It's Called Culture

We discuss planning a trip to Portugal, a scandalous story from the 1300s, nostalgia's impact on mental health, and cultural heritage preservation through nostalgia. Watch the full video episode on YouTube. Subscribe here: @folkandfad Follow Us:  TikTok:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@itscalledculture⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_itscalledculture

Our culture topic is the Portuguese boogeyman (bicho papão, coco) including etymology, poems, and festas. We read a new message that a reddit user left for us about São Miguel burials, including some people who were not-so-dead when buried. And finally, we discuss the readiness of the anxious mind to respond to disaster in our mental health segment.

We take a butterfly effect-like journey through former Pope JPII's survival of three unique but seemingly interconnected assassination attempts in Italy, Portugal and The Philippines.

[SPOILERS BEGIN AT MINUTE 36:00] We react to the Netflix series Turn of the Tide loosely based on the real life event of cocaine washing ashore in the village of Rabo de Peixe, São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Our parents are from this island, so we feel inherently connected to the show and its cultural details. The first half of the commentary is relating to vibes not plot...

As always, we kick things off with a fun social media roundup. Our culture topic is a recap of the true life events of cocaine washing ashore in the village of Rabo De Peixe on the island of Sao Miguel (Azores, Portugal) to complement the newly released Netflix series loosely based on these events. Nostalgia topic is the unhinged plot lines of the cult-classic show 7th Heaven. And Kel gets real wi...

Kel was out this week grieving the unexpected loss of her dog so we pulled together some segments from the vault that haven't yet aired as part of any prior episodes. Our social media roundup contrasts the isolation of the U.S. vs. community-centric cultures. Our culture topic is cultural sleep habits, not limited to our very own Portuguese post-meal napping. And we end by recapping a list of...

First we round up Trip Advisor and Reddit posts about "men standing around doing nothing" and the unrelated surprising source of a Covid-19 outbreak on the island of São Miguel in 2020. Our nostalgia segment takes a stroll down memory lane as Mel recounts recent volunteer work as the recess and lunch duty adult. And our mental health segment is a tale of two reactions to a jetski ride go...

First, our social media roundup unlocks a new fear of being stuck in a trunk with a distinctive cultural carcass. Our culture topic is May Day, where we discuss both the introduction to an evil-eye-less spring and the dramatic lead-in to International Workers' Day. Our nostalgia topic is prior generations' burial customs in the Azores, including first-hand accounts that we've gathered....

It's called a microbial culture. Ever heard of it? We cover a broad swath of Big Dairy beginning with the swill milk scandal all the way to a sexist 'Got Milk?' campaign about PMS that was retracted in 2011. And we end with a mental health discussion about the cherry blossom experiment and legacy trauma. Follow Us:  TikTok:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠@itscalledculture⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠@_itscalledculture

First we update on the shared cultural experience of having a relative eat your pet bunny. Our culture topic is real life tales about the art of the Portuguese newlywed prank. Our nostalgia topic includes discussion of both a 90s con childhood bedroom replica and a haunted-house style escape room. And Kel updates us on her gratitude journal progress for our mental health segment. Follow Us:  TikTo...

First we cover the local government-document-leaker that has made global headlines. Our culture topic is British food folklore which we are sad to report includes more than one instance of butts touching food. Our nostalgia topic is the early 2000's era game-show Street Smarts and our mental health segment is about the manipulation of negative emotions in content-creation and media. Follow Us:...

We start by celebrating our podiversary and recounting some special memories from the past year! Our culture topic is The Barcelos Rooster (it did what!?) and we update a few of our favorite clips as our nostalgia topic. For our mental health segment we discuss kava and the art of getting good sleep. Follow Us:  TikTok:  ⁠@itscalledculture⁠ Instagram:  ⁠@_itscalledculture

First we read a note from a Canadian listener. Then we cover driving to Toronto and driving in Toronto. Celebrity neighborhoods. A wedding blackout. We reminisce over my dad's collection of "I know a guy" Canada travel stories. And a mental health segment about badass women. Follow Us:  TikTok:  ⁠@itscalledculture⁠ Instagram:  ⁠@_itscalledculture

First from our social media roundup [01:57] we have Strega Nona, Furnas, São Miguel, and a traumatizing earthquake museum. Our culture topics [16:00] are Spanglish the movie and Spanglish the linguistics phenomenon and our nostalgia topic [36:12] is 90's con 2023 debrief. For our mental health segment [01:04:22] we discuss the concepts of unmasking and gratitude journaling. Follow Us:  TikTok:...

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.

First we update on the phallic pottery of Portugal's Caldas Da Rainha. Our culture topic is [unraveling Saint Patrick's Day] and our nostalgia topic is [leprechauns in 90s-00s media]. For our mental health segment we discuss death by 1,000 paper cuts and balancing chaos with stability.  Follow Us:   TikTok: @itscalledculture Instagram: @_itscalledculture   References: The Incredible...

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 dig back through marriage history and make some eye-opening discoveries. A bride pie contained WHAT?! A bundling board is for WHAT?! May is bad luck for weddings because of WHAT?! We're with you on this rollercoaster ride, for better or for worse. Follow Us :  TikTok: @melanncoley & @itscalledculture Instagram: @_itscalledculture References:   7 Portuguese Wedding Traditions That...

Mardi Gras! Fat Tuesday! Shrovetide! Pancake Tuesday! Carnival! Malassada Tuesday! Entrudo!  Of course there are an excess of names for a celebration of *excess*.  We've got the hilarious deets on the not-so-conventional ways that different countries celebrate this day. Carnival Traditions in Portugal The Weird Historic Traditions Around Pancake Tuesday in Ireland Sin Cities and Saintly...

We discuss the three most forbidden words in Portuguese households: "I-love-you". Then we journey from the history of Saint Valentine all the way to The Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts. We explore lovers' traditions around the world and end with a mental health segment on consumerism. You know, keeping it light! References:  Travel Triangle: 18 Valentine's Day Traditions Around the Wor...

We dig into the history of the Walt Disney World Company and its parks including: little-known incidents, Portugal getting snubbed out of EPCOT representation, and what it was like on Splash Mountain's final day of operation. References: Dark Side of Disney A Brief History of Disney

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 h...

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.