It's Called Culture

We explore the concept of centenarians and blue zones - regions known for their high occurrence of people reaching the age of 100. We discuss the Netflix documentary "Live to 100, Secrets of the Blue Zones" by Dan Buettner, highlighting the commonalities among the five blue zones featured: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California; Ikaria, Greece; and Nicoya, Costa Rica. We...

We discuss the Chinese cultural belief in hungry ghosts ( a specific type of residual spirit of deceased ancestors) including their origin and ghost month traditions. Did you know each leg hair not shaven can defend against three ghosts?! Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Submit your Stories:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/shareastory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Request to be a Guest on our Show...

First we hold a hilarious "Translation Bee" and then we discuss a book by Sue Fagalde Lick about Portuguese women in California. We explore the hardships faced by immigrants and the historical oppression of Portuguese women. We reflect on their strength and resilience. 

Bigfoot, and UFOs, and thunderbirds, oh my! We break down this mysterious place in our hometown’s backyard.

A fun and casual weekend update including tickets to the church supper and an idea for training grounds for Portuguese children. Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Submit your Stories:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/shareastory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Request to be a Guest on our Show:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/guests⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Along With Us on Social Media:  TikTok:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

In this episode we discuss the burning question on everyone's minds regarding the people who came over to test fertility of the lands and be the first to settle the uninhabited Azores in the 1400's... "Who would volunteer for that?!" Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Submit your Stories:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/shareastory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Request to be a Guest on our...

In observance of Daughters Day celebrations around the world, we discuss the book Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff, which challenges Western-centric views of parenting.  The discussion is eye-opening even for those who don't have kids. Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Su...

We discuss Netflix's documentary John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer . Idolized medium João Teixeira de Faria rises to international fame before accusations of abuse come from survivors, prosecutors, and the press. Warning: You'll never drink a Hi-C Ecto Cooler again. Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Submit your Stories:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/shareastory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

By listener request, we cover the Great Vinho Flood of 2023. We've all seen the viral video of the red wine flowing down the road from the Levira Distillery in the village of São Lourenço de Bairro in Anadia, Portugal. Let's talk about wine surplus, similar spills, potential new crops, and firefighter calendars. #neverforget! #newfesta! Video Episode: View on YouTube Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkan...

Kyler travels across the Atlantic from Lisbon every year to return to his hometown’s Portuguese festa. This year we joined him at the Festa of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos (Feast of Our Lady of Angels) in Massachusetts, whose traditions originated in Kel's mom's village of Água de Pau, São Miguel. We share the experience with you in this episode.

Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Submit your Stories:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/shareastory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Request to be a Guest on our Show:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/guests⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Along With Us on Social Media:  TikTok:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@itscalledculture⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_itscalledculture⁠

We discuss the events leading up to the devastating January 15, 1919 Great Molasses Flood in Boston's North End immigrant community as well as the investigations that followed. Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Submit your Stories:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/shareastory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Request to be a Guest on our Show:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/guests⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Along With Us on Social Media:  TikTok: ...

We discuss Netflix's The Legend of Cocaine Island , about a family man with no drug running experience who searches the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico during the Great Recession for a lost stash of cocaine said to be worth at least $2 million... And how "Portuguese dad" financial advice could have prevented this entire scandal. Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Submit your...

We discuss a controversial Portuguese Nobel Prize Winner who made lobotomies happen and shared his findings with his colleagues at a World Neurological Convention (a.k.a. he bragged to his booth mates at the science fair). Merch:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠⁠⁠ Submit your Stories:   ⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/shareastory⁠⁠⁠⁠ Request to be a Guest on our Show:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠folkandfad.com/guests⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Alon...

Up first is the concept of personal hygiene in our parents' villages before they immigrated to the US. Next, we dissect a recent photo we received of gendered porta-potties from São Miguel Island in the Azores, Portugal. We wrongly speculate about a Terceira jewelry mystery and discuss the fate of Mel's mom's confiscated jam. Stay Tuned-in: Tomorrow's episode details the Portuguese...

This episode tackles the challenge of dealing with automated call-center menus both for ourselves and on our parents' behalf. We also share a story about how cancelling Comcast is similar to a bad breakup with an ex, including being subjected to deceptive tactics and endless loops. Please hold... Merch:   ⁠⁠folkandfad.com/thebazaar⁠⁠ Submit your Stories:   ⁠⁠folkandfad.com/shareastory⁠⁠ Reques...

In this episode, we discuss the concept of WWAD (What Would Azoreans Do?), our new mantra for mindful living. We explore the Netflix docu-series "Broken," exposing the dark side of consumer products like cosmetics - including the staggering volume of goods, counterfeiting, toxic ingredients, and the role of scarcity marketing. Kel recalls her own experiences in China, where she encounter...

In this episode, we explore the world of all-white parties, from this year's famous event in the Hamptons to unique experiences in New York City and Ponta Delgada, São Miguel. We discuss the history of white parties and their significance. Lastly, we describe the gastronomic showcase celebration put on by Mel's dad's village which includes representations and re-enactments of the way l...

Woohoo! We're trying out bonus mini-sodes on Mondays to get you through the start of the week! On this inaugural Monday we chat Hulu's Only Murders in the Building , Peacock's Based on a True Story, and Riley Sager's fiction novel Lock Every Door. And we discuss which specific episode of a beloved 90's TV series inspired our love for this genre. Don't forget to continue to...

First, a segment about what we're watching and reading: Netflix's Longest Third Date, Netflix's The Volcano Rescue from Whakaari, and Malcolm Harris' Palo Alto History of California, Capitalism, and the World. Next, we discuss Tory Burch's overpriced and under-attributed Portuguese-inspired items including a sweater tunic with similarities to Povoa de Varzim's camisola pove...

The always-funny Connie Marques shares her recent trip to Portugal, including stops in Lisbon, Coimbra, Curia, Porto, and São Miguel. We hit her with a curious list of interview questions generated by AI which get her to talk about trying the popular dish francesinha, night-seagulls (cagarros), train chaos, funny language encounters, and a surprise transatlantic visit from her dad. We speak with f...

For our culture segment, we discuss Portugal's former colony in China, its history, culture, travel logistics, and other unique aspects. Our nostalgia segment covers Mahjong and its connection to retailer Abercrombie & Fitch. We share our memories of playing Mahjong on the computer and the confusion felt when encountering the traditional version. We also touch on the marketing tactics of A...

Mel & Kel discuss immigrant parents' zero-waste policy and some real-life quirky examples. Our culture segment delves into the quirks of the underground kitchen life including foil-papering the stovetop. For our nostalgia segment, we take a trip down memory lane to a time when smoking indoors was commonplace (even at Venus de Milo wedding receptions). And our mental health segment explores...

In this episode, we discuss recent travel experiences, including memorable interactions with hotel staff. We explore the concept of "fraqueza" and its connection to blood glucose levels. We also talk about a device called Bow-lingual for translating dog barks into human phrases and other Time Magazine "Best Inventions" of 2002. For our mental health segment, we emphasize the im...

In this episode, we explore the uncanny connections between the tragic submersible incident and the iconic story of the Titanic. We discuss familial links, delve into controversies surrounding the Oceangate CEO's motivations, and recount unusual premonitions related to the Titanic. You'll also find out which tycoon associated with the Titanic once spent a year in the Azores. Watch the full...