Category Archives: Food

Entrée: Tamales

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – traditional dish; Customary Lore – celebration
  • Language: Spanish
  • Country of Origin: Mexico
  • Informant: G.P.
  • Date Collected: November 7, 2020

Informant Data:

  • G.P. is a ~60 year old woman living in New Jersey. She was born in Tlaxcala, Mexico and has spent over 20 years in the United States, where she lives with two of her siblings and, up until they started university, her two nephews and niece. In the US, her family usually celebrates Christmas by inviting over more family members, preparing food, and partaking in some traditions with respect to her religion.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: You will most likely find tamales anytime you go to a Mexican restaurant, but when a family makes them at home, the dish has more meaning. Tamales are more of a work of art, and the process is very special. There is a general belief that emotions tied to cooking are passed on to the resulting dish, which is an example of the law of similarity, like produces like. This is doubly so for tamales. The process involves washing one of your hands and arm and mixing the batter until everything is well integrated. This direct physical contact with the ingredients makes it really important for the chef to remain happy and excited. To remedy the annoyance of beating the mixture for long periods of time, people switch places.
  • Social Context: Eating and making tamales is something that’s usually done as a group due to the grueling work that goes into it. The easier parts are prepping the salsas, meats and/or cheese, and chile pepper slices. The hard part is beating the batter and making the tamales, so usually family and friends gather to form them in the leaves.

Item:

The recipe is somewhat complex, so it’ll be split into several parts

  • The sauce:
    • Tomatillo Sauce (Green): Peel tomatillos and keep the peels for the batter. Grill tomatillos and green chile peppers (jalapeños or chile de arbol), then peel the scorched parts off, and blend with water, garlic and onion. Afterwards, heat up some oil in a pot, then fry the sauce in it, and leave to boil.
    • Tomato Sauce (Red): Wash, cut, and deseed a lot of tomatoes, then blend. Slice some onion and fry until it becomes clear but before it starts browning. Add the sauce and water, so it isn’t too viscous. Add about two stems of epazote and salt to taste, then leave to boil.
  • The batter requires a very large pot. You’ll have to boil tomatillo peels with some anise. Then, you’ll need to mix flour for tamales, salt, a bit of baking soda and baking powder, about a liter of oil per bag of flour, chicken stock, and the stock from the tomatillo peels after being strained through a colander. Then, you must mix everything by hand, add salt, mix again, and let the contents sit for an hour.
  • Once the sauce and batter are done you can begin forming tamales by using corn husk leaves or banana leaves. Add batter, your choice of salsa, raw chicken pieces, cheese, and/or green chile pepper slices. Wrap them up so they don’t leak, and continue. Once you have a good bit of tamales, you’ll need a special pot with two sections separated by a metal plate with holes for steam since tamales are vapor-cooked. The bottom section is filled with water, and the top section is stacked with tamales until the top of the pot is reached. Then, cover everything with a moist cloth, plastic bag, and pot top. Let the contents slow cook for 2.5 hours, and they’re done, becoming more solid as they coo).

Translation:

C.Y. (collector): Wow tamales take a while to make, why do you choose to make them?

G.P. (informant): Well I don’t make them for fun let me tell you that. I usually only make them when I can get help from my nephews and nieces, because it takes a long time, and as you probably know, getting angry is only going to make the process longer.

C.Y.: Oooh yea, I know about that. I remember my uncle threw away a whole meal because I was really angry as I helped him. Man, I was so disappointed in myself after that.

G.P.: Yea it’s really important. It helps in adding a bit of the human spirit into the mix, otherwise you’d just be able to use a machine, but I don’t think they come out as well.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Tamales are really something else in the food world. When I was younger, I used to get mad at being woken up at 6am to beat the batter, but, as I got older, I realized the payoff was worth it and was much happier to help. To date, the longest I’ve gone only having tamales for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was around a week.

Collector’s Name: Carlos Yepes

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Entrée: Rotisserie Chicken

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – Christmas dish; Customary Lore – celebration, family tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: J.H.
  • Date Collected: November 10, 2020

Informant Data:

  • J.H. is a current junior in high school residing in Southern California. He was born in Singapore and moved here in 2008, when he was 5 years old. His parents are from China. His favorite restaurant is KFC. J.H. is also non-religious. J.H. first ate Rotisserie Chicken the first Christmas after he moved to the US in 2008. He ate it with his parents, brother, and cousins. Originally, they just bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco, but then they started making their own rotisserie chicken at home.

Contextual Data:

Social Context

  • For J.H., Rotisserie Chicken symbolizes family, as Christmas is one of the few times where the whole family can sit down at the dinner table together and eat without being in a rush. Additionally, the chicken does not carry any religious symbolism, as J.H. and his family are non-religious. Generally, people who enjoy cooking at home tend to make their own rotisserie chicken at home, but people who like to eat out will buy a prepared one from stores like Costco.

Cultural Context

  • There isn’t a lot of cultural context required to understand this dish. However, the one thing to note is that people who are non-religious and also celebrate Christmas may understand this dish better because Rotisserie Chicken wasn’t chosen for any specific religious reason. Even though the rotisserie chicken cooking method historically comes from Christian countries like France, Germany and Mexico, the dish itself is secular and is now thought of as an American staple.

Item:

Rotisserie Chicken can be bought already cooked from stores like Costco. Alternatively, it can also be cooked at home. The first step is to buy a whole raw chicken and soak it in a brine. It is then seasoned and cooked in a rotisserie oven until the skin is crispy. In the rotisserie oven, the chicken is positioned using three skewers, and an in-built mechanism rotates the chicken as it roasts. Many homes do not have the specialized rotisserie oven, so people often opt for store-bought Rotisserie Chicken or cook Roast Chicken instead.

Transcript of Interview Clip:

Y.H. (collector): Thank you. So for this project, I’m collecting information on dishes that people eat during Christmas that is symbolic to them in some way. Do you have a dish like that?

J.H. (informant): Ya so one thing that we always eat during Christmas is Rotisserie Chicken. We used to get the chicken from Costco, cause they’re super cheap there. But I think two Black Fridays ago, there was a deal on a rotisserie oven so my family bought the rotisserie oven and we have been making the chicken at home ever since.

Y.H.: Can you describe the chicken a bit more?

J.H.: Ya so we get like a raw whole chicken from Costco, put it in a brine, season it and then stick it in the rotisserie oven. Usually we also serve other food like mashed potatoes or seafood or something like that.

Y.H.: And when did you first eat this chicken?

J.H.: Ya so I think I first had it the first Christmas we celebrated in the US in 2006. It was with my parents and my brother. We also have cousins in San Diego, so they came over.

Y.H.: Great and do you think there’s any symbolism to eating rotisserie chicken?

J.H.: I mean, my family is non-religious so there’s no religious symbolism to eating chicken. I think the reason we kept on eating it was because that was our first Christmas in the US, and I remember when the second Christmas rolled around, my brother also really wanted to eat rotisserie chicken, and we’ve been eating it ever since. But to me personally, I think it represents family? Like how it’s the one meal where everyone’s at the table because my dad works late a lot of the time and my brother is away at college.

Y.H.: Do you think someone needs a certain cultural background to understand rotisserie chicken the way you do?

J.H.: Like I said before, we are non-religious so probably someone also non-religious would understand? I know a lot of people who aren’t religious who still celebrate Christmas and they don’t always eat foods that carry religious symbolism just like how our roast chicken isn’t religious. But other than that, not really anything else.

Y.H.: Great, thanks.

Collector’s Comments:

  • My family is also non-religious, so we don’t attach any religious symbolism, whether Chinese or American, to the foods we eat during Christmas. I wonder if there is a cultural difference between those that usually eat out as opposed to those that eat at home. Although the informant didn’t mention this, it is worth investigating.

Collector’s Name:

Yilin Huo

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Beverage: Ponche

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – traditional dish; Customary Lore – family tradition, celebration
  • Language: Spanish
  • Country of Origin: Mexico
  • Informant: O.O.
  • Date Collected: November 7, 2020

Informant Data:

  • O.O. is a ~40 year old man living in New Jersey. He was born in Puebla, Mexico and has spent a little over 20 years in the United States, where he lives with his wife and two children. In the US, his family usually celebrates Christmas by attending or, in some cases, hosting family gatherings, preparing food, and partaking in some religious traditions.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Also known as “Ponche Navideño,” the beverage is very important in Christmas traditions. It is high in vitamins due to the variety of fruits included. Due to its involvement in celebratory events, especially Christmas, one of its ingredients, tejocote became the most seized fruit from smuggling attempts.
  • Social Context: It is usually drunk as soon as it is finished boiling but can also be reheated or drunk cold. It is the source of many, MANY, burns on the tongue and the roof of the mouth. It is usually drunk by chewing on the sweet sugar cane, redipping it in the juice, chewing again, and then setting aside the piece of cane to grabbing another, repeating the process all over again.

Item:

  • The process begins by half filling and heating a pot with water. You then wash sugarcane and chop it into 10-14cm cylindrical pieces. Then, cut those cylinders into quarter cylinders. Afterwards, you add the sugar cane, unrefined whole cane sugar, and cinnamon after the water begins to boil. You then wash the tejocote and separately put it to boil until it is soft. Once it’s ready, you peel away the skin and add it to the main pot. Once the sugarcane softens, you add apple slices, guava, and prunes. As soon as those soften, the beverage is served in 1-2 styrofoam cups with a bit of everything in it. Optionally, you can also add a whiff of liquor.

Translation:

C.Y. (collector): Thanks so much for the recipe, I really wanted it for myself as well. Is there any sort of traditional background to the punch?

O.O. (informant): With my family there was. One of our traditions involves raising a little baby Jesus figure, singing, and rocking it during the songs. Later, we go outside and light tiny spark fireworks and raise them up to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To protect from the cold, we try to time the punch so that it is ready as soon as we wrap things up so that the vitamins and heat of the drink prevent us from catching a cold or anything.

C.Y.: Oh wow, so from what I’ve heard so far, a lot of meals revolve around keeping healthy.

O.O.: Yea it’s like with that stereotype about Mexicans always eating beans. It’s not far from the truth, but beans are a large part of what keep us strong and healthy even while working very labor intensive jobs here in the US.

Collector’s Comments:

  • It is one of my most favorite drinks. Sadly, since many stores don’t sell sugarcane until December for Christmas, it is very hard to make outside of the Christmas month. This makes it a true Christmas exclusive for my family, unlike other meals which we on occasion make throughout the year.

Collector’s Name: Carlos Yepes

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Entrée: Dry Noodles

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – Christmas dish; Customary Lore – celebration, family tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: D.G.
  • Date Collected: November 11, 2020

Informant Data:

  • D.G is a ’22 at Dartmouth. He currently resides in San, Jose California. He was born in San Jose and has lived there his entire life prior to college; however, his parents are from China.

Contextual Data:

Social Context

  • D.G. first ate this dish at Christmas in his middle school years. It was very important to him because he was only able to eat the dish once a year during Christmas. The recipe to the dish is currently only held by his grandpa, and he would only get to see his grandpa on Christmas, so it was the only opportunity to eat it. D.G. ties the dish to seeing family around festive occasions.

Cultural Context

  • In Chinese culture, long noodles symbolic long life due to the visual appearance. Additionally, because of taste preferences and familiarity with their own culture, Chinese immigrants adopted many traditional Chinese dishes for American holidays such as Christmas and choose to celebrate Christmas culturally instead of religiously. The immigration experience can be isolating, which is why many Chinese immigrants emphasize family and unity.

Item:

  • As you would expect, Dry Noodles is a dish made from long strands of dried noodles. The noodles are first boiled, then tossed in traditional seasoning and eaten with seafood.

Transcript of Interview Clip:

Y.H. (collector): What is a special Christmas dish that you eat?

D.G. (informant): So every Christmas, we eat something called Dry Noodles, which is similar to fried noodles, but it’s not fried. We eat it with different Chinese seasonings and a lot of seafood.

Y.H.: So when was the first time you came across this dish and what was the situation?

D.G.: So, when I first came across this dish, I guess, at Christmas when I was really young at a family gathering. I think this was around when I was in middle school.

Y.H.: Ok, and then, what meaning does the dish carry to you and what does it remind you of, if anything?

D.G.: Uh. Well. I guess this Dry Noodle dish is meaningful to me because it’s always my grandpa who cooks this dish, and we only get to see him during Christmas, so I guess I have come to associate the dish with Christmas because that would be the only time I can eat it. He’s the only one who knows the recipe and knows how to make it well. Also, when I eat it, it’s always a festive celebration so we reserve it for important events like that.

Y.H.: Besides that, is there any other symbolism?

D.G.: Symbolism? Well, I guess that one thing is that it is supposed to represent a long life because the noodles are very long. Originally I think we meant it for birthday celebrations within the family, but I only remember eating it for Christmas so I’m assuming that my family adapted it. There’s nothing beyond that.

Y.H.: What cultural context and what background information does someone need to know to appreciate the dish?

D.G.: Well the dish is a Chinese dish so they would probably need to know Chinese culture or Chinese customs. I really can’t think of anything else.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I think that it’s really interesting because the dish does not have anything to do with the history of Christmas itself. Rather, it is a symbol of familial folklore, in this case, a family recipe that is passed down from generation to generation. Christmas not only serves as a holiday, but also an opportunity where the elders in the family can pass down the folklore recipe to the younger generation. It’s really interesting when compared to Hot Pot and Roast Chicken, which also emphasize family.
  • Additionally, I think that to really understand the importance of this dish, one must understand family recipes that are passed down. Not every family does that and those that don’t may not fully comprehend the importance of family recipes.

Collector’s Name:

Yilin Huo

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Entrée: Jamón

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – dish; Customary Lore – celebration, religious belief
  • Language: English and Tagalog
  • Country of Origin: Philippines
  • Informant: M.D.
  • Date Collected: November 19, 2020

 Informant Data:      

  • M.D. was born in the Philippines in 1970, where she grew up in the Northern region, Ilocos Sur. Despite being raised in a rural region, she was sent to Catholic private school in the nearby city, Vigan, by her parents. M.D. then moved to Manila as an adult to study in one of the biggest universities of the country and later settled there. Afterwards, she immigrated to the United States with her husband in 2009 with their two kids and has since lived in the city with her family. 

Contextual Data:    

  • Cultural Context: Ham is a replacement as the main entrée to the typical lechon in the Philippines during Christmas time for many Filipino American households. Unless the town or city has a significant Filipino population, it is hard to find lechon in the United States, which is why this pork substitute suffices. This dish is also an American tradition during Christmas, so it is available in markets. This dish is round in nature, which also signifies good fortune, hence being eaten with Queso de Bola. Pork is eaten during Christmas to signify Catholicism, as other local religions do not eat pork. The practice of making pork as the main dish for Christmas is due to Spanish colonization, during which Spanish practices heavily influenced Filipino culture.
  • Social Context:  Ham is eaten as part of the food in Nochebuena (Christmas Eve Dinner) or is served with the Queso de Bola Cheese and bread on Christmas morning. Nochebuena is typically as important or even more important than the day of Christmas. The purpose of the dinner is to wait for the birth of Jesus Christ, which makes the 24th just as special. Like Lechon, ham is a special occasion entrée, and it is made for a larger gathering. Since Christmas is a time when all family and friends gather, the ham is shared with everyone.

Item:

  • The item is a dish called jamón, or ham. There are variations on what type of ham it is,  ranging from Chinese ham and canned ham to sliced whole ham. It is seasoned with a sweetener to cultivate a salty and sweet taste and is baked for hours. 

Transcript from Interview Clip:

X.D. (collector): Hello, can you please introduce yourself and provide some backstory of your life, especially when you were in the Philippines.

M.D. (informant): I’m MD, and I am from Santa, Ilocos-Sur. I was born in 1970, so I lived a very rural lifestyle. My parents did send me to Vigan to study in St. Paul. And then, I studied in UP (University of the Philippines) in Manila, and just settled there. I did move here in 2009 with my family and husband.

X.D.: So what Christmas food will you be talking about? Please do give some cultural context on it.

M.D.: During Christmas, we eat a lot of ham. We get it from the store, maybe add some sweeteners like pineapple, and basically bake it. It’s like the main dish.

X.D.: How about lechon? Why is ham eaten here (the United States) and not Lechon?

M.D.: Yea, lechon is more common in the Philippines. You have Filipinos in the US, yea, but where are they going to buy the lechon? It’s really rare here, even in Los Angeles. The process is more common in the Philippines, so ham is like our lechon here. Americans do eat ham on Christmas, so we can find ham here easier. I mean, people would eat ham in the Philippines too, but it is usually Chinese ham or canned ham. Ham also represents good luck because of its shape. Back at home, if my husband brought ham from his company, it was eaten with the cheese (Queso de Bola) and pandesal (bread) on Christmas mornings.

X.D.: So why is ham eaten during Christmas Eve instead, and why did it replace lechon?

M.D.: Pork is really important to eat on Christmas. It was like a celebratory meat, and we are Catholic, so pork makes us different from Filipino Muslims. I guess that is from Spanish influence, since they did eat ham too. Nochebuena is really big because that’s the time we expect Jesus’ birth. We wait until midnight when it’s Christmas because that is when he was born. With ham, you can share with people since it’s already sliced, and that’s what a Filipino Christmas is: to share. 

Collector’s Comments:

  • My family eats ham as a Christmas dish when we are in the United States but eats lechon in the Philippines. While both ham and lechon can be eaten together either in the Philippines and the United States, it is slightly uncommon to do so as both dishes are expensive.

Collector: Xenia Dela Cueva

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Entrée: Mole

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – dish; Customary Lore – celebration; Verbal Lore: legend
  • Language: Spanish
  • Country of Origin: Mexico
  • Informant: G.P.
  • Date Collected: November 7, 2020

Informant Data:

  • G.P. is a ~60 year old woman living in New Jersey. She was born in Tlaxcala, Mexico and has spent over 20 years in the United States, where she lives with two of her siblings and, up until they started university, her two nephews and niece. In the US, her family usually celebrates Christmas by inviting over more family members, preparing food, and partaking in some traditions with respect to her religion.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Mole is one of the most prominent dishes in Mexico, and it can be called the national dish. It has many variations, and some variations even have their own names, such as “pipian.” It is also one of the more complex recipes in Mexico as it involves creating what’s known to many as Mexico’s spicy chocolate dish.
  • Social Context: Usually when made, it is for a VERY large gathering since it yields impressive portion sizes. Due to its high yield and complexity, it is typically made on rare occasions, but it also leaves lots of leftovers which allow it to be used in other meals such as tamales or enchiladas.

Item:

  • For this dish, the informant wasn’t able to give very accurate measurements since most of them are done through estimation.
  • The process involves obtaining several dried chile peppers: pasilla, chipotle, and ancho, which are boiled to soften them up. While that’s going on, you fry some plantain, raisins, crackers, and peanuts and set those aside. Then, you scorch the tortilla, onion, and garlic and, again, set them aside. Afterwards, you toast some sesame seeds, and blend EVERYTHING together: the softened peppers as well as the fried, scorched, and toasted ingredients. Then you start to heat up water to a boil with some salt, and, once the water is hot, you add chicken thighs or drumsticks. As soon as the chicken begins to cook, take some water from the soon-to-be broth and dissolve chocolate into it. Then add the chocolate and spice blend into the pot the chicken is cooking in.

Translation of Interview Clip:

C.Y. (collector): So then, why were so many ingredients used? The recipe seems pretty weird so far.

G.P. (informant):  Yea, yea it is. I remember when my mom told me I thought the same thing. She told me that mole was created from a woman being afraid she wouldn’t be able to cook anything for her family. So she leveraged all the ingredients she had remaining and began cooking, but due to the stress her hand slipped and ingredients were mixed, things burned a little, and everything was integrated into the sauce.

C.Y.: Wow that’s quite a story. If I remember correctly back when you made it for us, you used animal crackers?

G.P.: Oh yea that was a one time thing haha, it was all I had on hand. I typically use Maria cookies. Thinking about it, that does make the story I just told sound more believable hahaha.

Collector’s Comments:

  • My family makes this a little less than often. We typically eat it with pure tortillas since the family says we won’t get full otherwise (which is a lie, because we serve ourselves a lot). My family also believes in that bit of verbal folklore: that the wonderful dish was a result of someone being in a panic and cooking up with the few ingredients they had, so it is pretty widespread.

Collector’s Name: Carlos Yepes

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Dessert: Suman (Sticky Rice)

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – dish; Customary Lore – celebration, religious custom
  • Language: Tagalog
  • Country of Origin: Philippines
  • Informant: J.D.
  • Date Collected: November 19, 2020

Informant Data:      

  • J.D. was born in the Philippines in 1963, where he grew up in the Northern region, Ilocos Sur. He grew up in a rural town, where he had helped farm rice as part of his everyday life. During the 1980s, he moved to the capital, Manila, to study engineering, where he would eventually settle to have two kids. He later moved to the United States in 2009 and has since lived in the city with his family. 

Contextual Data:    

  • Cultural Context:  Suman is a traditional Christmas dessert because the Philippines is historically agrarian. Christmas is a time for feasting and represents abundance, so this dessert is made with cheap and accessible ingredients, like rice and coconuts, to be able to serve everyone. However, what sets this apart from a typical dessert is that it is labor intensive, as each suman is wrapped individually, and the coconut milk used for it is traditionally squeezed manually from the coconut meat although more modern takes just use canned coconut milk. 
  • Social Context:  Suman was eaten after morning prayers and masses. Christmas is also similar to the American Thanksgiving, where the celebration is meant to be thankful for everyone and the blessings within your life. It was necessary to pray or go to Church as Filipinos were Catholic, and giving thanks meant being grateful to God. This dish was served after the prayers, as people finish spending a portion of their day with God and are ready to celebrate the rest of the holiday.

Item:

  • The item is a desert called Suman, or Filipino sticky rice. It is made with glutinous (or malagkit) rice, coconut milk, and sugar. It is half-cooked, and then the rice and coconut milk mixture is individually wrapped in either a cylindrical or pyramid shape with banana leaves. Finally, the suman is steamed until the rice is fully cooked and served with sugar. 

Translation of Interview Clip :

X.D. (collector): Hi, please introduce yourself and give a backstory of your life, even when you lived in the Philippines.

J.D. (informant): Ok, my name is J.D. I was born in 1963 and I lived in Santa, Ilocos-Sur. I moved to Manila to study engineering, and I stayed there to raise my family, until around February 2009. Then I came here.

X.D.: Can you give a little backstory on your life in Santa. You’ve mentioned before this interview a little about it.

J.D.: Ok. Santa, when I lived there, was mostly farming. You know, it’s very rural. As a young boy, I would help in the rice fields for some money because we were really poor back then. 

X.D.: So what Christmas dish will you talk about? Please give context to it.

J.D.: Suman, which is a desert, is a Christmas food. They make it with, how do you call it in English? Malagkit?

X.D.: I’m not sure, I’ll research that later for you.

J.D.: Yea, they make it with malagkit rice, coconut milk, and sugar. They pack the rice in a banana leaf, and they steam it. It comes in either the triangular shape or just the regular stick. As a child, I ate it after we all prayed. I’d dipped it in sugar so it was sweeter.

X.D.: Was there a reason why you ate it in Christmas? I know suman is common nowadays.

J.D.: Back then, suman was the only thing that could be made for everyone. The Philippines mostly had farmers, and we only had rice and coconut milk, so suman was the dish that could be eaten. But it was labor intensive! You had to squeeze the milk from the coconut meat and then wrap it. Now it’s easier, but it still takes a lot of time! We ate it after the prayers because usually it was a community prayer, and then after one of the ladies would help pass it around. As a child, I’d be so happy to eat it. 

X.D.: So are the prayers before the dinner? Can you explain more on that?

J.D.: No, going to Church during Christmas is an early morning event. You had to go to Church. Remember, everyone is Catholic, and you have to say thanks to God and your blessings. It’s like Thanksgiving here. After that, people were hungry, which is why Suman is eaten.

Informant’s Comments:

  • There’s different types of suman, depending where you are in the Philippines. In the Ilocos-Sur, suman is popularly in a triangular shape.

Collector: Xenia Dela Cueva

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Entrée: Roast Chicken

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – Christmas dish; Customary Lore – celebration, family tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: A.Z.
  • Date Collected: November 13, 2020

Informant Data:

  • A.Z. is a Dartmouth ’22. She currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts and identifies as an Asian-American. Her parents are from China, but she was born and raised in the United States her whole life.

Contextual Data:

Social Context

  • A.Z. first had the dish 10 years ago with her family for Christmas. Either she or her parents cooks the chicken. While the roast chicken is the star of the Christmas meal, she also makes side dishes that go along the chicken.
  • The family tradition of eating roast chicken during Christmas started because A.Z. and her family were looking for a type of poultry to eat. According to their interpretation, the idea of eating poultry is closely tied to holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  • As a result, for A.Z., it symbolizes family and getting together as well as taking the time to sit down with each other to have a good time during Christmas.

Cultural Context

  • Poultry is viewed as a significant part of the American Christmas meal. A.Z. and her family sought to adopt this tradition. The roast chicken and the accompanying side dishes represent a fusion between American and Chinese cuisines.

Item:

Roast Chicken is a whole chicken bought raw from the grocery store and then cooked at home. The chicken is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and other herbs. The chicken is then placed on a baking tray and inserted into the oven to cook and roast.

Audio Clip:

 

Transcript:

(0.08) Y.H. (collector): All right, so what is a special Christmas dish?

A.Z. (informant): So we don’t usually eat like a set Christmas dish every year. But a lot of the time when we look at reverse chicken, and we usually eat a mixture of Chinese and American food. So it’s like a, like a full chicken, but we’ll cook it ourselves. So I don’t really, my mother, usually will help out. But like, since the roast chicken is harder to do, show, like, do the main stuff with that will help out with like the side dishes.

Y.H.: When did you first eat it? What does the roast chicken symbolize for you?

A.Z.: I can’t remember, but maybe like 10 years ago. We also do the same thing for Thanksgiving. So, um, I guess it symbolizes family for me. I think I think it’s like, less so than what the chicken itself symbolizes. But like, the chicken is a proxy for like, what Christmas symbolizes for me. I think, like I said before, I think it symbolizes family and getting together. And just like taking the time to, like, sit down with each other. And just have a good time relaxing.

Y.H.: In your opinion, what sort of cultural background understanding is required to enjoy the dish?

A.Z.: Could you rephrase the question? So I guess like, Okay, I’m not sure if I’m understanding the question, right. But I don’t think you need to have like any certain kind of background to understand why we eat chicken like it’s not I feel like it’s not, it’s definitely not a Chinese dish. And like we more so adapted it to like American standards. Because like, we do feel that like Christmas is an American holiday. So we tend to emphasize the American dishes a little more than we do the Chinese dishes. So like, for example, like chicken will be the star of the dinner rather than, like some Chinese fish dish that we make.

I think it’s like when we think of like stereotypical Christmas, we think of like this giant bird. Or like, or, like we think I feel like I feel like ham is like a very, um, Christmas-esque dish. But I feel like none of us know that our family doesn’t really like ham. And I think like, just like the look of a chicken. It’s very gray. And so that’s why we eat it. (4.00)

Collector Comments:

  • I actually really empathize with the fact that the roast chicken is not purely a Chinese dish, like A.Z. said – it is a blend of Chinese and American cooking styles, especially when combined with the side dishes. It creates a really interesting family culture that is only present in the presence of people who are part of the Chinese diaspora. Similar to the discussions of the origins of folklore potentially stemming from a diaspora, this Roast Chicken tradition is a result of the Chinese culture that A.Z.’s family brought with them combined with American culture.

Collector’s Name: Yilin Huo

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Snack: Queso De Bola

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – dish; Customary Lore – celebration, belief, superstition
  • Language: Tagalog
  • Country of Origin: Philippines
  • Informant: R.P.
  • Date Collected: November 26, 2020

 Informant Data:      

  •  R.P. was born in 1975 in the Philippines, where she grew up in a region north of the capital Manila called Pangasinan. She was raised in the Philippines all her life, and went to a private Catholic school in Manila for college. She then married and settled in Manila, where her parents also moved, and ran a small convenience store for the local neighborhood. She later immigrated to the United States with her family in 2008, staying in a Southern California suburb named Norwalk.

Contextual Data:    

  • Cultural Context:  In the Philippines, processed foods before the mid 1980s were scarce in rural areas as most people lived in the countryside provinces. Therefore, Queso de Bola was not as accessible until the nation was more modernized. Queso de Bola nowadays is given by companies to its workers as Christmas gifts and is sold by groceries during the Christmas season.  Christmas can be seen as a mega holiday for Filipinos, depending on their wealth. Because many Filipinos work in the cities, they come back only at Christmas time to their families in provinces, which is why Christmas is celebrated to not only be thankful for others, but also to look forward to the next year or the future (as they would not be able to come back for New Year’s). The dish is red and round, and in the Philippines, round things represent fortune and good luck. The red also means luck due to Chinese influence but is simultaneously significant as a Christmas color.
  • Social Context:  The Queso de Bola is not an entrée, but rather a snack eaten during Christmas. By giving a piece to everyone, they will then have good luck and fortune for the days to come. Christmas is a time for getting together with loved ones, so it also has significance in spreading happiness and good fortune. 

Item:

  • The item is a dish called Queso De Bola, which is a ball of Edam cheese, covered in red wax. It is usually bought from an outside source instead of being home made, but, during Christmas eve, it is cut into smaller pieces to be eaten either by itself or with Filipino bread rolls called pandesal.

Translation of Interview Clip:

X.D. (collector): Hi, can you introduce yourself and a backstory of your life.

R.P. (informant): Hello, my name is RP, and I am originally from Pangasinan, but I later moved to Manila. I went to college there too, in an all females Catholic school. While I had my family in Manila, my parents also ran a Sari-Sari (Filipino convenience) store, until we moved here in 2008.

X.D.: Thank you. Now can you please talk about your Filipino Christmas dish. What it is, how it’s made, what the traditions behind it are. 

R.P.: The Christmas food is Queso de Bola, which is a round piece of cheese in red wax. I don’t know how to make it, but it’s usually given by a company or bought in the grocery store. I didn’t eat it growing up because it wasn’t common to get branded foods like that. But it’s on display during Christmas because it signifies good luck and fortune. You eat it will pandesal (bread) and ham, for merienda (snack time).

X.D.: Why is it eaten at Christmas when good luck is usually a New Year’s thing?

R.P.: Christmas is like a combination of New Year’s too, well for some people in the Philippines. A lot of people go back for Christmas to the provinces, but return by New Year’s, so they can’t really celebrate New Year’s with their families. So Christmas in a way also celebrates New Year’s. Round things display luck, which is why things like ham or Queso de Bola are eaten. The red also kind of signifies that, like in Chinese New Year’s, but I think they make it red for the Christmas season. Eating a piece of that ball means you will be prosperous, so that’s why you share it with family and friends.

X.D.: Thank you!

Collector’s Comments:

  • Queso de Bola is always bought and never made at home. Here in the United States, it is not easy to find. It is sold by Filipino grocery stores during Christmas time, and not every town has a Filipino grocery store, which is why Filipino Americans rarely eat this.

Collector: Xenia Dela Cueva

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Entrée: Lechon

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General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore – dish; Customary Lore – celebration, family traditions
  • Language: Tagalog and English
  • Country of Origin: Philippines
  • Informant: B.B.
  • Date Collected: November 7, 2020

Informant Data:      

  • B.B. was born in 2000 in the Philippines, where she grew up in the Northern region called Ilocos-Sur. She studied from pre- school to high school in Ilocos-Sur, in a private Catholic school named St. Paul, and she was raised by her grandmother and distant relatives as her parents worked in the United States. She later moved to Los Angeles in 2016, where she is currently studying at a local college. 

Contextual Data:    

  • Cultural Context:  The Philippines is historically a poor country, and meat is rare to eat, let alone a whole pig. So during Christmas, it is shared with others, as the Filipino culture is family and community oriented, and Christmas is a time to bring people together. The reason to share abundance with the community is because Christmas is an important holiday for Filipinos to celebrate, especially since most of the country is Catholic.
  • Social Context:   Lechon is served during Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve Dinner. It is the main entree of the dinner, and the dinner consists of family members and neighbors as well as friends that are not regularly seen. Sharing this dish reflects the intimacy between the community, and therefore the spirit of Christmas, as the holiday is meant to be celebrated with loved ones.

Item:

  • The item is a dish called Lechon, which is a whole pig. It is gutted and then stuffed with aromatics native to the Philippines and the region like lemongrass. It is then roasted on a bed of charcoal, constantly rotated and glazed. This process is about 6-8 hours long, which leaves the skin to be crispy and golden. It is served on top of banana leaves and is placed as the center dish on the table for Christmas dinners. 

Transcript of Interview Clip:

X.D. (collector): Can you please introduce yourself and where you are from in the Philippines and a little backstory of your life.

B.B. (informant): Uh, my name is BB, I’m from Santa Ilocos-Sur. I’m 20 years old, and I moved here in the United States around 4 years ago. I went to school at St. Paul (Catholic School in Vigan, Ilocos-Sur), while mom and dad were here. I lived with Grandma and my two other cousins before moving here. 

X.D.: Ok thank you. So what Filipino Christmas dish will you be talking about?

B.B. : So I will be talking about Lechon, which is a roasted whole pig. Usually in the Philippines, a group of men will degut the pig in the morning of Christmas Eve, and they’ll stuff it with aromatics like lemongrass and bay leaves, whatever Filipinos had. And they’ll roast it on a big bed of charcoal with other pigs until and gets really crispy and delicious.

X.D.: Do you know how long it takes?

B.B. : Uhh, a long long time. Like I’d say more than 6 hours, at least. That’s why it’s eaten for dinner, because it’s not yet ready by lunchtime. 

X.D.: Can you explain why Filipinos eat lechon during Christmas and can you explain its cultural context a bit?

B.B. : Lechon is really a special occasion dish. No one is going to eat lechon on a weekly basis, everyone is too poor for that. It is eaten with the whole community: friends, family, neighbors because Christmas is the excuse to get together and celebrate. As Filipinos, Christmas is like our number one holiday. Because of Catholicism, we really become festive for Christmas time and we celebrate it with who we love and the people in our lives. So lechon is a way to share that love and bond, because it’s a special to share something so rare to eat with people.

Informant’s Comments:

  • The sheer abundance of the pig means there are plenty of leftovers after Christmas. So, those leftovers are split with the people and their own families and made into a new dish called Lechon Paksiw, which is a pork stew with vinegar. 

Collector’s Comments:

  • Lechon is not really eaten by my family in the United States because in the Philippines, Nochebuena dinners have much more people (usually 20+). When I do go to the Philippines, Lechon is served for Christmas. Instead, the substitute that many Filipino Americans use as their main entrée for Christmas is ham. 

Collector: Xenia Dela Cueva

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