It's Called Culture

First from our social media roundup [01:36] we have Portuguese beach boys and steak plate ratings spreadsheet. Our culture topic [08:23] is home improvements and our nostalgia topic [19:04] is 90's con. For our mental health segment [37:49] we discuss how opposite ends of the wellness spectrum appear to converge.

There's a lot to unpack here with country-specific wedding traditions from the UK, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Greece. Then we unravel the catholic church's unserious positions on love & marriage, discuss the cinematic masterpiece "The Two Popes", and end with a tech-savvy mental health segment.  

We bring you three entirely separate incidents involving self-proclaimed "Sausage Kings" and murder. A fourth generation Portuguese-American Sausage King in California, a German immigrant Sausage King in Chicago, and a Russian Sausage King near Moscow, Russia. Plot twist, one of them is a victim not a perpetrator. Either way, if you ever see the words “Sausage King” in a profile on Bumble, swipe hard left.

Michelle DeMelo has put in more time and effort into our culture and its traditions than most people our age.  From her altar serving side hustle as a kid to her current involvement as a cult member (for the holy ghost of course)....and all the funeral and marching band trauma in between.

Just when we thought we said all we can say, the host on the side talks about when she had one on the way.  If we're gonna tell it then we're gonna tell it all! 

Cliffs notes = C-Sections, Parasites, Long Covid, Man Flu.

Hypochondriacs unite! We share our real life encounters with illness anxiety disorder and the mental gymnastics needed to fight the urge to visit Web MD. And as always, we do it with a healthy dose of humor. Just what the doctor ordered. 

First, it would be remiss not to mention the January 1st Feast of the Holy Foreskin and its history. Next, we learn about New Year customs from various countries around the world and preach about how fireworks are detrimental and unnecessary. And we end by discussing our New Year's resolutions as our mental health segment.

First we address a few discussions from our social media community before diving into Krampus, the anti-Santa. Then we cover a variety of interesting Christmas-y liqueurs and the multi-cultural fruit cake. And as always, we end with mental health tips!

Lower your expectations. In this special *SpOrtS* edition, we talk football in our own style - including confessing to what we don't know. We highlight the importance of the sport to our Portuguese culture. And of course, we would never leave you without at least a few nuggets about alleged corruption.

Nature or nurture? Mel & Kel discuss a sample platter of specific anxieties they were brought up to have and whether or not they've been able to kick them to the curb. Fears not limited to burglary, trafficking, driving, cramping while swimming, cutting your hair after you eat, drinking wine with watermelon.  Wait, these got weird...!

We kick off by hilariously reacting to your responses on our Instagram poll about the "weirdest things people have snuck onto planes".  Next, we touch briefly on some Azores travel items before we get passionately sidetracked talking about our immigrant parents' specific furniture items for the remainder of the episode.  A wild journey you don't want to miss.

We continue to explore the "cult" of our culture through our own lived experiences of processions, rosary rituals, and eating Holy Ghost soup. Unrelated, find out how to properly dispose of historical creative fiction novels you may have outgrown. And don't forget to hang around long enough for our It's Called Mental Health segment with tips for anxiety management.

Follow us:

Instagram: @_itscalledculture

Twitter: @folkandfad

TikTok: @melanncoley and @itscalledculture

Melissa and Kelly explore the "cult" of their culture. Mysterious brotherhood? Check. Unwritten rules? Check. Cult-specific symbols? Check. Religious rituals, chants, and animal sacrifices? Check. Check. Check. 

Follow us: 

Instagram: @_itscalledculture 

Twitter: @folkandfad 

TikTok: @melanncoley and @itscalledculture

We discuss different ways to seek medical care: doctors, herbalists, bone-setters, the women who read from the book, witches, and healers. If there is one thing Azoreans believe, it's that:  "God heals, and the Doctor takes the fees." - Benjamin Franklin

The Official Portuguese Method (works for buffets, weddings, holidays, birthdays etc.) 

Step 1: Count the number of guests. 

Step 2: Double it. 

Step 3: Double the amount of food again because it still doesn't seem like enough. 

Step 4: Keep doubling until guests arrive. 

Step 5: Throughout the party, continue offering to cook up just one more thing...

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we can assure you our peeps were not out there setting the world on fire by starting the day with old bread soaked in a decaf coffee.  Or eating bowls of cornstarch.  Can a girl get one nutrient please?!  And it didn't get much better as the day went on, as Melissa also recounts the unfathomable tale of "sugar sandwiches" as after-school snacks (yes, plural!)...

We walk through the Portuguese food pyramid, except there are no section dividers. It's all carbs. With a side of carbs. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Discover the magic and miracles of soup. Weigh in on the dry bean saga. How much water does Jell-O need? And find out the secret ingredient that makes kids go crazy for hot dogs.

Speaking English means being assigned medical appointment and mail interpreting duties no matter how young you are.  Melissa and Kelly first reflect briefly on their podcasting journey thus far and then recount stories of misinterpreting a major diagnosis, using craftsman tools to perform an at-home medical procedure, hand-written chain letters, how to get out of jury-duty, and more...

Dating the milkman. Dating in church. Dating abroad. Dating an infant. Dating your cousin. This episode captures immigrant family dating sagas across multiple generations. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Millennials who came of age during the technology boom of the late 90's and early 00's will also appreciate the discussion on cell phone use, jaw-dropping bills, dial-up internet, and party lines.

Getting picked up from school by vavô was always a treat, just be sure to first wipe your feet.  Vavô's car interior was definitely covered in plastic.  And he may have had the motor-vehicle reaction time of a slug, but his wit was quick.  Our after school time was spent either doing homework at the bar of the local Portuguese social club (Kel) or watching MTV's spring break and Jerry Springer (Mel).  Don't stop listening before you find out what happens if you want a little after school chestnut snack.

Adventure with us between the US and Canada in a time before cell phones and GPS.  Whatever you do, do not: (1) hide things in your glove compartment if you are going to need to open it at the border to get your documents, (2) use landmarks that are not visible at night for directions, (3) accidentally leave something valuable behind at a rest stop, and (4) complain that nobody helped you drive if you did not ask for help!  And definitely don't miss the final story about what lengths the employees at Canada's Wonderland will go to retrieve a lost item...

We dig in to some traditional Azorean delicacies and the true cost of consumption.  Sure the food may be cheap, but now I have to live with the mental image of my ham's last screams.  Does the cost/benefit for picking and eating periwinkles check out?  Is it worth getting fresh goat cheese delivered to your door before sunrise if you're going to think you're being robbed?  Plus, find out which concert Mel saw for only 5 Euros (a steal!) in Vila Franca.

Vacationing in the Azores was a breeze with 5-star amenities such as BYOT (Bring-Your-Own-Toilet), corn husk mattresses, and one singular light bulb in the whole house.  Plus, find out why Mel's mom had to wear an eye patch to the festa!

Experience the torture that came with wearing the all-weather catholic school sweater.  Why were our shirts made of single-ply toilet paper?  Why didn't Kelly get in trouble like the rest of us for wearing spaghetti straps?  What does "pocketing" mean?  And a couple of bonus teacher stories that could be the start of a Netflix special...

Part 2 explores the period of Lent including Jesus' makeup routine, the optimal place to sit in church on Palm Sunday to avoid car crashes, and how not to overstay your welcome if you rise from the dead.

Part 1 retells the drama of middle school confession, performing church readings, and attending midnight mass.

This episode continues to share our experiences attending the First Portuguese Catholic School in America in the 90s and early 00s. Journey with us from being haunted by holy ghosts while babysitting the Jesus wafer all the way to prison yard recesses and middle school raves.

The school we attended holds the title of the First Portuguese Catholic School in America.  This episode begins to share our experiences attending this school in the 90s and early 00s.  From Computer-Teaching Nuns to the Great Lice Outbreak of 1997 and all the forms of punishment in between.

Incredible accounts of Azorean immigration to the US in the twentieth century. Mel & Kel share their own parents' immigration stories and discuss reasons for immigration, the arrival process, and how they made it work in a foreign land despite being broke and lacking education. 

Culture is a way of life for an entire society. Hosts Melissa and Kelly met in Kindergarten 30 years ago. Their culture is from the Azores - a remote group of Portuguese islands. But they don't live there. They live in America as part of the millennial generational culture. This podcast is their experience as children of immigrants at the intersection of these cultures.  Visit their site folkandfad.com for an episode recap or get in touch with them at mail@folkandfad.com.