Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with culture

Pasta la vista, baby!

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:04:19 -0800

Why the long noodle? So a quick Google tells me that long noodles represent long life in Chinese tradition. But there had to be some point to eating long noodles before the tradition was established. And long noodle varieties, though difficult to eat courteously, seem to be common to many cultures who make noodles. Why? Is there some gastronomic benefit to not cutting the pasta into more manageable lengths before drying? Some practical pasta preparation consideration that's escaping me? Or is slurping up an endless mouthful of noodly-appendage simply an odd Freudian universal pleasure, an excuse for even the most adult among us to play with our food?

Algerian culture in Paris?

jammy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:32:15 -0800

Bookfilter: I am looking for recommendations on books that examine the politics & history of Algerians in Paris, especially ones that do so through the lens of culture: language, music, dance, etc.

Are you a man or woman?

Foci for Analysis — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:20:44 -0800

When did adults in Western countries decrease using man/woman when speaking about themselves, e.g. describing their gender? How came this to be? In Western countries, it's very rare to hear an adult say that he/she is a man/woman when describing himself/herself. Instead, synonyms such as boy/girl, guy/gal, etc are used. For example, take a look at a couple of user profiles here at Mefi - including mine! - and it's obvious that man/woman are rarely used.

When did this change occur? Or maybe it's always been like this? How does it look in other, non-western, cultures? And how about where you live?

What does (swt) stand for?

deadmessenger — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:48:12 -0800

Recently, I left a job. One of the responses I got to my "goodbye" email was a beautiful and touching message I received from one long-time colleague, an American-born Muslim. In his email, he said "May Allah (swt) bless you and your family. I will keep you guys in my prayers." In this context, what does the (swt) stand for? And, what would be a culturally-appropriate response? I was thinking something along the lines of "Assalam Aleikum, my friend.", but didn't know if that was really appropriate coming from a non-Muslim (raised Catholic, now more of an agnostic). This person is someone I've mentored for many years now, and his email really moved me. I really want to make sure I get this right.

Til Death Do Us Part?

netbros — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:16:08 -0800

Are we a monogamous species? An estimated 90 percent of all bird species are monogamous. Many human cultures seem to have monogamy as a bonding goal. If you pick up a Sunday paper, you will always see announcements of 50th wedding anniversaries. Conversely, divorce rates have been going up, and many questions right here on AskMe talk about "playing the field." Is it human nature to want to find a single, life long partner? Or is that something religions would have you believe, and the science is more complex?

Best HCI Examples In Pop Culture

libraryman — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:09:26 -0800

What are the best examples of human/computer interaction in tv and movies (please mention specific scenes and episodes if you can). ex: HAL in 2001, The touch screen in Minority Report, Scotty talking to the mouse in Star Trek IV -lol, etc...

Great, absorbing books and films showing life in different times and places

MetaMonkey — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:53:00 -0800

I'd like to broaden my horizons by getting a better understanding of life in different cultures and time periods. Please recommend great books or films (fiction or non-fiction) which paint a broad, immersive, reasonably accurate picture of a place and time. The question is inspired by recently seeing a fascinating film called Atanarjuat, which spends a lot of time showing Inuit life.

Sorts of things I'm looking for: family life, relationships, spirituality, arts, economics... the whole deal.

Other examples of times and places: medieval europe, pre-history anywhere, roman empire, modern rural India... but anywhere and anywhen, as long as the portrayl is good and vivid.

Alternative arts listings similar to NonsenseNYC for other cities?

odawg — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:33:34 -0800

I'm looking for alternative arts and culture listings in Chicago, Seattle, and Boston, similar to Nonsene NYC. I subscribe to Nonsense NYC, an email list that provides weekly listings of alternative, indie, offbeat, and otherwise unique events, exhibitions, classes, etc. I was wondering if there are similar resources for other cities around the world. I listed Chicago, Seattle, and Boston because that's where I visit the most, but I'd like to hear about any place.

I'm looking for good online sources for African American news.

parkbench — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:57:58 -0800

I'm looking for good online sources for African American news. I have been getting interested in a more pluralistic approach to current events as of late, and going along with a personal syllabus of Middle Eastern studies, I have been occasionally perusing a few Middle Eastern online newspapers (Egyptian and Turkish mostly), and to my delight, I'm getting the multiplicity of views I'd hoped for.

Recently, I've also begun preparing a mental syllabus of sorts for myself in terms of Black/African American culture, and one way I want to start priming myself for it (though it will probably be in the future, since I have quite a bit lined up for myself right now) is by reading special interest papers.

I found The Root somehow, and it's alright, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. Are there any other major sources out there that I can look through? If I find even just one worthy of visiting daily I'll be happy.

Thanks!

Foods that wiggle, foods that jiggle

brain cloud — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:36:17 -0800

What exactly is the appeal of jelly-textured foods? (Pardon my rash generalization here): I've noticed that among some east-Asian cultures (Japan specifically, China too somewhat, though it's more varied food-wise), jelly textured food is quite popular. In fact certain foods seem to be prized as a delicacy specifically because they have this texture.

In western cultures (again, generally) jelly-like foods tend to be sweets or candies, unless you want to get all fancy and talk to me about aspics, which are hardly an everyday food for most of us. But in eastern Asia jelly foods run the gamut to all parts of a meal, and are quite common.

Partially because I find jelly texture repulsive, and partially because I'm genuinely curious...what's the deal?

In The Dark About Noir

Xurando — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:58:39 -0800

After reading this article on Weegee, I started thinking about the concept of Noir and wondered about this question. "Does Noir exist as a current idiom or appear in a culture in America in 2008, and if so where might it be found?" I know that Weegee's art is a classic example of Noir and was a reflection of the culture he photographed. If a photographer wanted to take similar pictures today where might he'/she go to catch a glimpse of Noir?

Help me find this story...

psergio — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:26:04 -0800

A few years ago there was a short story in the New Yorker set in the near future. The characters were children raised in a world where they seemed to be market research test subjects... I really can't recall any more details than that... Does this ring any bells?

Looking for detractors of Literary Darwinism

0bvious — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:45:07 -0800

Literary Darwinism: A relatively new field of evolutionary psychology / literary theory. What has recently been written in argument against it? I have read through some of the works of:

Joseph Carroll
Ellen Dissanayake
Jonathan Gottschall
Robert Storey
Michelle Scalise Sugiyama

...and a few others, yet I am having a hard time finding critical work designed to bring down the arguments of Darwinian Literary Studies. It appears that the field of Poststructuralism is one of the main targets of Literary Darwinism's (Lit-Dar) proponents.

Has anyone attempted to re-address the balance?

I have found little in Lit-Dar writings about specifically text and textuality, something the Postmodernists very much conern themselves with. Surely there is some work on the subject that addresses its absence from Lit-Dar writings?

(I am not interested in the critique of Evolutionary Psychology - of which there is plenty - unless it specifically addresses the Literary and Textual concerns of Darwinian Literary Studies.)

Thanks a lot

Rubbing hands together

tellurian — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:51:19 -0800

Rubbing your hands together as an indication of anticipation. Is this gesture common to all cultures?

Managing an Anothology Project

divabat — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:16:08 -0800

What should I take into consideration when spearheading an anthology project? What resources are out there for us? I'm organizing a book project to collect real-life stories related to the Others (non-Malay/Chinese/Indian, classified as "Other" on all official documentation) in Malaysia. This only started a few days ago, so it's all planning at this stage, but currently I've built up a great team and we're discussing issues on content, definitions, research, publication, and publicity.

While some of us in the group have some experience with publishing (as a writer, editor, or just part of the process somehow), none of us really have that much experience in starting, organizing, and managing such a project. I'm doing quite a bit of brainstorming to work out what we need to consider, but would like some ideas and tips in case I left anything out.

1. Publication - I've contacted a well-known socially-conscious (and somewhat alternative, but great for our target audience) local publisher, who is interested in looking at our manuscript when we're done. Their advice was to "just do it". This is great, but I'd also like Plans B, C, D, Etc.

How else can we find possible publishers, what should we look for in a publisher, and what should we ask them? Some in our group have suggested self-publishing - what should we take into consideration about this option? What other alternative options are there? (Malaysians, particularly our target readers, are quite web-savvy, but it is a bit difficult to purchase online due to Paypal/bank restrictions.)

2. Rights - how do we manage rights and contracts with contributors? I would like the contributors to keep the copyright to their works (and give an option for a Creative Commons license), but would this be a good idea overall? We're planning on field interviews (to get stories from people who won't necessarily write their own tales, such as older folk) and may possibly deal with translations - who gets the rights to those?

3. Finances - assuming we make money out of this, what would we do with the money? I don't think we'll ever make enough to pay each contributor individually (though that would be great!!). Donating the proceeds to an NGO would be great, but our topic is in-between niche and general and there isn't a specific NGO for Malaysian Others yet.

Also, I've heard a lot about how we shouldn't pay to get something published. If we're getting published through an established publisher, are there any costs we still have to look out for? We're thinking of possibly getting sponsorship - is it worth it? Would we need sponsorship? (Perhaps to cover costs of research and compilation?) Where would be good resources for money?

4. Timelines - what's a typical timeline for this project? I was thinking 6 months - get the Call for Submissions and guidelines ready within 3-4 weeks, get submissions for about 3-4 months, edit and compile and get everything ready for publication by Month 6. Is that realistic, or too short? What's normal?

5. Team needs - currently I'm scouting people for editorials, research/field interviews, publicity/promotions, website management, and logistics/finance/publishing. What other skills and roles would we need for a project like this?

Are there any resources for managing a project like this? I've seen plenty of books and articles on non-fiction writing, but those tend to assume you're the sole writer. Any resources on managing anthologies?

Thanks so much!

Smallish cities and ambition - can it happen?

brandnew — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:10:12 -0800

Are there any small or medium sized cites that are producing a disproportionate number of famous, ambitious, or motivated people? Recently Paul Graham wrote an interesting essay on the messages that cities send to its denizens. In his essay he implies that it is difficult to achieve cultural, educational, economic, social, or other types of success if one is not immersed in an urban culture that promotes such success.

Mostly I buy his argument. I have lived in a number of cities, and each has had its own unique vibe. And, anecdotally, it seems true that being surrounded by like-minded people makes achievement much easier. It becomes a reinforcing feedback loop. However, his essay implies that these environments can only happen within a city with a sufficiently large population (he uses Paris, London, LA, DC, NYC, Boston, an SF as examples).

However, some people may not want to live in a city with a large population. So, is it possible to achieve success outside of a large city? Are there any small or medium sized cities that encourage success? What are some cities that are churning out a disproportionate number of successful, ambitious, or highly-motivated individuals? Finally, what is the messages that these smallish cities are sending?

Just the thought of a throat culture makes me gag

bluekrauss — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:22:24 -0800

Can I train myself to tolerate throat cultures? I have a very bad gag reflex and have never been able to tolerate throat cultures. Just the thought of one has always scared me. As a kid, one nurse had to hold me down while the other one shoved the big q-tip down my throat. As an adult, I just refuse the culture, to the annoyance of my doctors. They either have to prescribe antibiotics without knowing if I have a bacterial infection, or they tell me to just wait out the sore throat and accompanying sickness.

I'm sure I've had many strep infections without knowing it, and this can't be good for me. I'd like to be able to tolerate a throat culture so the doctor can know whether or not I need antibiotics. But since I've had this fear since childhood, by now it's a full-blown phobia and I can't even imagine letting someone swab my throat.

Am I the only one with this problem? Is there any way to overcome it?

Which books are most representative of each city?

reenum — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:21:37 -0800

What one book will allow others to gain the truest insight into the soul of each city or region Inspired by this recent Metafilter post and blatantly stealing the idea (and some text) from this AskMe post, I have decided to try and read a book about all of the major cities in the United States and the world. I've seen AskMe's in the past about various cities, such as London and New York.

So: which single book from each city is most revealing of the lifestyle, customs, struggles, and spirit of that nation? I lived in San Francisco a while back, and I would recommend any of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City' books to get a true idea of life in the City.

Sex is bad and work is good?

reebear — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:38:21 -0800

Our bodies are shameful because the Puritans told us so: Yea or Nay? A friend of mine and I got into a row on the influence of Puritan beliefs on American culture, particularly in the areas of sex and work ethic.

Now, neither of us are experts in a) Puritans or b) sociology, and our discussion basically became a giant ball of, "Gee, we don't know." Basically, we were arguing this:

a. Do Puritan beliefs have an influence on current American culture?
b. How much of an influence does it have, relative to other cultures that have exerted their influence?
c. Why?

Extra credit: What about Britain? Surely some Puritans must've remained there, to subtly influence the culture as well. Is Britain more sexually conservative and pro-work than its neighbors?

I'd love to hear all your ideas!

Culturize Me!

Fuzzy Skinner — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:52:41 -0800

I'm looking for great websites that focus on the misconceptions that modern cultures have about one another. A (hopefully) better explanation, as well as a super-deluxe bonus question inside. (Including some begging!) I have always been interested in the perception vs. reality of different cultures. As an American (yes, the U.S. kind) I'm always fascinated to hear how people from other countries perceive everyday life here, and how much I probably don't know about how others live. Over the years, I have tracked down some information like this by Googling phrases such as "daily life in Japan," for example.

So: Are there any great websites or blogs that specialize in addressing this concept? They can be country-specific or not.

Super Deluxe Bonus Question: What one misperception about your place of residence (country, city, state, etc.) would you like laid to rest? (Here's the begging: please limit your response to the one misperception you want to address. We don't want this to go into chatfilter territory and run afoul of AskMe Law. Thanks!)

Help me find music about music!

zenja72 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:43:13 -0800

Help me find music about music! What are some songs about music, it's culture, etc.? Songs like The VU's Rock & Roll, Joni Mitchell's Woodstock, Billy Joel's It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, etc...

COPS watching kids become cops like COPS but not like cops

nemoorange — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:44:04 -0800

Help me identify this Post Modern cultural theory. Prime example: cops on the TV show COPS act differently than they normally would, since they're being filmed for TV. Kids watch COPS thinking that's what cops actually are like. Kids eventually grow up and be cops themselves, emulating cops-on-TV, not "true" cops. 3 years ago, I had a discussion with a college professor who brought up this new theory in relation to a paper that I was writing, focused on Post Modernism. I distinctly remember that he provided that kids/COPS example. I believe he referenced a specific author--with an accompanying book most likely. It's not just Post Modernism, but perhaps a deep slice into it. I believe the author had named it. It sounded something like "dialetics" (don't think so, but this could actually be it) or "dianetics" (um no). The cultural theory must be relatively new, nice it uses COPS as an example.

Can anyone identify what I'm talking about? I'd love to read up more on this school of thought. It seems quite applicable in this day and age of living in a mass media echo chamber.

Help me find indie podcasts

reenum — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:52:47 -0800

Looking for off the beaten path podcasts and ways to find podcasts online. I've sampled the oeuvre of NPR, CBC, BBC and the Guardian. These organizations put out some high quality stuff, and I listen to several regularly.

I'm now looking for podcasts put out by individuals or those that don't get as much publicity as the ones from the organizations above.

My interests include: writing, storytelling (a la This American Life), writing, fantasy sports, personal finance, pop culture, and interesting or offbeat takes on the news.

I've noticed looking through the past posts that the recommendations tend to be weighted towards science and tech. That's understandable given the MeFi population, but I'm not terribly interested in either subject.

As a corollary, are there sites or blogs that review podcasts that you use? I'd be really interested to learn how everyone finds new stuff to listen to.

Thanks!

How do you fake American?

lpsguy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:43:57 -0800

How do you fake American? Okay, follow me on this. You're an English-speaking person. Say you want to fake like you're talkin' Swedish but you don't know Swedish. So you go something like, "Kvarn ne barn coffer doofern veedin ..." You don't know Russian so you go, "Vlashski dos zhiva da blooski vaha ..." You don't know Italian so you go, "Baleeni! Lorri a vicci comma dacienda mi amore ..."

But what if you're not an English speaker, and you want to fake-speak English, or more precisely, American? How does it sound? I've asked several people this question and what I usually get is a string of brand names.

Any ideas how it would sound? And if not, why is it so hard with American English?

MMmmm Owwww Weee or Yarp flooop squerze?

sien — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:22:11 -0800

Is Ooow Universal? If I kick a Masai warrior, Brazillian beach bum, an Eskimo or an Indonesian will the exclamation for pain be similar? What about Mmmmm? The question is, how prevalent are the sub-verbal explanations that people make for pain, tastiness, excitement (weee)?

This is excluding actual words commonly used of course.