As I've mentioned almost a year ago, white culture is so pervasive that it's almost invisible. It really wasn't until this blog was created that white people as a whole began recognizing the unique facets of white culture. I definitely take my white culture for granted, and I assume that the foods that I eat are "American" foods, not "white American foods." Well friends, that assumption is sometimes proved wrong. Last fall, my cohort and I used to have many potlucks, and onetime, someone white made meatloaf, and it was the first time that two of my Latino classmates had ever tried meatloaf! I really couldn't believe this, but it was great fun giving them a cultural experience :)
This evening, I had another opportunity to share my white culture with another couple of my latino classmates when I offered them deviled eggs. Here follows a verbatim transcript of our conversation:
Me: Bea, do you want a deviled egg?
Bea: No thanks.
Me: Edgar, do you want a deviled egg?
Edgar: I don't know, what is it?
Me: Deviled eggs? You've never had deviled eggs?
Bea: I haven't either. What's in them?
Me: Really? You guys have never had them? Maybe it's a cultural thing.
Edgar: Probably a white person thing.
Me: Well, they're hard boiled eggs, and you mix the yolks with mayonnaise and mustard.
Bea: Sure, I'll try one. (passed her an egg)
Edgar: Ok, I'll try one too. (passed him an egg)
Bea: These are really good! Do they take a long time to make?
Me: Not really, once the water is boiled, you boil them for 10-15 minutes, then you scoop out the yolks, mix it mostly with mayonnaise and a little bit of mustard, and you can add onion and other things if you want. These have pepper sprinkled on top, but paprika is better, but I didn't have any.
Bea: Cool, thanks for sharing.
Me: No problem. I guess it's a white southern thing. My grandma used to make them all the time.
Bea: Yeah, remember, I hadn't tried meatloaf until a year ago?
Me: Yeah. Well, I'm happy to share my whiteness with you guys :)
I never would have guessed that deviled eggs would be exotic cultural food to my Latino friends. They just seem so every day for me, not literally, but I've had them so often, that I take it for granted and assume that everyone eats them. You guys eat deviled eggs, right? I like being white, and I like my deviled eggs.
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4 comments:
There's this website called "Stuff White People Like." It's pretty hilarious, mainly because it's easy if you are white to like every single thing on there. I mean, what's not to like about hummus, pea coats, facebook, self aware hip hop references, girls with bangs, Japan, scarves, and children's games as adults?
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/
I like being white, too, although I do wonder sometimes what it would be like to be of a different nationality. Being a mutt, sometimes I wish there were age-old traditions passed down from generation to generation and a motherland to dream of. But being a white mutt is unique in and of itself, and I'm sure if I were any different, I'd wonder what it was like to be a through and through American.
Thanks Britt, stuff white people like was the blog I had referenced and had intended to include a link, so thanks for the reminder :)
Girls with bangs should definitely be liked as bangs are "an important symbol that a female has completed her transformation from a nerdy girl to a cool woman." You know, we're pretty cute and hip :) Not gonna lie, but Jenny Lewis did give me some inspiration to give myself some bangs one special evening around midnight.
I don't really get the appeal of bangs. Be proud of your forehead, don't hide it!
Anyway.
Deviled eggs were always a vaguely Southern special-occasion thing to me. They're for church dinners and family reunions and that sort of thing.
So I wonder: is it really a white thing? Do black people maybe like deviled eggs too? I think it's plausible.
Jenny Lewis? From Rilo Kiley, no? Someone else referenced her tonight. This must be some kind of cosmic sign. I just don't know what it means.
I don't really like deviled eggs. Then again, I don't really like boiled eggs, mayonnaise, or mustard.
I feel certain black people like deviled eggs. I'm going to ask the next black person I see. I'll get back to y'all on this one.
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