Top 10 FAQs about American Culture
Throughout my travels, I’ve encountered a lot of stereotypes about American culture. Most people are curious to find out if what they hear, read, and watch about the U.S. is true. No matter where I go, however, people usually ask me the exact same questions over and over.
1. Do Americans eat pancakes, eggs, and bacon everyday for breakfast? Apparently this is the typical breakfast shown in movies. I explain that few Americans have time/any desire to cook in the mornings, and we usually grab cereal or some sort of packaged bar.
2. Were you a cheerleader in high school? No. Side comment: no girl has ever asked me this, leading me to think that it has to do with the popularity of certain types of films on the internet.
3. Is American Pie real? I am amazed at how nearly every foreigner I’ve met has seen this movie. I always tell them that yes, almost everything in it is true and American college life is awesome. The look of joy on their faces is worth it.
4. If I went to the U.S., everyone would discriminate against me, right? This question saddens me. Many people I’ve talked to think that Americans treat foreigners poorly and that if they went to America, no one would talk to them or help them because they don’t speak English perfectly. I tell them that despite our intimidating entry procedures, most Americans welcome the chance to teach foreigners about our culture and would gladly help them with info, directions, a meal, etc.
5. When Americans think of Brazil, do they imagine soccer players, bikini-clad girls dancing on the beach, and jungles full of monkeys? I don’t even know how to answer this.
6. Are all Americans fat? In some areas, there are many fat people. In other places (eg my university), there are very few. These websites have photos of USC students so you can see what typical college students look like.
7. Have you been to ‘Spring Break’/prom/other typical American event as portrayed in movies? Yes, I went to prom, it is pretty similar to the movies except for the crazy fighting over who gets to be prom king and queen. No, I have not gone to Mexico/Florida for spring break and all that it entails.
8. What clique were you in during high school? Jocks, nerds, goths, popular kids? People really believe that the social scene in American high schools is akin to Mean Girls. While there is some drama, there aren’t real social divisions, and athletes are allowed to talk to nerds and vice versa.
9. What American bands do you like? This question makes me panic. I listen to a lot of different music (rap, rock, indie, jazz, classical, reggaeton, folk, mash-ups, etc) and I think I have pretty eclectic taste. However, when someone asks me this I feel like they are judging me and searching for the ‘right’ answer, so I immediately forget all the bands I like and mutter something like “Um, Blink-182?”
10. Do Americans know what the capital of ____ country is? Contrary to popular belief, most Americans have a basic knowledge of geography. Do they know that the capital of Indonesia is Jakarta or that the capital of Brazil is Brasilia? I say there’s a 40% chance, but hey, there are almost 200 countries in the world, we are too busy marketing cereal and videogames to memorize them all.
The Golden City of Frats, Churches, and Really Cheap Ice Cream
Lessons I learned in Ouro Preto, one of the prettiest cities in the state of Minas Gerais: frats do exist in Brazil, the Portuguese are obsessed with churches, and you can not walk up cobblestone hills in flip flops.
Ouro Preto (Black Gold) was founded by the Portuguese in the 17th century and was the site of a gold rush in the 18th century. The Europeans used the wealth from the gold mines to create a baroque city full of beautiful churches, like the Church of St Francis of Assis seen above.
Inside of the churches are elaborate statues and wall carvings covered in gold leaf. The altars shimmer and sparkle.
The streets are all paved in cobblestone and on steep slopes. Walking up and down the hills is a serious workout, so the residents have to eat lots of meat, rice, and beans for energy.
Almost all of the stores and houses have preserved their colonial architecture. I was obsessed with the colorful windows, porches, and vintage store signs.
After spending hours photographing all the adorable stores, we visited an old gold mine. We all had to wear hard hats and hair nets in case the mine ceiling collapsed. Luckily there were no Chilean style accidents.
Leah inside the mine, while the guide told us the history of the African slaves who were forced to mine for gold.
I was kind of a fan, despite the cold. Click below to see the man who almost cut off his hand, waterfalls, and Brazilian fraternity houses.
In tribute to my lovely friends and the accordion player on Augusta who played this for us tonight: La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf. I love the Louis Armstrong version as well.
Love Advice from my Host Dad
Fun fact: Today is “Dia dos Namorados” aka Valentine’s Day in Brazil. Brazilians celebrate the holiday on June 12 because it’s the eve of the death of Santo António, the matchmaking saint. With that in mind, here are some of the relationship tips my host dad has given me this semester:
-Stop dating guys with Anglo-Saxon names. What, you’re going to tell your parents you’re in love with a guy named Michael? You should date someone with a real Brazilian name like João.
-You need to make your hands prettier. Go to the salon and get a manicure.
-Stop meeting guys at clubs. They’re like hunting grounds. If you want an actual relationship, you need to spend more time looking for guys in bookstores.
-(upon hearing that I made a pie for my guy friend’s birthday). You should do something bigger. Like jump out of a cake.
Exactly two months until I return to USC and reunite with my sisters.
Floripa: Land of Secret Beaches, Hot Blondes, and Contortionists
When I told my mother I was going to Florianopolis, the New York Time’s 2009 Party Destination of the Year, her response was, “Sounds mighty lively and lovely…but those hairless men in undies?! Please do be sensible, dear.”
With that advice in mind, Kaly and I set off on a 12 hour bus ride to the island of Santa Catarina, home to beautiful beaches and gorgeous people of European descent.
Our trip get off to a good start with the bus ride. Kaly brought gummy teeth, and we amused ourselves by taking photos of ourselves looking like hillbillies who lack access to orthodontia.
Then we befriended the super hot guy sitting across from us. It turns out he was a physical education major (which was obvious because he was jacked) who is from Florianopolis but works in São Paulo. Once we arrived, he helped us take a taxi to the apartment where we were staying.
Despite our goal of spending all four days at the beach, we ended up spending a lot of time just hanging out in the apartment with Eduardo and Alex, our Brazilian hosts. We won their affections by cooking pineapple rice, apple fritters, and chocolate chip banana pancakes for them. Alex played guitar for us and we had a singalong to American rock songs. Eduardo taught us jokes in Portuguese.
We embarrassed them a lot in public by making them try on sombreros in the grocery store, insisting on stopping to take photos of advertisements, and making Pringle duck faces.
Red Bull gives you wings. I’m pretty sure we were the only ones who ever used this photoboard.
We did eventually make it to the beach. This is Praia Joaquina, famed for its surfing.
We did indeed see men in “undies” aka sungas, the Brazilian alternative to swim trunks. Kaly was an expert photographer and captured this crazy contortionist doing backbends.
We climbed up a giant rock to get a better view of the beach. At this point, it was already late afternoon so Alex and Eduardo decided to go home. Kaly and I wanted to spend more time lounging on the rock and then go eat seafood by the shore, so we stayed behind. The guys explained that the last bus left at 7pm and told us how to get back to their apartment. Despite following their instructions about which bus stop to go to, we failed and missed the last bus. Or rather, the bus never came.
We waited for two hours, watching guys in the parking lot have a dance off, buying shirts to keep ourselves warm, and playing with puppies in the souvenir store. Eventually we gave up and took a taxi home.
Click below to see photos of our hike to a secret beach and learn my favorite new Portuguese words.
A Friday night funk song: Tchutchuca in XR2 by M.I.A. and Bonde do Tigrão
How an Apple Pie Became a Metaphor for My Life
This semester I have learned a lot about myself. One of my most recent realizations is that I have to learn things the hard way. The first time I try something, I ignore other people’s advice, make things complicated, and screw up a lot. However, because these mistakes are so horrendous/memorable, they stick with me and I know what not to do the next time.
E.g.: Apple pie. Last year, I made an apple pie for a Thanksgiving celebration at the orphanage where I volunteer. It took me seven hours to make. Seven hours. During that cooking process, I:
-used a caipirinha churner as a rolling pin
-ruined 2 new saucepans
-broke 1 drinking glass
-burnt 1 batch of sugar syrup that was crucial in the recipe
-discovered that 1/3 of the apples the fruit vendor sold me were rotten
-listened to my host mom say at least 3 times: “My ex-husband used to make the best apple pie in the whole world, the greatest that I ever tasted in my whole life.”
The pie turned out all right, but I was so stressed out while making it.
Today, I decided to attempt another apple pie. I re-read the recipe, remembered what went wrong last time, and entered the kitchen in a calm state. The dough, which I had so much trouble making last year, came together like a dream. I knew just what to do to make the latticework crust. I remembered to add vanilla and cinnamon to the sugar syrup. And I didn’t break any kitchen utensils. The pie took just 2 hours to make, five hours less than last time. Thus, I have learned that while it sucks when things don’t work out, at least you can learn from what went wrong. Second time’s the charm.
Enough philosophizing..click below for the recipe I have perfected.
About Me
My name is India. I have curly hair. My life is kind of ridiculous.
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