Social Norms in Texas vs. Those in New York essays

Social Norms in Texas vs. Those in New York essays For most of my life I grew up in a small private Lutheran school in the conservative suburbs of Houston, Texas. This is a place full of one dimensional thinking, the acceptance of only heterosexual relationships, and of course a belief that beyond Jesus the only person worth worshiping is George W. Bush. When I made my decision to attend a liberal arts school here in New York, almost every person I knew thought I had gone crazy. They were disgusted to find out that their student council president and homecoming queen, both titles of high stature, was going to open herself up to the liberalistic points of views of the north. In the book This Book is Not Required, by Inge Bell and Bernard McGrane, the authors address the idea that society teaches us about societal norms and codes (Bell we tend to act normatively, following rules of behavior that operate under the surface of society (Adler One of the first differences I noticed while driving around New York was the lack of Bush and Cheney bumper stickers on the rears of the cars. In Texas, at least every other car driving down the highway is adorned with a little red, white, and blue sticker supporting the republican party. People are conditioned by society to support the republican party. One of the biggest reasons for this is because of the strong religious influence in the south. I remember, while in my senior year of high school, every teacher at my religious private school stressing how important it was to vote. Not because it was a right given to us which allowed us a little freedom of speech, or because it w...

French King Pie Traditions and Vocabulary

French King Pie Traditions and Vocabulary On January 6th is the Christian holy day of Epiphany, when the three kings, also called the three wise men, guided by a strange star in the sky, visited baby Jesus. On that day the French eat La Galette des Rois, a delicious puff pastry pie. The lighter version is just the puff pastry, eaten golden out of the oven and then topped with jam. But there are many scrumptious versions, including various fruit, cream, apple sauce filings and my personal favorite: frangipane!   In the South of France, they have a special cake called le gà ¢teau des rois which is a brioche with candied fruits, shaped in a crown, and perfumed with orange blossom water. French King Pie Secret Now, the secret of la galette des rois is that hidden inside is a little surprise: a small token, usually a porcelain figurine (sometimes plastic now...) called la fà ¨ve. The one who finds it is crowned the king or the queen of the day. So, when you eat this delicacy, you have to be extremely careful not to break a tooth!   The French King Pie is sold with a paper crown - sometimes, kids do one as a project for their home, or sometimes they do two since a king gets to pick his queen and vice and versa. French Galette des Rois Traditions Traditionally, the youngest one at the table will go under the table (or really close his/her eyes) and designate who gets which slice: the one serving asks: Cest pour qui celle-l ? For whom is this one? And the kid answers:Cest pour Maman, Papa... Its For Mom, Dad... Of course, this is a very practical way for the grownups to make sure one of the kids gets the porcelain figurine. Another tradition dictates that you cut the pie according to the number of guests plus one. Its called la part du pauvre (the paupers slice) and was traditionally given away. I dont know anybody who does this nowadays however.     So, the person who finds la fà ¨ve proclames: Jai la fà ¨ve (I have the fava), s/he puts one the crown, then picks someone at the table to be crowned as his king/queen, and everybody yells Vive le roi / Vive la reine (long live the king / long live the queen). Then everybody eats their slices, relieved that no one broke a tooth :-) French Kings Pie Vocabulary La Galette des Rois - French King Pie Puff PastryLe Gà ¢teau des Rois - South of France King CakeUne fà ¨ve - the little porcelain figure hidden in the pieUne couronne - a crownÊtre Courronnà © - to be crownedTirer les rois - to draw the king/queenUn roi - a kingUne reine - a queenPuff pastry - de la pà ¢te feuilletà ©eCest pour qui celle-l ? For whom is this one?Cest pour... - Its for...Jai la fà ¨ve ! I have the fava!Vive le roi - Long live the kingVive la reine - long live the queen I post exclusive mini lessons, tips, pictures and more daily on my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest  pages - so join me there! https://www.facebook.com/frenchtoday https://twitter.com/frenchtoday https://www.pinterest.com/frenchtoday/