Presentations: Day 2

Patricia's presentation reminded me of some of my memories from growing up in Bloomfield. When my family first arrived, the town was almost entirely second or third-generation Italians (affectionately referred to as "guidos"). And I'll never forget how I was consistently told that I pronounced every Italian food item incorrectly. It turns out, years later, that much of their knowledge of their "mother tongue" was suspect...probably because they didn't actually speak Italian. Maybe they just liked saying things differently, like it created some sort of solidarity in their culture. Or maybe it was a natural change to the dialect. Anyway, her presentation was excellent. I was amazed at how many lexical items that are in full bloom here in the US are nowhere to be found in much of Italy. Her explanation of the plurality of the pastas, with the one exception of lasagna, was particularly interesting, as was the information about the true/original definitions of pepperoni and paninis.

Hernan did a wonderful job of presenting. His project really dialed in on the phenomenon of one word being used to describe many possible recipes. I liked how he talked about every country's version of curry, and did a remarkable job tracing the origins and how it moved from one place to another. I'm still surprised at the many variations, and plan on trying all of them. It also reminded me how I'm often told that with certain commercial products, the recipe will change from country to country. Many people have remarked that the Guinness beer in Ireland and Jamaica are markedly different from that sold within the US.

Presentations: Day 1

Corinne's presentation was especially interesting, and something I've noticed (as have many others) for quite some time. I think that's why it has engendered much discussion in everyone's blog entries. Her analysis of chocolate being sold to women as an intimate, almost erotic "guilty pleasure" was on the money. Even today, I remember some commercial, possibly for a Dove bar (interesting to note the elegant, even "feminine" name of the product as opposed to many other candy bars), that showed a woman taking the phone off the hook, lighting candles, and running a bubble bath before indulging in said product. There is no question that food advertisements geared towards men emphasize heartiness and satiety. Eating "light" marks a man as "light in the loafers" or a "metrosexual."
Copious amounts of food are often encouraged, as if their consumption indicates a figurative "F you!" to the health experts and their limitations and recommendations.

Interestingly, Kay remarked about alcohol on her blog and it reminded me of something particularly irksome. For some reason, enormous beer consumption is considered manly while mixed drinks, especially of the colorful variety, are often deemed "foo-foo." Yet I never cease in the delight of letting guys know that beer is one of the weakest alcoholic beverages a person can consume. A Sex on the Beach or Apple Martini is exponentially more potent than a Coors Lite. Yet most men will consistently act like their heroic consumption of beer is somehow a mark of masculinity, all while knocking a man or woman who opts instead for a cocktail. This is somewhat similar to Patricia's presentation (more to come), where people are just ill-informed.

Robyn's presentation was also thought-provoking. I found it interesting how many English idioms/metaphors worm their way into other languages. This isn't surprising when considering the ubiquity of the English language. I also found it fascinating how many modern Hebrew expressions are understandable to us from our cultural perspective, while others need further explanation to be discernible. I'd love to see if any similar idioms developed in parallel, without any cross-cultural influence.