Is your family history rich with culture? Do you find that it grounds your or identifies you? Do you wish you were more in touch with your roots?

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2000

Answers

My whole childhood is something I look back on that makes me smile. My family makes me happy. I've always been very close to my family and I think we have a great sense of our own culture. For the longest time I thought I was 100% Spaniard. I had a pretty Hispanic Catholic tradtional sort of upbringing; come to find out I'm actually Jewish (Sephardic to be specific, I never would have guessed, no wonder I don't like pork!) and Italian. I always identified with this really rich and interesting background but now I have new reasons to explore it even more. I think being so in touch with my family and my roots really set me apart from all of my friends. I always felt like a total jerk saying it but I always felt sorry for my friends whose families didn't have any culture to them. I am lucky that mine does. I think my background (family-wise and culturally speaking) really grounds me. It gives me a great sense about who I am. I'm still exploring life and all it has to offer me, but I always know that at the very least, I'm part of a great family and history. I feel sort of weird boasting about how great my family is, but they're a great bunch of people that I love deelply and thoroughly enjoy spending my time with. I love my family;. all hundred or so of them.

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2000

Well I'm going to have to say No to all of those Q's Pamie. I know my family history on my dads side and pretty much zilch on my mums side. All I'm definately sure is that the last few generations on either side were Australian, and that religion isn't a big part of any of it. But I have no qualms with that - to me it doesn't seem to matter all that much where I have come from. I'm just happy to reach out from where I am, as sappy as that sounds. I guess in a way it makes me extra proud to be an Australian but I don't feel empty or excluded by not having family traditions etc. It sorta makes me feel more free. Although I would like to know which bloody relative is responsible for my pale easily burnt skin, dammit.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

Pamie's reading my thoughts! Pamie's reading my thoughts! Pamie's ...

I walk down the street and think something along that line repeatedly whenever I get paranoid.

I am part Italian. I have a very Italian last name. My great- grandfather came to America and died of influenza. I have no Italian heritage. I have no Cherokee heritage, and I have no Irish heritage, and I have no German heritage. And I regret all of this. I'm ambiguously white and culture-less. How much that does suck? I've got Italian blood and and Italian last name no one can spell or pronounce, and that's it. I wish there were more.

My mother does genealogy, so she reveals the interesting tidbits to me when she finds them. In that way, I have history. One of my great grandfathers worked for King James as a printer. He was the guy who actually translated the King James version of the Bible. And that's about the most interesting thing there is. Do I wish I were more in touch with my roots? Yes. Most definitely. I'm almost desperate to be.

Ambiguous white girl at your service.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

My family has the typical big Southern family culture. You know the big family reunions. The relatives with the big hair. The fried food extravaganza. The old furniture sitting in the yard (okay it's the backyard instead of the front but it's still hillariously embarrassing)

All the other parts of my heritage. The Irish part, the Cherokee Indian part, the Dutch part just went into the wash.

I wish I knew more about my Cherokee Indian roots. Were my great grandmothers woman who were on the Trail of Tears? hmmm I don't know.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

My mother is Korean and Japanese. My father is Irish and English. That makes me a pretty mixed breed. :)

My mom was born and raised in Seoul, Korea by her Korean mother. My mom's father was Japanese and she never met him becuz she hadn't been born yet when he left for the war...a war from which he never returned from.

The horrible part of being Korean and Japanese is that all of my mom's Korean friends don't know that she's part Japanese. Some or most of them would probably disown her. A Korean person stating they have Japanese blood in them is like for a racist white person stating that they have black blood in them. It's a big no-no.

Sooooo, I got to live in a very American/Korean home...both cultures surrounded me. My mother, father, and myself would have a oriental fold out table that we ate our meals at, which took place on the floor like how they do in Asia. Our meals always was a blend of Korean and American foods.

My father was in the military so I got to live in Korea twice in my life. Once as a very young child and the next time I was around 8-11 years of age. So I remember my mom's family from my second residence in Korea. Let me just say this...a Korean or maybe all Asian families are very very tight knit. Constantly, I was being petted, hugged, kissed, fed my every sugary desires. I miss my Korean grandmother sorely. I haven't seen my mom's family since that second residence there. It's been forever. I, too want to see little baby cousins who are now in their late teens-early 20's.

Yes, I have had the pleasure of growing up in a culture enriched environment and it has benefited me greatly. When I was little I hated being Asian becuz all I knew that meant was that other kids or adults would make fun of me and call me all sorts of dirty little racial slurs. But today as an adult I am very proud to be who I am and very proud of where I come from. I even apologize still to my mother for ever being ashamed of being what I am.

My father didn't grow up in a culture enriched environment. So I guess he benefited from my mother's culture, as well.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

Both of my folks come from a very working class, very 1940s/50s Scottish background (albeit with middle-to-upper class roots in England in the 1800s on Dad's side; the story of how things came to be otherwise is a long one). I've been fortunate in that they had the good sense to move to Australia in 1968 and in that I was born here. The opportunities I've had here would not have existed over there. All of the family are still there; we go back every so often and we see them all, but I don't really have much connection with them. Neither Mum nor Dad has bothered to move much out of this sort of working class Scottish ethos even here, though, while I've done my best not to fall into it. Having been born in Australia identifies me far more than having roots in Scotland going back for generations does; I'm not especially bothered by not being more in touch with said roots.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

My immediate family is pretty rich with (our own kind of)culture, but since my grandparents died our family doesn't get together as much anymore. Family and roots just don't seem to be as important to young people as they were to the old.

My family came from German, French, Irish, and Polish immigrants. Generic, Heinz-57 White people. Is that a culture in itself? Italian people have an identifiable culture, Jewish people have mad culture. But what is Caucasian culture? We even have different religious beliefs.

My husband is African-American, his ancestors were southern slaves so he can't really trace it back before that. That is unfortunate. But if you saw 'Soul Food' you've seen my husband's family. That's definately a culture. Our friends are for the most part Hispanic. They absolutely ooze culture.

I think we're all just making our own culture. American culture?

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

Yeah... we have it somewhat. I'm Italian on my dad's side, and English, French, Polish and French-Canadian (if that counts) on my mom's side. The guy I'm going to marry is half Russian Jew and half Syrian Jew. Our kids will be everything.

I get most of my culture from my dad's side of the family. Since they're thoroughbred, they have a good sense of history and lineage. Both sides of my family are very Catholic.

Enter stage right... Jewish boyfriend from Brooklyn. My family loves him. But the Syrian side of HIS family has given us nothing but grief. Ignorance does not become anyone, but they flaunt it. We can't associate with them, even politely at family functions, because they are so insulting and embarrassing.

They believe themselves chock full of culture. I'm glad they're not coming to my wedding or ever going to meet my children. I wouldn't want them exposed to their sickness. So it's not always a good thing.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

heh. i loved that "ambiguous white girl" title, although i must admit to being flagrantly irish. nothing but sunburns for this girl. but my parents did their damndest with my brother and i to separate us from the irish catholic element they grew up in, and thus, since my family came over about a million years ago,i have literally no connection to my heritage. i respect the fact that they didnt want to raise us catholic, but i hate the absolutely lost sense its left me with. there is not a single part of my life that reflects where my family has come from. it doesnt help that i live in boston ( which seems like the fuckign epicenter of irish americans at times), and that both my high school and college are filled with nothing but white boys and girls with last names like moynahan and o'malley. i think its made me lose track of the fact that there is even anything interesting about being irish. i look at my boyfriend, whose family is directly from poland, and i have to admit that i feel a bit of jealousy when i see his whole family together, speaking polish and telling stories. i feel so bland. but i guess that means its up to me to find those connections for myself. make the choice as to whether its better to just accept this stupid, crazy american culture or look for remembrances of a place i've never been to and know nothing of. who knows?

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

My father's grandfather was a soldier in the English military, so my grandfather was first generation Canadian, and my dad's mother was from Scotland. My mother's father was from England, and her mother was French Canadian. Dad moved around a lot when he was a kid, and he's lived in Wales and Barbados. Mom moved around a lot, too, but it was mostly in the Montreal, Quebec area. I lived in Montreal my whole life, until I moved out to the Prairies two years ago.

I have an idea of my family's culture, but I'm really not part of it. I can claim all kinds of traditions as part of my personal culture, but I never do. I didn't take highland dancing (my cousin Jenny did, though). I wasn't fluently bilingual until I was 12, and now I've lost half my French. I learned all the French I had in school, and never spoke it at home, despite the fact that my mother's first language is French. I really don't identify with England (unless you count the fact that I like the humour), and when International Week came around in school, I always felt like an outsider because I didn't have a culture to represent, like the other kids did. I wasn't Greek or Asian or East Indian or Jewish or Italian, I couldn't really talk about Scotland, because I didn't know anything about it, and being part French Canadian wasn't much of an accomplishment, because almost everyone I knew who wasn't from another country had French blood. I had no national costume to show off, or national meal to bring in (I had never even heard of haggis, and I really don't think a bunch of grade four kids would have liked it anyhow).

I miss the idea of a family culture. My boyfriend's family is huge, and he has several cousins that are in his age range. He went to high school with a bunch of them, and hangs out with them all the time. I can count on my fingers how many times I've seen any of my relatives in the last 5 years. My mother was an only child, so I have no cousins there, and her parents are both long gone. My father is the youngest of four children, and I'm his oldest child. The closest cousin to my age is 5 years older than me, and she lives in Barbados. My uncle Roger has 5 kids. One was killed in a car accident when I was 2. I don't remember her or her sisters and brother. I'm sure I saw them at my grandfather's funeral when I was 12, but I don't remember them. The only cousins I know and like are Jenny and Marcus, my uncle Russel's kids. Jenny is 10 years older than me, and has a kid now.

When I was a kid, most of my relatives would come to visit at one time or another. My dad's father was my only grandparent, because my dad's mother and my mother's father had both died just before or just after I was born. My mother's mother was crazy and didn't talk to Mom until I was 12, and she was in a home. I was a little jealous of kids with grandmothers. I never had one. After Grandpa died in '87, our family just stopped being as close. He was the common denominator. He loved all of us, and we all loved him. Once he was gone, and my realitives were scattered across Canada (and Barbados), we sort of stopped talking. My uncles and one of my cousins live out here in Alberta, but I never talk to them. My father was in the hospital in July for gall bladder surgery, and his sister called him in November to see if he was OK. We don't exchange Xmas presents or birthday cards.

I look at my boyfriend's family, and I'm really jealous.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

Perfect timing.

I am half German one quarter Chumash Indian, and one quarter Hispanic.

If anyone asks? I am Hispanic, or Mexican. That is the culture I embrace. The indian and hispanic are on my mom's side. I grew up Catholic in my mom's church. It is an amazing family. My mom has two sisters who are like second mothers to me. My uncles are all extremely protective and loving. Hugs and kisses are standard. Holidays are like big weekend parties where everyone eats, sleeps, drinks, plays cards, sits around to watch the game, laughs, tells stories, and returns the next day to do it all over again. My grandmother makes Menudo on Sunday and everyone shows up to eat. We would eat out of big pots of refried beans and spanish rice, homemade tortillas kept warm in dish towels on the stove. When my grandfather was sick in the hospital, the doctor had to deal with all seven of his children most of their spouses and most of his grandchildren. Our sense of family is strong, and everyone wanted to be there for each other. When I got married, relatives traveled hours, some days, to be at my wedding. No one in my family is extremely wealthy, but eleven months later my husband and I are still having presents shipped back to us. They are not wealthy people, but would give you the shirts off their backs. My two aunts helped in every aspect of planning the wedding, and contributed so much time you would have thought I was their own daughter, but I was just as important, I was their sister's daughter. All of my friends in school loved to be around my family. My wedding was the anticipated event of the year amongst my friends. And when the time came, they were out on the floor with my relatives dancing the cumbia.

My husband is white (a little Cherokee) and very southern. They have some cool cultural family things. Pig pickins and BBQ, homemade ice cream, and trips to the beach. But as far as a sense of family goes? Nope. He has aunts and uncles he hasn't seen or spoken to in years. He has cousins he doesn't know the name of. His mom's sister actually sued her for 1.8 million dollars. They didn't speak for five years, and only spoke briefly after their mother died. Her other sister and her bicker constantly, are very competitive and will not speak for months at a time. When we got married, mostly friends attended the reception we had in the South. A lot of his relatives didn't show up. This all makes no sense to me. And it definitely is nothing like the "family" I know. Holidays are an hour or two out of the day when you show up to eat, and leave. Or, eat, open presents, and leave. We have spent more time in the past year spending time with my family, than we have with my husbands. We live at most an hour and a half from his family. We live almost three thousand miles from mine. My husbands sister, after meeting my family during the wedding, moved to my home town two weeks later. She has adopted my family as her "in- laws" and loves them. I am very fond of certain members of my husbands family, but as a whole they are nothing like mine. My family is so accepting. My mother in law told me upon marrying my husband, that she would always be his mother, and I was just his spouse. Nice, no?

And the funny thing about all of this? Most of the members of my husbands family are prejudice against Hispanics. And because, I don't "look" hispanic, I would often have to hear their racist remarks. My husbands redneck cousin became a cop and announced to everyone at the table that he was basically a certified "spic" chaser. I just bit my tongue. I can not explain to you how it makes me feel to hear things like that. And the arrogance of his white prejudice relatives amaze me. They all assume that if you are white you must think the same way they do. One of the older relatives said to me, upon hearing I was from California, "that must have been interesting growing up with all the coloreds". He gave me a knowing look, like we were in cahoots or something. We weren't in cahoots, in fact I informed him that most of my people were deeply colored and that my mothers great grandfather was African American. Which is not true, but I don't want them saying things to me about blacks, neither. I never knew I had any reason to be ashamed of being Hispanic, until I moved to the South. In California, I was always the girl with the best tan.

And the amazing thing is that their family has nothing on mine. And a day doesn't go by that I wonder what the hell I am doing three thousand miles away from so much love and support.

Sorry this is so long, but it has been on my mind lately. I needed a vent.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

My family is rich with culture, although drastically and diversely different on my mom's side than my dad's.

Mom's family is Italian, Sicilian and some Genovese. These are the people who were there in my childhood, who helped raise and shape me into the adult I am now. Much of my identity and sense of love and security comes from that family. And you know, I still wish I were more in touch with my roots. I don't know nearly as many of the stories of the family that I'd like to.

My dad's side is more fragmented, much smaller. Since I graduated college I've been spending more time woth them, and I'm not sure it's a good thing. They don't have as much tradition, as solid of a set of morals, that kind of close-knit developed sense of family. They are German-Irish in decent, and just this last year, we found out they are also a bit Polish, too. Only my grandmother is left of the founding members of the family, and she's not doing well. The worst of it is, she's what's holding the family together, as we all have to pitch in to take care of her.

I miss the times we used to have with my other family. Most of the joy I have in this life comes from time with family. And I really miss all the joy that my mom's side, the Italian side would have when we all got together. I miss those times. I really wish I were more in toucch with those roots.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

I'm mostly French and Irish. I'm a drunk with huge hair. Anyway since my mom and dad died ('99 and '97 respectively) my sister and I have been tracing our French roots. My family came from France somewhere, we haven't figured that out yet, and settled in Quebec then in the U.P. My sister and I have been exploring the U.P. a few times a year and we've found out so much it's amazing. If you ever do want to find your roots I'd highly suggest traveling to the place. When my parents were alive we were the closest family I knew. I had the only married parents in my class for a couple years running. We got together just because it was Wednesday sometimes. But they're gone and it seems they were the glue that held us together. We're falling apart now and it makes me very sad. I am 30 years old and should have my own life but it's a hard transition.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

I am very obviously of Scotch/Irish descent but, both my mother and brother tan easily, have sharp noses and dark brown hair. My grandmother has said that we are direct descendents of Geronimo - so somewhere, a Renfroe married an Apache. That would go a long way in explaining some of my brother's behavior, but you could never guess it from looking at me.

My father's father died shortly after my dad was born. My grandmother never wanted to talk about him and eventually, my grandfather's family drifted away. For the last few years, my dad has finally gotten up the nerve to try and find some things out about his father. I started posting questions to GenForum. A few weeks after I started searching I got this e-mail that started: "Dear Allison, I am your father's second cousin..."

Amazingly, he lives in Colleyville, which is very close to Dallas, where I live (but our families are from GA and AL) so, we were very easily able to get together. He gave me tons of information, including pictures of my grandfather and great-grandparents. I framed it all for my dad and gave it to him as a suprise for Christmas. He had only seen one picture of his father until then. He couldn't stop looking at it. Making this connection has changed his life.

I would suggest to anyone looking for answers to try that site or one of the many others on the web. I learned a lot. There is really a whole web-based genealogy "community."

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

This is funny. All people from the deep South believe they are Irish, at least most of them. It's very romantic to be of Irish descent when you're Southern, and my family was no exception. For years, my mother thought her family was Irish, but we've been in America for a very long time so piecing it together was difficult. My parents went on a genealogical expedition to North Carolina last year and found out that her family moved here from FRANCE. It was such a blow to everyone and I think it's hysterical.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

I think all my great-grandparents were immigrants: two Lithuanian Jews and two Polish Jews on my dad's side; one Russian Jew, a pair of Swedes and a Norwegian on my mom's. I am so pale that next to my husband (German, Irish) I look yellow. My whole dad's family is just like you would expect Eastern European Jews to be: we're loud, we talk a lot, we joke a lot, we can argue forever, we're interested in politics, and we vote like much poorer people. That's definitely most of the culture I got, though I'm grateful for Grandma Lucy's Swedish Pancakes recipe--my mom's grandmother. Yummm.

Being "in touch with my roots" is always a tremendously touchy thing because my family is completely non-religious, and separating Jewish identity from the Jewish religion is a complex process which, of course, we all talk about constantly. As the saying goes, "two Jews, three opinions." Oddly, I find that I become more aware of being Jewish when I'm around non-Jews. At home I don't notice so much because I'm not the different one. Most of the major Christian holidays do it, and of course Easter (though I love the candy and painting eggs) always gets me up in arms.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

Jeff - you're totally right about that Deep South/ Irish thing. We all think we are. I think it's an excuse to justify the heavy drinking.

Speaking of that - even though I am pretty sure my family did come from Scotland and Ireland, the only culture I really identify with is Southern culture. I embrace it with all the scars, all the embarassing history, the bad reputation - and I recognize the beauty, the genius and the growth that goes on in my hometown every time I return there. I have lived in Dallas for 4 years now, and all it has done is prove to me that I'm a Southerner at heart. Texas has its own thing going on that I love but, I'll go back home for good some day.

The crazy people really miss me.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

I've experienced no ethnic culture in my family other than "California"; we used to have large annual family gatherings on my Mom's side.  My great-grandfather started a business in San Francisco in the 1800's and most of her relatives still worked there. ...That ensured a good annual turn-out.   Mostly Scotch, German and Irish ancesters, but I celebrate St. Patrick's Day only because its my birthday.

My Father's family came from European Jewish lineage, but I know almost nothing of Judaism; I was raised as a Methodist. Interestingly, much of his family settled in New Mexico Territory and then later scattered across the country.  (I had a great-great-uncle killed by a train robber!)  ...I'm going to a large famly reunion this month.

Once you become a parent, this ancestor stuff becomes more important.  We found out a few years ago that my wife is a descendant of the Mayflower party.... and so are my kids.  My son had a school assignment about ancestry and we realized that all 8 of his great-grandparents were buried in Colma (that's where you get buried in the San Francisco area).

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

Those are very interesting questions, Pamie.

I grew up almost entirely without culture. I heard about it, I guess, but it didn't apply to my life whatsoever. Then about 6 years ago I met my wife who is a Latina American, and suddenly culture was right in my face.

Since then, I guess it's rubbed in on me a little. I come from Polish/Slovakian/German/Irish and I've pretty much adopted the Irish ancestry as my own personal inherited culture. Primarily because of my immediate family (brother,sister,mother,father) I'm the only one who has the red hair, green eyes, and strong disposition toward dark beers. ;) Not only that, but some of the things I've read about Ireland and the people have touched me so deeply that I can't let go of it.

So in a way, I've come to identify with culture a little bit. And I definitely wish I was more in touch with my routes. But it still doesn't mean anything to me compared to the passion my wife holds for it.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

I am a mongrel: African
Scottish (I can actually trace my name back a long time. There's a special graveyard in Scotland that has people from my family buried from hundreds of years ago. We were a subset of clan MacFarlane, with a seal featuring a shirtless man and the slogan "This I'll defend." We had 4 threads in our plaid, and I think that means we were fairly well off...Neat, huh?)
British
Russian
Dutch
Semite
Nameless Indian tribe
German (Heavy influence here. Someone once told me jokingly she could see my ancestry in my cold blue Aryan eyes. Eery. Luckily, my ancestors came over before WWI.)


Actually, it seems I have a richer culture behind me than I thought. But as far as traditions go, I was never really influenced by it. I don't really feel like I would identify with someone from one of these countries, for example. Not for that reason alone. And family unity? Puh-lease. None.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2000

I kept wanting to supply an answer to this question for awhile today, but never got around to it till now.

I'm half irish, half italian. pretty clean cut there. this question really made me think and realise I hardly know my background..my roots. I asked mom today where in italy our family comes from [she's the italian half; I don't associate with dad's side]. she said grandpa comes from naples and grandma comes from some area I can't pronounce. she says I should ask and I should get a nice answer.

I just might do that. it might make me feel less confused and everything.

I remember it used to make me sad to know I don't really resemble anyone on mom's side of the family in a big way soo they'd just ignore me like I wasn't there. we all used to get together during xmas for the traditional wedding soup and ravioli meal. I guess that's our culture tradition..regular italian cooking..heh. that's as cultured as we get I guess.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

I'm American, with Eastern European Jewish roots on my father's side, Australian on my mother's side. It's weird to have Australia as an Old Country. Cordial but distant relationships with my relatives around the world, most of whom I've met only once or twice. I have practically no extended family in the United States.

Thus the family culture I've actually experienced is a bricolage made up by my parents over the course of their marriage. We celebrate every holiday you can bake a cookie for. We eat lots of Chinese food. We remember every joke from the original run of Saturday Night Live. We have our own nicknames for the people and places in my hometown. We are cat worshippers.

I like this. One of the very few things that attracts me about the idea of having a family is the opportunity to invent your own traditions.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

I'm not hugely rich in culture, compared to some of the combinations other people have posted! I'm Scottish, with a dash of Donegal Irish, but then again, try and find a Scot that doesn't have Irish connections...

It does mean that I eat haggis on Burns Night, celebrate Hogmanay with extreme quantities of alcohol and excitement and get a bit misty when I get into the countryside. I speak a very little gaelic and play the clarsach (badly). But it doesn't really affect family life as such. We're quite close, which might be a cultural thing? Oh, and I get extra-super Scottish whenever I go abroad (or to England); I start to sound like a cliche!

I compare this to my husband's family who are Jewish Scots. They're from Latvia and bits of Russia, but they are Scottish. I don't think we hold on to where we came from as much as you maybe do in America. Their Jewish culture certainly informs aspects of their family life, though; we get together some Friday nights and for the festivals, and although I'm not Jewish, it informs our family life too. I really like lighting the Sabbath candles and starting the weekend with a little ceremony.

Reading back on this, I notice I've been putting Scottish not British; I think that's one cultural thing we do have. It's a definite identity. We know who we are, our history and where we come from - and I like that.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

Scottishness definitely is something unto itself. It's different from British and WAY different from English (I get riled whenever England culture is seen as somehow standing for the whole of Britain, as if Scotland, Ireland, Wales etc didn't count). I may not actively take part in my Scottish background, but if anyone were ever to mistake me for English I would take great offence, and nothing gets my blood boiling faster than to see a Scottish person speaking English on TV and being subtitled

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

Aaaaaaah! Does that really happen?

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

I really wouldn't have been able to comprehend "Trainspotting" without subtitles, though. When a lot of slang is being used, some of us need a little help.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

Really? Trainspotting had English subtitles? Where was that version released? I've been complaining for years that I never understood Begbie's version of the bar fight.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2000

Bea: yes, it does happen. There was a TV series called "Looking For JoJo" that screened here in Australia with subtitles at various points (most galling thing was, they subtitled bits that actually were intelligible). And I'm pretty sure the subtitling was done overseas, so I presume it screened with subtitles in England. Only hope the subtitles were taken off for Scottish consumption, I don't think they'd have been appreciated there

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2000

my family originated in Texas, we imagrated from an unknown territory known as Texas. there are great stories about my ancestors and how they fought for what was theirs, in Texas. yea the name is scottish, and most of us are red heads, but no one has ever heard a scottish or irish or norweigen (some of the family claim to be norse) accent. only one member of my expansive family even lives out side of the state, he is an adopted cousin. you could not find a more Texan family if you tried.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2000

as far as i know, i'm part polish/jewish, part irish, part french (well, channel islands) and a lot english and australian. people constantly ask me where i'm 'from' and aren't easily fobbed off with the answer that i was born in london. i look 'foreign', whatever that means - when i was in kyrgyzstan the locals said i looked kyrgyz; now i'm in azerbaijan i'm told i look azeri; i've also been mistaken for spanish, italian, generically middle eastern, asian, etc. apparently when my boyfriend was admiring me from afar before we got together, and mentioned me to one of his friends, the friend replied "is she the one that looks chinese?". it can be rather frustrating to always be told that i look somehow 'different' (whatever that means) without a detailed and exotic family tree to back it up, and i'm never sure precisely which box to tick on those equal opportunities forms that ask for your ethnic background (i usually go with 'white'). is anyone else in this situation?

can someone define exactly what you mean by culture? i find it hard to understand how you can say that anyone has more or less culture than anyone else - to my mind, everyone has a form of culture; it's imbued in the way that you do things and think about things - just with some people (more recent immigrants to the UK or US or whatever), their form of 'culture' is more obvious than other people's because it's different from the culture of the people surrounding them. i come from a pretty normal (in a cultural sense - they're rather strange in other ways) british/australian family, yet i don't feel that i'm lacking in culture. i used to wish for some sort of cultural heritage which would define me as different from other people, but i realise now that it was never really about culture, but more about being different, and i can do that by myself, without recourse to my roots, thankyouverymuch.

one thing that really annoys me is when jewish people think that i'm somehow denying my identity and being a 'self-hating jew' but not classifying myself as jewish. it's true that according to the whole judaism-being-passed-down-through-the-mother's-line i am jewish - but i was not brought up jewish, neither was my mother as my grandmother converted when she married my grandfather. i am in no way ashamed of my jewish blood; i just don't see why i should feel any more jewish than irish or french or whatever. if anything, identifying myself as jewish smacks of the whole identify-with-the-oppressed-minority bandwagon that so many people jump on (how many blonde haired, blue eyed australians are calling themselves aboriginal these days?) which seems somehow a little tasteless.

-- Anonymous, May 06, 2000