was part of the rhythm of summer. You’d start seeing 粽子 show up everywhere, and there was always this feeling that the season had officially started. It wasn’t about rituals for us—it was about the food and kind of being around it, taking part in a way that made sense for our family.”

Analysis:
The Dragon Boat Festival is a ritual calendar festival and an example of hero commemoration folklore, centered on the legendary poet and minister Qu Yuan, who is said to have drowned himself in protest against political corruption. Traditionally observed on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, the festival blends narrative folklore (the story of Qu Yuan) with material culture (making and eating 粽子) and performance folklore (dragon boat racing).

It has both secular and spiritual dimensions. The races represent the villagers’ attempt to rescue or honor Qu Yuan, while the consumption of 粽子 is linked to ancient offerings meant to protect his body or ward off evil spirits. This festival is transmitted through intergenerational family practices, school events, media, and public cultural programming. It holds particular weight in southern China where dragon boat traditions are strongest, but food-centered practices like 粽子-making are widespread and deeply tied to domestic life. In urban settings like Beijing, participation varies—some engage fully, while others experience the festival more casually through its culinary and public components.

Brasilian Traditional Food

Date of performance: 04/29/2025

Occupation: Student 

Primary Language: English 

Title-   Feijoada (Brazilian black bean stew) 

Context- M’s mom is from Brazil, so when asked about her favorite foods, M shares that a Brazilian staple in their household is feijoada, or black bean stew. M says, “The traditional foods you eat them whenever, but when there’s a celebration there will without a doubt be those foods, you know. They definitely do remind me of home!”

Analysis- M shares a favorite food of hers that represents a part of her home in Brazil. Traditional foods are a key part of folklore as they convey tradition, customs and identity throughout generations. These traditional foods, as M has experienced, can be generationally passed down through oral tradition. Folklore relies on oral transmission to expand and develop in different regions of the world, which can also be observed in traditional foods and cuisine.

Brasilian Festival

AGE: 20 

Date of performance: 04/29/2025

Occupation: Student 

Primary Language: English 

Title-   Carnival

Context- M shares with me a tie to her family heritage that she celebrates even though she doesn’t live in Brazil— Carnival. M’s mom is from Brazil, and M shares with me how they would celebrate— “We would watch it on tv because we weren’t in Brasil but we’d wear Brasil colors and usually eat the traditional foods like feijoada and coxinha.”

Analysis- In folklore, festivals are seen as cultural practices that exemplify traditional and communal elements of a community’s values, traditions and history. Carnival is a big festival in Brazil, celebrating Brazil’s diverse heritage and showcasing different folkloric elements through their extreme costumes, traditional dancing (samba), and the occasional storytelling. Carnival is an example of how culture and tradition are highlighted by a giant performance—a key element in identifying folklore.

Christmas tamales

Date_of_performance: 04/28/2025

Informant Name: XM

Language: English/Spanish  

Nationality: Chilean

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: Santa Monica

INTERVIEW:

During every Christmas with my family we would usually eat tamales, not sure why it was tamales, but I was guaranteed a tamale when I went to my family’s house for Christmas. We aren’t Mexican, so I don’t understand, but it is a tradition and it feels with warmth and it was one of my favorite traditions during Christmas because it reminds me of my family and the time we spent together. It reminds me of good memories, makes me happy, and reminds me of home. I miss those christmases spent together as a whole family and when things felt easier as a child.

MY ANALYSIS

Hearing this story reminds me of the nostalgic Christmas when I was younger. How everything felt simple and nothing was changing. People fall into a routine during the holidays especially Christmas, because you are a kid so you go wherever your family goes, so you get used to the repetitive traditions that you create with the family you are with. The interesting concept of traditions, is that they don’t have to make sense on paper, it is something you create with family that you carry with you because it reminds you of home, so even if XM isn’t Mexican, having tamales every Christmas started to be associated with warm and happier memories and that is why traditions are made. It reminds her of her family and the Christmas she spent with them before she grew up and go thrown into the world and the messiness of it all.