Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is an interesting Thanksgiving tradition. For some people it is essential whether they like it or not. My family, we are usually not very consistent with having it. None of us like it that much. However, this Thanksgiving, we went up to my aunt's house in Farmington. She had her whole family there, so there was a big crowd. While we were eating, I asked my cousin if her family was big into cranberry sauce because I saw it on every table. She said that they didn't really all love it, but her dad liked it and wanted to have it every year. Later, when we were cleaning up, she and I were clearing the tables and it was interesting to see that the bowls of cranberry sauce were barely touched. The group did not seem to enjoy it that much, but it seemed to be an essential tradition to have it as part of the Thanksgiving dinner.

Family Pictures

During our discussion about family photos, I was reminded of an occurrence that my friend told me about. She was getting ready to go home for her brother's wedding and was talking to her mom about pictures. Her mom said something about that she wanted a picture with just her children. My friend reminded her that the girl that was marrying her brother would be a part of their family and her mom said, "I know, I just want a picture with just my kids." This is an example of some of the folklore of photos. Who is in the picture and who is not is a major part of the picture and it gives us a glimpse into the thinking of the people in the picture.

Family Sayings

During our discussion of the reading in class, I remembered a saying that my family says. Whenever one of the kids drinks out of another kid's cup or they use the same fork or something else like that, someone always says, "It's okay; the doctor said it doesn't matter." I think this saying came about because one of the earlier children was complaining about some such occurrence, so my dad said, "The doctor said it doesn't matter" and it has become a often repeated saying in my family.

Pineapple Hospitality

I was just walking down the hall in the Administration Building on Campus (where I work) and I heard this lady say, "Did you know that the pineapple is a sign of hospitality in the East?" We talked about that in class last week, so I was surprised to hear it so soon when I have never heard it before. Maybe she heard it from someone who was in our class and them sharing it is passing on folklore. I think I will tell someone else today to pass it on as well. :)

Cherries--A healthy fruit

My group presentation was on cherries. The part that I did involved the belief that cherries are very good for you because of their anti-oxidants. In staff meeting at my work my co-worker asked if anyone had learned anything new that week. I decided to share that cherries supposedly help with arthritis and are believed to be a pain reliever. They found it very interesting and some of them said that they wanted to start eating cherries. It's fun to pass on things that you learn even if they may only be home remedies that may not necessarily have scientific backing.

Cranapple, Please.

In the book, Rooted In America, the chapter on Cranberries talked about how the industry has profited by combining cranberry with many other fruits. I experienced this first hand when I flew to visit my sister in Chicago. On the plane, the stewardess came by with her cart of drinks and when I asked what kind of juice she had, she replied, "apple, cranapple, orange, and tomato." Thinking of the book, I chose Cranapple and greatly enjoyed it. I thought it was interesting that they would have that choice among only four. When I was in Chicago, I also encountered cranapple there. My sister had it in her refridgerator and we had it for a few different meals. She also told me that she loves cranapple juice. Interesting to see how it has really become popular.

Hot Pepper Punishment

Our reading today on hot peppers reminded me of my mom's punishment for saying bad words. When we would say a bad word, she would get her finger wet, dip it in the jar of cayenne pepper and wipe it on our tongue. I remembered this because of the story Sister Rudy told about the pepper eating contest. My second oldest brother had a quick temper and thus would often get this punishment. However, he, being a stubborn boy, pretended that he didn't care and would say that he liked it. I think he may have developed a taste for it or convinced himself that he did like it because to this day, he likes his salsa and other things very spicy hot. :)