Recommend some cookbooks that are also history books. [more inside]
posted by Kurichina on Dec 21, 2009 - 27 answers

What are children of different cultures expected to learn to do independantly at different ages? [more inside]
posted by alona on Dec 6, 2009 - 8 answers

Looking for writing on how cultures/nations/tribes handled, fared, cope/d with alien influences. In the past or now, ongoing. [more inside]
posted by ebesan on Dec 5, 2009 - 9 answers

Is there a word or a term for a pop-culture handshake? [more inside]
posted by flatluigi on Dec 4, 2009 - 15 answers

Help me find excellent wedding gifts for my coworkers in India! [more inside]
posted by hackwolf on Dec 3, 2009 - 8 answers

Does anyone have "hidden camera" footage of people from the 1950s and before having candid conversations? When they're giving prepared/on-camera remarks in any footage I watch, people seem very very stilted - like unskilled actors. I'm wondering if this was just the style of the "public voice" at the time, or if people actually talked to each other in day to day conversations this way [more inside]
posted by crayz on Nov 25, 2009 - 14 answers

Developing excellent academic general knowledge. [more inside]
posted by ekpyrotic on Nov 20, 2009 - 4 answers

When was the first time "school lunch" was ridiculed in a movie (most likely a teen flick) or a TV show? We're currently producing a documentary on school lunch, and we know that there was a cultural shift in how school lunch was perceived (great social achievement to grotesque laughingstock). If you can help us identify the first instance of this shift in popular culture, we'll give you a film credit.
posted by jacknose on Nov 18, 2009 - 17 answers

My boyfriend's mother keeps trying to rename me and I find it offensive, what should I do? [more inside]
posted by Xianny on Nov 18, 2009 - 76 answers

Trying to make my own vegan soy yoghourt from scratch, I ended up with an uncultured mess. Please advise on proper microbial use, or improvements upon whatever else it was that I mucked up. [more inside]
posted by monocultured on Nov 18, 2009 - 8 answers

What songs capture a snapshot in time or define an era? Not necessarily the most popular song of the day, but one that is a true marker of a specific time. [more inside]
posted by smelvis on Nov 11, 2009 - 40 answers

I'm working on a video project about the backlash to Obama mentioning the price of arugula at Whole Foods. Can you think of any other examples, real of fictional, of food being framed as elitist or snobby? [more inside]
posted by loping on Nov 8, 2009 - 35 answers

Where is the most bountiful font of 'hipster cribs' stories? [more inside]
posted by mattholomew on Nov 4, 2009 - 23 answers

If I'm sitting on the terraformed surface of a Culture orbital, what does the horizon look like? [more inside]
posted by reverend cuttle on Oct 26, 2009 - 12 answers

Americans: if you had to represent the USA with only three things, what would they be? [more inside]
posted by lapsangsouchong on Oct 22, 2009 - 95 answers

I used to enjoy a podcast titled "Josh in Japan" produced by an ordinary guy living in Japan who talked about his daily experiences adjusting to Japanese culture. I am looking for other podcasts in this vein. [more inside]
posted by Piscean on Oct 15, 2009 - 4 answers

What are different cultures' versions of comfort foods that are prepared for people who are sick and feeling under the weather? [more inside]
posted by illenion on Oct 15, 2009 - 67 answers

Help me spend 5 non-traditional days in Egypt! [more inside]
posted by hasna on Oct 14, 2009 - 11 answers

Are there any cultures in which a smile is not an expression of happiness? [more inside]
posted by kmtiszen on Oct 14, 2009 - 17 answers

What are some sociology phd programs where I would be supported in (where research is already being done) studying the interaction between social-psycology (micro-interaction) and culture. [more inside]
posted by elationfoundation on Oct 8, 2009 - 2 answers

I'm half Dutch, but I've never been to The Netherlands. On my first trip there, where should I go, and what should I do, to get a better understanding of contemporary Dutch culture and language? [more inside]
posted by embrangled on Oct 8, 2009 - 11 answers

Dating Across a Language Barrier: Can you share success stories and advice about relationships where you and your partner primarily spoke different languages? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 7, 2009 - 13 answers

London in the early 1990s. (Or, Britain in general). How did it differ from the present day? What were the little, day-to-day differences, the minutiae that was of its time? Any books or resources recommended? [more inside]
posted by mippy on Sep 25, 2009 - 21 answers

Can anyone recommend some good ESL/EFL curriculum materials, both for the child and adult level? Bonus points if they are not so western-centric. [more inside]
posted by wander on Sep 19, 2009 - 2 answers

There are gay icons and lesbian icons - are there people who are bisexual/pansexual icons? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Sep 15, 2009 - 47 answers

What are the five metrics you would use to measure the health* of an online community? [more inside]
posted by A Terrible Llama on Sep 12, 2009 - 10 answers

What are your secrets to maintaining sanity in this increasingly connected and busy world? [more inside]
posted by sciencemandan on Sep 8, 2009 - 43 answers

Can anyone with good academic-library-fu point me toward an article that argues for cultural differences between how certain keys or chords are interpreted affectively? Specifically, I'm looking for a source for the claim that perceiving minor chords as sad is specifically a Western thing, and that non-Westerners don't perceive minor chords as sad and/or they perceive other types of chords as sad (or whatever). [more inside]
posted by Dr. Send on Sep 6, 2009 - 14 answers

FootballFilter: This is a question of loyalty and etiquette and is aimed to all football (soccer) fans. [more inside]
posted by jadepearl on Sep 2, 2009 - 29 answers

A few months ago I read about French-Canadian immigration into the U.S. from the 1840s to 1930s. Evidently, some of these immigrants established "Little Canadas." I'd like to learn more about them. [more inside]
posted by Korou on Aug 31, 2009 - 17 answers

Suggestions for books on Maine history and culture, non fiction preferred but not a necessity. This would be for a person traveling to Maine in the near future, will be spending time on the coast and in the great north woods.
posted by flummox on Aug 31, 2009 - 15 answers

Let's say I'm a Russian student in my mid-twenties. [more inside]
posted by klue on Aug 28, 2009 - 14 answers

I'm looking for books about Italy, specifically Rome and Venice, and also books set in Rome and/or Venice. What would you recommend? [more inside]
posted by garlic on Aug 24, 2009 - 19 answers

How have issues of cultural appropriation, stereotypes, and diversity been tackled in art and popular culture? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Aug 17, 2009 - 16 answers

What is the real reason for [X]? [more inside]
posted by lunchbox on Jul 25, 2009 - 42 answers

I am curious about different varieties of hip-hop style (basically, the kinds of things I see cool [mostly] black teenagers and young adults wearing). I'm interested in looking at pictures of it (are there street fashion blogs for this kind of thing?) and also in finding out more about the history, origins, and cultural associations of this kind of dress (anything from academic articles to fashion magazines). [more inside]
posted by bubukaba on Jul 24, 2009 - 13 answers

Cheap holiday for a few brits in their mid-20s? Looking for destination suggestions: somewhere cheap to get to and a little off the beaten track for three lads in September... [more inside]
posted by Cantdosleepy on Jul 22, 2009 - 10 answers

I want more podcasts/vidcasts like Ill Doctrine. [more inside]
posted by callmejay on Jul 20, 2009 - 2 answers

I'm trying to track down a book which was written in the last 25 years (or so) about an American couple who inherited a house in the west of Ireland. The culture shock and concomitant problems involved with relocation, the house, the weather the people, etc. almost brings them to the point of divorce with each blaming the other for the decision to move. I've searched high and low but could only come up with a similar tome about an Australian couple. Thanks very much for any help.
posted by Tullyogallaghan on Jul 9, 2009 - 7 answers

How accurate are the media portrayals of young people engaging in risky sexual behaviors? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jul 8, 2009 - 54 answers

What are some interesting blogs that touch on both the language and culture of a country? [more inside]
posted by ElectricBlue on Jun 28, 2009 - 7 answers

How much has where you grew up determined your personality? How important is location? Those who grew up in New Zealand, how much has its culture and limitations shaped you? Children of expats, how did having expat parents influence you? Any Americans in NZ want to tell me why they are raising their children there? [more inside]
posted by scazza on Jun 19, 2009 - 9 answers

What is the company that makes the commercial where bikers enter a cafe and approach a table with a dad, his wife and daughter. The dad has just finished telling his girl something, to which, she has rolled her eyes. Then the bikers stop at the dad and the wife and daughter looked panicked. But they show the dad respect and he fist punches them back while recognizing and acknowledging them. The wife practically faints but the daughter suddenly has new-found respect for her seemingly geeky dad. And, is that commercial available for viewing online anywhere?
posted by CollectiveMind on Jun 2, 2009 - 5 answers

What are some good events (art, music, film, dance) websites or weblogs for Paris? Are there equivalents of Le Cool or Flavorpill. Looking for something a bit more focused than Time Out Paris or Parissi. French or English is fine. [more inside]
posted by vacapinta on May 28, 2009 - 3 answers

I'm going to Mexico for a year in September. Michoacan to be precise. I don't want to appear like a dumb tourist, so help me prepare culturally! [more inside]
posted by freddymetz on May 26, 2009 - 13 answers

Does there exist a culture where sex doesn't result in orgasm? [more inside]
posted by alice ayres on May 22, 2009 - 26 answers

Books about Peru & Bolivia? [more inside]
posted by UbuRoivas on May 18, 2009 - 10 answers

How would you detach primary adherent tissue cells from tissue culture polystyrene if trypsin/EDTA is ineffective? [more inside]
posted by Mapes on May 18, 2009 - 8 answers

I'm looking for a recommendation for dealing with the relationship between food and culture/society/history [more inside]
posted by KilgoreTrout on May 18, 2009 - 8 answers

Prison gang reading lists and what's on them. Does anyone out there know a concise answer? [more inside]
posted by monkishies on May 14, 2009 - 17 answers