{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/2z12n50727/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Memories of Migration Episode 7: Traditions"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["209-07-22 (released)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Natalie Milbrodt (Host)","Antonina Cucchiara (Interviewee)","Shavetta Gupta (Interviewee)","Mary Twomey (Interviewee)","Ying Zhou (Interviewee)","Solange Baptiste (Interviewee)","Deborah Monaco (Interviewee)","Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (Interviewer)","Nusaiba Ally (Interviewer)","Eileen Sprague (Interviewer)","Ashley Frank (Interviewer)","Adriene Lara (Producer)","Elias Ravin (Composer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens in New York City. Our first season collects stories of migration. For this seventh episode, we’re tracing traditions.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFROM THE ARCHIVES: Storytellers whose oral histories we feature in this episode, with links to full interviews and timecode outlines\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/x05x63bh5x\"\u003eAntonina Cucchiara\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/rf5k931h9v\"\u003eShavetta Gupta\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Nusaiba Ally (2014)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:34389\"\u003eMary Twomey\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Eileen Sprague in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.qcirishstudies.org/new-page\"\u003eIrish in Queens Oral History Project\u003c/a\u003e (2015)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eYing Zhou, interviewed by Solange Baptiste as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://queensmemory.org/memories-of-migration-making-a-talking-family-story-quilt/\"\u003e\"Memories of Migration: Making a Talking Family Story Quilt\"\u003c/a\u003e workshop series at Flushing Library (2018)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/3f4kk94d89\"\u003eSolange Baptiste\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Ying Zhou as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://queensmemory.org/memories-of-migration-making-a-talking-family-story-quilt/\"\u003e\"Memories of Migration: Making a Talking Family Story Quilt\"\u003c/a\u003e workshop series at Flushing Library (2018)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/6t0gt5fk7z\"\u003eDeborah Monaco\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Ashley Frank (2013)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn this episode, Mary Twomey mentions teaching rebel songs to her children. To hear more about the Irish Civil War from which many of these rebel songs come as well as more stories from Mary Twomey, head to \u003ca href=\"../../../r/j96057dr8j\"\u003eEpisode 1 on Origins\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eGUIDING QUESTIONS: Origin points for discussion\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       What rituals and celebrations do you practice?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       How and where did you learn them?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eVoice narration, editing, and supervision by Natalie Milbrodt\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eProduction, writing, and research by Adriene Lara\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMusical composition by Elias Ravin\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eListen to the episode on \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/queens-public-library/memories-of-migration-episode-six-residence\"\u003eSoundCloud\u003c/a\u003e, as well as any other platform you find your podcasts. Give us a like if you want, and comment to share your thoughts with us. Find more from \u003ca href=\"https://queensmemory.org/\"\u003eQueens Memory at QueensMemory.org\u003c/a\u003e, on \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/queensmemory/\"\u003eFacebook at Queens Memory\u003c/a\u003e, and on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/QueensMemory\"\u003eTwitter at @QueensMemory\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e (summary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis audio piece was produced by the Queens Memory Project and is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License. For inquiries, please contact queensmemory@queenslibrary.org.\u003c/p\u003e"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens in New York City. Our first season collects stories of migration. For this seventh episode, we\u0026rsquo;re tracing traditions.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFROM THE ARCHIVES: Storytellers whose oral histories we feature in this episode, with links to full interviews and timecode outlines\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/x05x63bh5x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAntonina Cucchiara\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/rf5k931h9v\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eShavetta Gupta\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Nusaiba Ally (2014)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:34389\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eMary Twomey\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Eileen Sprague in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.qcirishstudies.org/new-page\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eIrish in Queens Oral History Project\u003c/a\u003e (2015)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eYing Zhou, interviewed by Solange Baptiste as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://queensmemory.org/memories-of-migration-making-a-talking-family-story-quilt/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\"Memories of Migration: Making a Talking Family Story Quilt\"\u003c/a\u003e workshop series at Flushing Library (2018)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/3f4kk94d89\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eSolange Baptiste\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Ying Zhou as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://queensmemory.org/memories-of-migration-making-a-talking-family-story-quilt/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\"Memories of Migration: Making a Talking Family Story Quilt\"\u003c/a\u003e workshop series at Flushing Library (2018)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/6t0gt5fk7z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eDeborah Monaco\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Ashley Frank (2013)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn this episode, Mary Twomey mentions teaching rebel songs to her children. To hear more about the Irish Civil War from which many of these rebel songs come as well as more stories from Mary Twomey, head to \u003ca href=\"../../../r/j96057dr8j\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eEpisode 1 on Origins\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eGUIDING QUESTIONS: Origin points for discussion\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; What rituals and celebrations do you practice?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; How and where did you learn them?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eVoice narration, editing, and supervision by Natalie Milbrodt\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eProduction, writing, and research by Adriene Lara\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMusical composition by Elias Ravin\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eListen to the episode on \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/queens-public-library/memories-of-migration-episode-six-residence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eSoundCloud\u003c/a\u003e, as well as any other platform you find your podcasts. Give us a like if you want, and comment to share your thoughts with us. Find more from \u003ca href=\"https://queensmemory.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eQueens Memory at QueensMemory.org\u003c/a\u003e, on \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/queensmemory/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eFacebook at Queens Memory\u003c/a\u003e, and on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/QueensMemory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eTwitter at @QueensMemory\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis audio piece was produced by the Queens Memory Project and is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License. For inquiries, please contact queensmemory@queenslibrary.org.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/138/745/small/Screenshot_%2850%29.png?1642068164","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61527/file/138745","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - qmpodcast_s1e7_5_UPDATED.Mp3"]},"duration":1454.75663,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/138/745/small/Screenshot_%2850%29.png?1642068164","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61527/file/138745/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61527/file/138745/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/138/745/original/qmpodcast_s1e7_5_UPDATED.Mp3?1641894074","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":1454.75663,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61527/file/138745","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61527/file/138745/transcript/35134","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61527/file/138745/transcript/35134/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Queens Memory Podcast\nSeason 1 Episode 7\nTranscript (English)\n\nINTRO\n\nNATALIE MILBRODT, narrator: For full transcripts, translations, content notes, and resources from this episode, follow along with us on our show notes at Queens Memory dot org.\n\n[INTRODUCTORY MUSIC BEGINS]\n\nNM: This is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens, in New York City. This podcast comes to you from the Queens Memory Project, based in Jamaica, Queens at the Queens Central Library. I'm Natalie Milbrodt, Director of Queens Memory, where we record and preserve contemporary history across the borough. We grow our archives by collecting oral histories, photos, and mementos shared with us by community members. Local volunteers, who train with Queens Memory staff, facilitate and record our oral history interviews.\n\nWe feature oral histories from our archives so we can reflect on and engage with the histories we listen to and tell one another. How do we carry each other’s stories? What shapes our personal and family histories? How did we get to the neighborhoods where we live? And where are we in relation to each other's histories?\n\nAs part of New York City, Queens has long been a point of entry to the United States. Thinking about the borough in this way, we searched through our archives to gather stories of migration for this first season of the Queens Memory Podcast. These stories cross continents and move through decades of the past century. We share these oral histories to reflect on the histories of this borough, of this country, and of ourselves.\n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC CHANGES]\n\n[INTRODUCTORY AUDIO COLLAGE BEGINS]\n\nANTONINA CUCCHIARA: My parents - kept a lot of the - traditions - especially - St. Joseph Day\nSHAVETTA GUPTA: On Diwali, we set up the temple in our own house\nMARY TWOMEY: My children - all took Irish dancing\nYING ZHOU: In a way - I grew up not - having any traditions\nSOLANGE BAPTISTE: Baking a cake - the flour in Haiti is different from the American flour\nDEBORAH MONACO: We actually watch video tapes - listening to my father - tell stories about something that sparks memories from his mother, or his grandmother\n\n[PAUSE WITH MUSIC]\n\nNM: For this seventh episode, we’re tracing traditions. As part of our oral history workshops, we suggest volunteer interviewers ask about family traditions, both in daily life and for special occasions. Listening through our archives, we began to think of ways that traditions travel, between people, through places, and over time. While we listen, we can think about the histories and circumstances that shape how we carry what is passed down to us.\n\nLet’s listen.\n\n[MUSIC FADES OUT]\n\nBODY\n\nNM: We’ll hear first from Antonina Cucchiara and Shavetta Gupta, who tell stories of holiday traditions and celebrations. Between family members, neighborhoods, and work schedules, how do traditions transform in different times, places, and circumstances?\n\nLet’s listen closer.\n\n[FIRST ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with ANTONINA CUCCHIARA]\n\nANTONINA CUCCHIARA: I wanna say that my family, my parents kept a lot of the traditions the same, especially St. Joseph Day. My parents in Italy used to make a whole table of food and invite the family and dress three children as Mary- St. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. And they would dress them from head to toe. Any poor families, you know, people donate food, they give it to them. So, when we came here, we kept that tradition. My father used to do it always. My mother cooks all the food, invite people, eh, “please come!” So, he wanted to keep that tradition, and he kept it as long as he could- as long as they could’a done it. Just to be- that sense of being with Italians and being like, uh, feeling back in Italy, the way that felt. And it’s always giving, give, ‘cause St. Joseph is a giver and a maker, you know? A family guy, family man. My father always was for the poor, giving, giving, giving. And he kept that tradition and he always loved it. And then I started that tradition in school when, you know, when I was teachin’, I did St. Joseph bread for the children in school.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nSTEPHANIE FORTINO-GONZALEZ, interviewer: Given that you were in an Italian neighborhood, do you feel that the Italians in your neighborhood shaped their neighborhood? Like, was there festivals that they created that are still maybe ongoing or still an element that is part of where you live or the communities where you live?\n\nANTONINA CUCCHIARA: Yes, there’s still festivals, there’s still street fairs. We gather and we go. More like now, they’re minimizin’ now because people move on or they move out of the area, but there’s some, like, in Brooklyn -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- And I like to go, and I still do like to go to those places because it makes me think of where I came from, you know.\n\n[SECOND ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with SHAVETTA GUPTA]\n\nNUSAIBA ALLY, interviewer: So how do you and your kids celebrate, like, holidays like Diwali and stuff? Do you go to temple?\n\nSHAVETTA GUPTA: We go to temple, yes. We tries to go like, uh, but for you know, sometime my husband is busy, it's hard. Because especially those days, I like to dress up in my Indian clothes.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nSo, on Diwali, we- we set up the temple in our own house, whatever little temple we have, the small one. We just that- bring that temple in, like, the living room or wherever you have place, like in a big place. So we can decorate too, but we don’t have, like, that much place in the house so we try to put in the same room where I have a small temple but we put in that floor with the nice papers or sheet because, you know, it's dangerous too because the fire thing. So we place all the, you know, statues and everything, we clean them that day and we light diyas and we have sweets for that day. We worship, and little bit prayer we do and then we give sweets to all the kids, and then we go to temple because, you know, that diya, we- we lit in every corner of the house, and we have to go to temple too to lit that diya, but sometime it’s not possible here because sometime it’s too cold and sometime my husband is not available and whatever reason! So we try to go and lo- what you know, possible. If it’s possible, we try to go, otherwise we go next day.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nOne of our biggest festivals, maybe you- Karva Chauth? This the fast for the husband. That is our biggest festival for us here because at least that festival, we do something about it, right? Because we fast for we fast for that day and I dress up, like, in my jewelry and everything. [LAUGHS] So that is the day we do dress up, and I told my husband already, \"You have to take day off or whatever ti- like, you have to come home early at least, right?\" So that day we celebrate. Kids know too that is the fast, that mom has to fast. They don’t know that much, like what is fast for, but they know it is some kind of fast, right? We saw the moon, right? And then we offer whatever, and when we touch the husband’s feet and we eat, right? [LAUGHS] So that is a good thing that kids knows about, but not that much, because you know, like, we do our own. Before, like, when my sister-in-law was with me, we celebrate both together but now we both have different schedules, she do it at her own house. After my parents came, because now I have my mom with me, so we do ours and she do hers.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nSG: So like, you know when you have like a backyard, you can do in your home house too? Like you can invite people, but we don’t have [LAUGHS] backyard to-\n\nNA: Yeah.\n\nSG: To call backyard! So, we can't do this. Like, even especially on festival, if you want to call people, right? Feel nice! That's how you celebrate more! With the other people. Because a few of my friends, they don't know about the Karva Chauth. They don't celebrate. So I could have called them, right, but you know, I don't have that big place to call them, otherwise, like, we feel for those things, when you have friends, you can call them over. Like, recently I star- I have two friends now where I go to their houses, they come to my house. Now it's feel different, you have social life, you can talk to them, you can go to their house. Kids feel happy too that we are going to their house, they feel excited!\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nSG: That’s nice, now we have- I have friends. But that's the big house thing I was talking about, like if you have big house -\n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC BEGINS TO FADE IN]\n\n- we can invite people to, like- we can do birthdays or anniversaries, whichever, like, we want to celebrate, even we don't have to celebrate anything, we can just call them over. But you have to have a big house for that. [LAUGHS]\n\nNM: That was Antonina Cucchiara and Shavetta Gupta. Next, we want to reflect on the ways that family relationships, cultural histories, and traditions shape each other. The clips in this section come from oral histories with Mary Twomey and Ying Zhou.\n\nLet’s start with Mary Twomey.\n\n[THIRD ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with MARY TWOMEY]\n\nEILEEN SPRAGUE, interviewer: Has it been very important to you to impart your Irish traditions and knowledge of your Irish origins to your children?\n\nMARY TWOMEY: Yes, very much so. \n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nI took Irish dancing, so I used to- even at that time, I used to go into tow- go into Manhattan. We went into Manhattan to take Irish dancing, and the Irish dancing teacher taught in a place above a bar, and he would teach us a couple o’ steps and he would go down to the bar [LAUGHS] and make the older children teach us! So, um...\n\nES: Did your husband enjoy step dancing as well?\n\nMT: No! He enjoyed me going! It was always good, “Go ahead, go ahead!” But he had two left feet, he didn't enjoy any dancing, and I [LAUGHS] love dancing! I do line dancing and Irish step dancing now, so eh, but no, he didn’t, he didn’t. I- I, oh, my girl- my children all took Irish dancing, even my boys. So my oldest boy -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- um, I put him into step dancing and there was no boys in his competition. And at that time, he would go to the competitions to the fèis- to the fèises or feiseannas, whatever you wanna call them. And, um, the first one he went to, he won a medal and he said, “That’s it, I’m not goin’ back there, dancing anymore!” So then the girls went, and they went for a few years, and then the youngest guy came along and I wanted him to- to, uh, do some Irish dancing. And, the only reason he went for me was that I said to him, and he was only about seven, and he started saying \"soccer\" when we was about six. Because all the others were doing so many things, he used to say, “Mommy, you have to get me into something!” So, there was a German lady across the street here and, um, she said, “Get him into soccer!” So, I did that and I told him how good he’d be in soccer if he pla- if we went and took Irish dancing! So, he bought that for six months and he quit.\n\nES: [LAUGHS]\n\nMT: So, wasn’t too successful! But you know? Um, they both dance a little bit! Like, particularly the oldest guy. He- when he was in grammar school, he would, like, if they had a bit of a dance, he was one of the boys that would dance! So, it- it-\n\nES: It rubbed off a little!\n\nMT: It rubbed off a little bit! [LAUGHS]\n\nWhen, um, when they were young and I had a lot of control of them, I used to teach them Irish rebel songs!\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMT: I could never listen to Christmas songs. Never. Until really, a couple o’ years ago! And not- I mean, I was married many, many, many years and I still wouldn't listen to Christmas songs so I think back and I think subconsciously I could never listen to country music or Irish music on my own, but I love both. And, if I'm in the car, but I- wha- I start cryin’!\n\nES: You like it with company.\n\nMT: Yes, yeah, yeah.\n\n[FOURTH ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with YING ZHOU]\n\nYING ZHOU: In China, I lived in a period where all the traditions were kind of smashed and not, um, respected. So, in a way, I grew up not having any traditions, if you will. The only time I can remember that has tradition is when I was in middle school, I went into the countryside living with my grandparents, and uh, they still have some traditions in the countryside like celebrating New Year and how they spend, like, weeks preparing the food, and um, just um, cleaning the house, and make the food and enjoy the foods afterwards, visiting families and things like that. So, um, that was very much alive in the countryside, and then my husband is also from a more rural area where they have that kind of traditions. When I visit his family, especially again during the Spring Festivals they will have that kind of tradition. The family together, like, making dumplings [LAUGHS] and then, uh, there are some traditions related to that, but myself growing up, I don’t remember anything along those lines in my family.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nLater years when I go back to Beijing and visit my family, there was something I brought back from China to here, which I treasure a lot, which is actually not a Chinese thing. It’s a- it’s a wooden carved bear that my dad brought me from Moscow when I was, like, maybe five years old and I think the reason I treasure that I think is because kinda my relationship with my dad, anything he kind of gave me, I really, really, like, treasure that. I think that maybe another probably necklace he bought me when he went to Japan, yeah. ‘Cause no- he’s like a scientist and he usually is not, um- I wasn’t with him that much. Especially when I was little, he was in Soviet Union for several years when I was little. So, I kind of very much treasure the things that he brought me and treasure the memories of things that we did together and things like that. Yeah. [LAUGHS]\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nWhen I come here, I also didn’t establish any [LAUGHS] traditions per se. When I- my daughter was young, I tried to celebrate like, uh, regular American kind of holidays like Christmas, we’ll buy a tree and we’ll set it up or if it’s her birthday, we'll do a birthday party, so it’s r- it's really- I think all those traditions are more related to her activities than anything else. Even the Chinese New Year, I think- I think my husband would probably like to celebrate more than- than I do. I don't- I just don’t have that concept of tradition celebration! [LAUGHS] I… But I think, I think it’s a beautiful thing to keep and to do. Yeah.\n\nNM: Drawing from connections between family traditions and histories, we’ll hear stories of family food traditions from Solange Baptiste and Deborah Monaco. From importing ingredients to altering family recipes, we can continue thinking about ways that traditions both remain and change.\n\nLet’s listen.\n\n[FIFTH ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with SOLANGE BAPTISTE]\n\nNATALIE MILBRODT, co-interviewer: So can you talk about an early holiday that you had that was, that was a special memory that you made in New York City?\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nSOLANGE BAPTISTE: When I was in Laurelton, I share, so I bought food. So all together, we had the food ready. The big challenges for me were working with- baking a cake, because the flour in Haiti that come from France is different from the American flour so I cou- I never could bake a cake from scratch! Because I could not- I didn’t know exactly what the flour. So I had to buy [TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Unsure a couple words here] whatever in the box, and bake cake. So until I attended culinary school, so then I learned the [TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Unsure a couple words here] that the flour is so different. How to manipulate the flour. So then- and I was so fortunate to live- when I left Laurelton, to go to, to live in the big home, and had the chance to entertain 60 people at a time, yes! And my first- children’s first communion -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- I could not really find a place I could- to rent. Eh, to do the party.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nI had a chance to take two room from the s- set it up, rent the chairs, [SOUND OF CUP TAPPING IN TIME WITH WORDS] table. And two beautiful [SOUND OF CUP TAPPING IN TIME WITH WORDS] setting. [UNSURE]\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nI don't miss my country! I remember my sister, she- when I was in Haiti before coming here say, “Don’t bother!\" People say, \"[TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Unsure of a word here] Everything is here for you in this country! You don't have to bring one thing. You'll find everything is here! For us...\" Only thing the sometime is different, I have to get special vanilla from the country because it’s such a great difference, the rum, the Barbancourt? That only thing that I bring here. Otherwise, everything here. We have the Barbancourt here too, but it's just like [LAUGHS] being Haitian [LAUGHS] you have to get something from your country!\n\n[SIXTH ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with DEBORAH MONACO]\n\nASHLEY FRANK, interviewer: Who taught you everything you know about cooking?\n\nDEBORAH MONACO: My father. Um, y- we come from a mixed variety of, uh,  traditions. My mother Jewish, my father Italian. And my father’s side was much more predominantly important in our family. So, you know, if someone says, you know, “What are you?” I’m Italian. I think of myself as an Italian. And as a little girl, I've always been very inquisitive. I always loved helping my father cook. I remember helping my grandmother cook. I was little, but even if not even helping, just sitting, watching her cook. It would always fascinated me the way they chopped food, and chopped onions, and everything was just, like, perfect.\n\nAF: Mhm. So you would say just your father and your grandmother taught you everything?\n\nDM: Oh, my mother did teach me things too, I have to give my mother credit as well. I mean, she did definitely teach me. But I think the more traditional type meals, because they’re of Italian origin, it was definitely on my father’s side.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nAF: Are any of these people who taught you what you know still alive and able to watch you now continue to pass on their tradition that they taught you?\n\nDM: Unfortunately my father has passed away, as you know, your grandfather. And my, my grandparents have passed away, but my- my uncles and aunt are still alive, and yes, we always share our- our, you know, what we're doing and how much ingredients and if we're changing ingredients and we compare. We always discuss it, yes.\n\nAF: Obviously, being your daughter, who are you teaching these traditional foods to?\n\nDM: My brother's son, my nephew. When he comes to the house, and, you know, if I'm doing Easter dinner, but definitely Thanksgiving dinner, 'cause they're always here for Thanksgiving 'cause I always do that, he always helps, and we always talk about what we’re making, why we’re making it. We actually watch video tapes, as you know, of my mother and father cooking these meals, and my father saying what he's made. And thank god for a video camera! It’s fun to watch! And having- listening to my father tell stories about his memory of why he’s making something.\n\nAF: Right.\n\nDM: That, you know, something that sparks his memory from his mother. Or his grandmother!\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nAF: When making traditional foods that your family has passed down to you, how do feel when you're doing that?\n\nDM: I feel wonderful. I feel like they're surrounding me, and they're guarding me, and they're helping me, and it makes me proud when people compliment me on- on the foods that I make. It makes me say, “Oh, my parents would be so proud of me.”  And, you know, when people come to the house, and they say, “That was so delicious!” and “That was so delicious!” You know, it's heartwarming, it’s very heartwarming to know that I'm doing it the same way my father did it, the same way his mother did it, and the same way her mother did it.\n\nAF: Right. So it’s a good feeling?\n\nDM: It’s a wonderful feeling.\n\nAF: Okay, and then, now besides when making the foods, how ‘bout when you’re eating the traditional foods? What do you think about?\n\nDM: Oh, of course, I think of them!\n\nWhen I was a little girl, I remember being in my grandmother's kitchen and she was making mussels -\n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC BEGINS TO FADE IN]\n\n- with marinara sauce. And sometimes, when I smell that smell, I think of my grandmother!\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nI- It's crazy to think that at 53, I still think about my grandmother [LAUGHS] when I eat mussels! But only with tomato sauce.\n\nAF: Right.\n\nDM: ‘Cause that’s what-\n\nAF: ‘Cause that’s what she made.\n\nDM: Exactly.\n\nOUTRO\n\nNM: Thank you for listening with us on the Queens Memory Podcast.\n\nVisit our show notes blog at Queens Memory dot org. There, you’ll find full transcripts and written translations of this episode, and more to listen to from our archives. We’ve also added reading recommendations from Queens Public Library’s collections as well as resources from local community organizations. And, if you want your stories to join those you heard today and become part of our archives, head to Queens Memory dot org forward slash participate or to our show notes to find out more.\n\nI’d like to thank our producer Adriene Lara and our composer Elias Ravin. A warm thank you to Ro Garrido for providing fundamental collaboration and support, and to Richard Lee and Molly Schwartz for offering their guidance and wisdom. Thanks also to the Queens Public Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services for hosting and funding this podcast. Finally, thank you to all the interviewees, interviewers, interns, and volunteers for collecting and sharing the stories that make this podcast possible.\n\nIf you’re listening with others, and want to reflect together, here are some guiding questions: what rituals and celebrations do you practice? How and where did you learn them? In our next episode, we’ll think about visits.\n\nListen with us next time on Queens Memory.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61527/file/138745#t=0.0,1454.75663"}]}]}]}