Jump to content

What do you love about your ethnic background?


Naamah D.

Recommended Posts

Since there has been some post about interesting parts of where I live I figured I'd ask about what you like about your ancestors.

 

My mom is Irish and we have Irish oriented decor in our house. In addition to the Irish I have Italian, Hungarian and Mongolian. I defiantly look the part of the Hungarian and Northern Italian. I have an olive skin tone and large pale blue eyes. The Mongolian, from what I understand comes from Hungarians having ties to Central Asia. I don't look super Mongolian though.

 

I like all of my ethnicity(s).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That certainly sounds like an interesting mix Naamah. :) And this is a neat idea for a thread! :)

 

I'm half Irish, St. Patrick's Day is always big in that side of my family. When I was little, EVERY St. Patrick's Day, my Dad, uncles and Grandpa would get together and perform. Singing, jokes and stories, mostly singing while playing Acoustic and bass guitars. Dad actually "learned" the fiddle for a song or two, and grandpa had a beat up old drum and one other instrument I can't recall the name of...

 

In memory of Dad and my uncles.. (Grandpa is still kickin and will be 92 in November) When I received a copy of the only known surviving recording of them, I turned it into videos for youtube. The playlist for all 25 videos, the 25 songs they performed, including all the stories and jokes, can be found here. http://www.youtube.com/user/BProductions12/playlists (The vids are quiet so you'll need to UP the audio)

But it's on a different youtube channel that I post my own animations that I set to some of my old poems, but also to 3 songs that they performed in that church basement in 1984. (Animation tests and I believe links can be found on my thread in TDNforums Art Gallery board)

 

Anyway, my other half is made up of German and Norwegian heritage. In the case of, I think it was the Norwegian ancestry... there's a family tree that goes back several centuries to... I believe it was the patriarch of the line. That family reunion finally stopped a couple of years ago. With the passing of many of the older generations, and those of us in the younger generations didn't take up keeping it alive. Why? Many reasons. Aside from the travel, organizing and how spread out everyone is. Those of us in the younger generations don't really know each other. I only went to a couple of the reunions myself. They were, OK. But not much to do beyond that. However, at one time, I think it was the people who kept organizing it for so long, they, for the family, were awarded an award of some sort from the previous governor of Wisconsin, Jim Doyle, for being the longest running family reunion in the state. THAT'S how long that reunion was being organized. In a way, it was tragic that it ended. But practically speaking, nobody really knew each other except the older generations. So for us youngers, it was hard to really open up and talk I guess. :-\

 

Anyway, it was said in an episode of "The Simpsons" once, when Mr. Burns spoke of finding the rarest creature in the world, and Homer replied "A Sober Irishman?" Granted Mr. Burns replied with "Even rarer".. But It's amusing that having the background of 3 peoples that have been known for their love of the drink, that I ended up to be VERY sober. LOL I don't even like that kind of stuff. LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm half Peutro-Rican and half Italian. My mom is Italian, and dad is Puerto-Rican. I'm super pale with dark hair and brown eyes. I sometimes wish I was tan like my dad and brother, nobody thinks we're related based on looks haha.

My grandma on my mom's side came to the U.S. on a boat from Italy when she was 14. She learned english then shortly after met my grandpa and got married. My grandma on my dad's side was born in Puerto Rico then came to the U.S. when she was 5.

 

Despite both my grandmas speaking fluent Italian and Spanish, I don't know how to speak either. I wish they would of taught me when I was little.

My favorite part of both cultures I guess is the food. I remember going to my grandmas house when I was little(moms side) and she would cook us a really nice italian dinner and even made her own canolis(which were delicious). My dads aunt makes the best puerto rican food in the world, her rice is amazing and I've never had better rice anywhere- I hope one day to be even just half a good a cook as she is. My mom cooks both Italian and Puerto Rican food and I've been learning how to make most of it. I really like cooking but I'm not sure I'd wanna do it as a career. I think it's just a really fun hobby for now. I also like both my cultures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am Chinese & I love that Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the world :). I am actually fully Taiwanese but I also consider myself Chinese. I can't think rn of the other things I love about being Chinese

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm adopted, so I have no idea what I am! I'm an alien! Yahhhhh!

^_^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL Flying saucers included? Just kidding. ;) I loved your answer and that's a great positive attitude to have!

But seriously, if you ever wonder, I'm pretty sure that there are blood tests that can be used to determine your global origins. Not sure how much they cost, but I would guess they might be rather pricey. But as long as you're happy with who you are and all, that's all that REALLY matters. ;)

I'm adopted, so I have no idea what I am! I'm an alien! Yahhhhh!

^_^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My mother's family is from the North-east region of Brazil. Sadly, north-easterns are often discriminated against, but I'm proud of my ancestors. They were poor and hard-working, yet they always kept their spirits up. I like that they have a rich culture, and I like some of the food (not all of them, because some are spicy). I also love their accents!

 

As for my father's family, they're mostly German and Portuguese. What I like best about both are the languages. I don't speak German, but I love how it sounds. And Portuguese is my native language, so of course I love it, haha <3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL Flying saucers included? Just kidding. ;) I loved your answer and that's a great positive attitude to have!

 

But seriously, if you ever wonder, I'm pretty sure that there are blood tests that can be used to determine your global origins. Not sure how much they cost, but I would guess they might be rather pricey. But as long as you're happy with who you are and all, that's all that REALLY matters. ;)

My family is really great, and I can't see doing anything now, since I'm 46 years old. I MUST have come from a flying saucer for sure! :laughingsmiley:

 

 

I second what Aqua said, Beth! I mean, if you're interesting in discovering your ethnicity. I think ancestry.com does cheek swab DNA type stuff for $99. I only know because I was curious myself. :P

It's almost like I'm afraid to find out! :sad01_anim: It's too weird for me, to know...you know? I do not want to meet my biological family

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My family is really great, and I can't see doing anything now, since I'm 46 years old. I MUST have come from a flying saucer for sure! :laughingsmiley:

 

 

It's almost like I'm afraid to find out! :sad01_anim: It's too weird for me, to know...you know? I do not want to meet my biological family

You don't have to meet them if you don't want to, just find out about them! It's always interesting to find out where you came from!

 

My great grandma on my mom's side is Scottish, so we have our family tartan hanging around the house. And then on weddings or special occasions, all the guys wear ties with it on it.

 

My great grandfather on the same side was Turkish, but we don't really do much for that.

 

I'm pretty sure there's some German somewhere.

 

For the rest of the family, it was really just in the United States. So not a lot of cool things from there.

 

So all in all you have a pale skinned Ginger.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My family is really great, and I can't see doing anything now, since I'm 46 years old. I MUST have come from a flying saucer for sure! :laughingsmiley:

 

 

It's almost like I'm afraid to find out! :sad01_anim: It's too weird for me, to know...you know? I do not want to meet my biological family

I don't think you'll find your family that way, they just map out which country's percentage you're made up of. Does that make sense? I can understand that being weird too, still. -hugs-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

So from my dads side I am Estonian....a loooong line of Estonians. In HP words I guess you could explain it by saying pure bloods :D

My moms side gets tricky however. German, Swedish and Ukrainian. That's as far as we know at least. Times of war and all that.

I identify myself most with Germany apart from Estonia as I have memories of singing German songs with my grandma :)

I love our Estonian traditions and closeness. Also I love the people here. No place better for dark humored sarcastic people! :woot:

The silly answer? I love our traditional Christmas food aka blood sausages :D Yes yes, sounds weird but so delicious :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My whole family has a mix of ethnicity's. I don't know very much about how much of what I am since my father's side isn't mentioned since he hasn't been present since my birth. However I know that my mother's side we have German,American,and Native American blood.Although not many of my actual family members have a high enough percentage of any races to even be considered half of German or Native American except for a few with German blood. During the time I was learning about WWII and the Holocaust my grandmother told me stories about how her mother had managed to escape Germany during those times and what life was like for her mother. We don't have many German or Native American traditions but every once in awhile someone will make some delicious sauerkraut and bratwurst. Since no one in our family has learned how to speak German I can't learn very much about the language as of now but when I finish learning Japanese I would like to see if there is a way for me to learn German and be able to find out more about my family's heritage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a really unique and clever thread! My ethnicity is very dull and I'm not mixed, but I love the food. :D Real Chinese food is so different from what you get in America, every time I go back it's such a culinary treat.

 

I think the only places that have come close is Chinatown, in NYC, for authentic Chinese food.

 

 

Hmmmmm.....fooooood......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm told there's a lot in my background, but...meh. Distant ancestors never really interested me. That sounds horrible, but I guess it's nice that my apathy for all history includes anything that involves me too. :mellow:

Though, my dad's grandma came over from Ireland. So that's cool. I'm happy to join that half of the family in having an Irish name.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am Dutch myself, and I actually really love it, because in Holland there are two different languages, Dutch and Frysian. Dutch is the national language, and Frysian is a language only 440.000 people speak, and my dad's side of my family does. I don't actually speak the language, but I do understand it, seeing as half of my family has spoken it all my life.

People who speak Frysian also speak Dutch, and I really love the fact that I understand both languages.

 

My favourite Dutch thing, culture wise, would be one of the hollidays, Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is kind of like Christmas, but then on the fifth of December. It's a holliday about a guy named Sinterklaas, named after Saint Nicholas, and it's a guy who celebrates his birthday by giving gifts to all the children in Holland. It's like Christmas in the way that the guy doesn't actually walk on the roof on his white horse, but that the parents just put the presents in the kids' shoes.

And what I really love about it is not the presents, but a tv programme, named 'Het Sinterklaasjournaal', which translates to 'The Sinterklaasnews'. It's a seperate newsprogramme, all about Sinterklaas. Every year something goes wrong (like the presents accidentaly going back to Spain(yes, he lives in Spain)), and the kids being worried about Pakjesavond (Present Night, the fifth of December, the day you get all of your presents) not being able to happen, but every year it gets fixed. I just think it's amazing that there are actual people who make a newsprogramme for children about a made up man giving them presents, and every year, there's a new problem. Like, my whole life, I haven't heard the same problem being used twice.

 

So, yeah, that's what I love about being Dutch. (There's more, but my post is getting rather long and I haven't done all my dailies yet, so I'm going to do that now)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm Filipino and oh my goodness, I love our food. From the food I can buy from the street stalls or carts, to the ones in the restaurants, I loooooove Filipino food. :9

What are common ingredients in Filipino food? I've only had one Filipino food and it was a coconut custard or it was similar to custard. It was really good!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What are common ingredients in Filipino food? I've only had one Filipino food and it was a coconut custard or it was similar to custard. It was really good!

 

Anything delicious! :P Haha, but for real, I would think that things like coconut (milk, meat, juice, etc.), soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf, pepper, vinegar, and fish are really common on our cooking. For main foods, we loooove flavours of the salty or sour kind (and even better when they're mixed/competing in some way). Salty viands go great with rice, and even our snacks get in on the salty/sour goodness. One of my favourite snacks is a great mango slice on a stick (sour) topped with our fish paste (salty).

 

As for sweet things, I think we love icy cold things because of how hot our country can get in the summer. Saved ice + something sweet is the norm for yummy summer desserts. I'm think the coconut custard you tried is reyna blanca, which is coconut custard with a sprinkling of something crunchy on top. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...