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James Callow Folklore Archive

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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

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Ethnic Joke: The Italian Who Came to Detroit

Ima don lak Detroit worth a sheet. I check inna hotel and go down for breakfast an I tella da girl I wanna ham and eggs and two piece a toast. I tella her I wanna two peese. She say if you wanna to peese go to da toilet. I say you no unnerstand, I wanna two peese on my plate. She say you don peese on your plate, you sonna ma beech. I no eat, I go to my room.

At lunch time I go donna da street for my lunch inna Drake Hotel. The waitress brings me a knife an a napkin but no foke. I tella her I wanna foke. She say whatta you talk, everybody wanna foke. I say you no unnerstand, I wanna foke on the table. She say you don care where you foke, you sonna ma bech. So when she call me sonna ma beech, I go back to hotel.

When I get inna da room I got no sheet on my bed, so I calla da manager and tell him I wanna sheet on my bed. He says don sheet on your bed, go to the bathroom. You no unnerstand, I say, I wanna sheet on the bed. He say you better not sheet on your bed, you sonna ma beech. So when he call me a sonna ma beech, I go check out. I go to da desk to check out to New York, and when I leave the manacer say Peace on You. I say peese on you too, you sonna ma beech cause I go back to Italy.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

The word Italian is written in the upper left hand corner of the submission.

Submission card was located in a pile marked To Be Classified.

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; SAINT CLAIR SHORES

Keyword(s): AMERICAN ; Cultural Divide ; EUPHEMISM ; HUMOR ; Italian ; Language ; Language Barrier ; NEW YORK ; OBSCENE IMPLICATION ; SPEECH ; Stereotype

James Callow Keyword(s): Italian

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Jest Anecdote
ITAL

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Ethnic:Polish

Naming:

It is a custom in Poland, that a child is not given the name of a living grandparent, for fear that either the grandparent or the child will die within seven years.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: CANADA ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA

Keyword(s): CHILDREN ; Cultural ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; FAMILY ; Naming ; POLAND

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Baptism Naming rite

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Wedding Custom

Wedding Custom:

At Jewish weddings there is a practice of the bride and groom smashing their champagne glass againsst the floor during the ceremony to symbolize that marriage sometimes involves disorder and discontent.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): CEREMONY ; Cultural ; Culture ; DISCONTENT ; Disorder ; GLASS ; Jewish ; MARRIAGE ; Practice ; RELIGION ; Smash ; SYMBOL ; Symbolic ; Symbolize ; tradition ; WEDDING

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Wheat Harvesting

In Kansas, we grow wheat in our section, and when it was tim eto cut and thrash the wheat, the neighbors would all help each _take turbns, first Mr. J's wheat. Then when finished, go the next day to Mr. H_then Mr. W_ etc._ All men in neighborhood would go and work with the other neighbors_and the wives of all of the men would meet at the home where the men were working, and help that housewife cook dinner for all, then next day to another house_this way everyone helped each other and had no wages to pay and the ladies loved being together.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: FLORIDA ; Plant City

Keyword(s): Agricultural ; Barter ; Community ; CUSTOM ; Domestic ; FARMING ; Harvesting ; LIFE ; Wheat

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Work Commerce Business

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Belief

The pishtace are nocturnal murderers of Indians. The pishtaco murder Indians in order to obtain human fat to be sold as lubricants for machinery and to be used in pharmacuticals.

The legend derives from 16th and 17th centurey Spanish practices of using human body fats as treatment for wounds and diseases. the people who tell this tale are poor Indians and the pishtaco are usually wealthy industrial men in the area. The tale helps draw lines of social class.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: Journal of American Folklore ; The Pishtaco: Institutionalized Fear in Highland Peru

Keyword(s): BODY ; Cultural ; Culture ; Fat ; FEAR ; HORROR ; INDIAN ; INDUSTRY ; Kill ; Lubrication ; Machinery ; MEDICINE ; MURDER ; Native American ; Peru ; Peruvian ; Pharmaceutical ; Pishtaco ; Poor ; Social Class ; Wealthy

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal

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Elves

Idea tht elves come in when no one is about to do household chores, etc. -Ireland

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Chores ; Clean ; Cultural ; Domestic ; Elves ; ETHNIC ; FANTASY ; IRELAND ; MYTH ; REGIONAL

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Fairy Elf Goblin Gnome

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Toast

A Gaelic toast when drinking: Priad

Sliante agus saoghal agat
Bean agus ciall agat
Talamh gan raol agat

Translation:

Health and long life to you
A sensible woman for a wife
And land without rent.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

original BN [P500 Custom] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Cultural ; Gaelic ; TOAST ; Translate

Subject headings:

SPEECH -- Formula

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LUCK OF THE FAMILY.
WHEN VISITING A HOUSE IN IRELAND ONE MUST ALWAYS LEAVE BY THE
SAME DOOR YOU CAME IN, OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE STEALING THE GOOD
LUCK FROM THAT FAMILY.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Cultural ; CUSTOM ; GOOD LUCK ; Guest ; HOSPITALITY ; IRELAND ; Irish ; LUCK

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank
BELIEF -- Fate Destiny Luck Chance

Date learned: 11-00-1970

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CHIPEWYAN ESKIMO

THEY DO NOT KILL WOLVES OR WOLVERINES BECAUSE THEY ARE
POWERFUL SPIRITS.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; MARQUETTE

Keyword(s): ANIMALS ; BELIEF ; Chipewyan ; Cultural ; Eskimo ; Inuit ; Kill ; Native Indian ; Wolverines ; Wolves

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Work Commerce Business

Date learned: 03-00-1968

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showing 9 items