1. Title: Novack Sushi

2. Informant info: 

Cameron is a 19-year-old male from Baltimore, Maryland and was born on November 16, 1996. He is a freshman studying math at Dartmouth College and is not religious. He is on the Smart choice 10 meal plan, which gives ten meal swipes per week. He also likes sushi.

3. Type of Lore: Customary, Magic, Superstition

4. Language: English

5. Country of Origin:  Hanover, New Hampshire, United States

6. Social / Cultural Context: 

Novack is a café in Baker Berry library at Dartmouth College where people typically go for a cheap, quick snack or coffee. They also sell sushi, which people do not tend to buy, so there is a very low turnover and can sometimes be days old.

7. Associated file (a video, audio, or image file): N/A

8. Transcript (if verbal lore): N/A

9. Informant’s comments:

“Everyone knows not to buy Novack sushi. Personally, I don’t know anyone who has actually gotten food poisoning from the sushi, but I have heard reports from Yik Yak and word of mouth. In all honesty, the sushi is probably fine to eat, but it just looks like it has been left in the fridge for days. Also, Novack is like the fast food place on campus, so it is less trustworthy than say, Collis.”

10. Collector’s comments:

“The reputation of Novack as a lower quality food option as well as the purported cases of sickness likely gave rise to this aversion to their sushi. The magic behind this logic follows the format of if you do A, then B will happen: if you eat the sushi, you will get sick. Thus, it has become a superstition to avoid Novack sushi.”

11. Tags/Keywords: Novack, Sushi, DDS, Food Poisoning, Customary