Guga

The tradition.

The controversy.

The taste.

Eating guga is an experience that can produce a lump in the throat, tears in the eyes. Tears of nostalgia, to those for whom it is part of a cultural identity - for others, simply a response to the urge to regurgitate.

The guga is a fishy-tasting seabird, highly prized in its own area for its unique taste. Yet to others living a mere 20 miles away, it is incredible that something so foul can even be taken into the mouth, let alone enjoyed.

The guga, however, is unique to the Isle of Lewis. When exiles meet in far-flung places, the talk soon turns to guga and memories of sharing this . . . delicacy. As the ache of nostalgia creeps in, soon they long to plunge knife and fork into this plump seabird, a 3lb baby gannet. And so it is that barrels of guga, salted down in the summer, wend their way across the world to destinations as far away as New Zealand to bring a taste of home (the sweaty, fishy, oily taste of the scuppers of a fishing smack).

Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 09, 2011 - Comments (7)
Category: Food, Regionalism, Foreign Customs, Europe, Natural Resources

Marmite

Who here among us has ever dared taste Marmite? Not I!

Posted By: Paul - Thu May 12, 2011 - Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Food, Foreign Customs, Europe

World Beard & Moustache Championships 2011

It's not too early to begin planning your trip to Trondheim, Norway, for the World Beard and Moustache Championships in May.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 12, 2011 - Comments (0)
Category: Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature, Foreign Customs, Europe, Hair and Hairstyling

A Lonely Duck

The YouTube description: "this is a song about confidence of a girl who thinks herself as a lonely duck."

Instead of wearing yellow and green, she should have dressed in silver and red, and identified herself with the Ultraman toy.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 03, 2011 - Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Music, Foreign Customs, Asia

The Strange World of Divorce

While it might be fairly common for couples to get a divorce in the United States these days, it's certainly not easy. There are questions of support, custody issues if there are children involved, and bitter arguments over who gets to keep what; all of which can drag a divorce into months of stress. But what is it like in other cultures and in other times? In centuries past, in China, a divorce could be granted for any number of reasons, so long as the bride's family agreed to take her back. Aborigine women in Australia can convince their husbands to grant a divorce but if that's not working, then all they need to do is elope with someone else. The ancient Athenians and modern-day Eskimos share an extremely simple divorce process - live separately as though they were never married. In the UK, a man tired of his wife could slip a halter around her neck, lead her into town to the cattle market, and sell her to the highest bidder. Japan had a much more advanced view, however. Marriage was not sacred and divorce was not immoral - it was merely a mismatch between families. Women's dowrys were returned in the hopes of encouraging re-marriage. You can read more on Purple Slinky, and on Hope's Blog, and in this review.

Posted By: Nethie - Sat Jul 31, 2010 - Comments (4)
Category: Anniversary, Centuries, Ceremonies, Weddings, Customs, Foreign Customs, Marriage

Devil’s Dance of Prizzi

The devil's dance of Prizzi from todavideo on Vimeo.

More information here.

Posted By: Paul - Thu May 06, 2010 - Comments (3)
Category: Holidays, Religion, Superstition, Foreign Customs, Europe

Children of Japan

Wow.
Worst. Timing. Ever.
Release a friendly documentary about Japanese kids in the same year as Pearl Harbor.
Wow.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 06, 2010 - Comments (4)
Category: Family, Foreign Customs, Documentaries, 1940s, Asia

Watch Out for the Remote!!

I like this arranged marriage commercial. It's really a commercial for cable, I think, but the wife wants one of these remotes, too!!



I think I like the Hindi Elvis best. Any other votes?

Posted By: gdanea - Sun Jan 31, 2010 - Comments (3)
Category: Foreign Customs

Merry Christmas India style

Two strange things about this clip -- it is a very interesting take on Santa in India, and Nickleodeon is the producer.



A very different way to celebrate the season!!

Posted By: gdanea - Mon Dec 21, 2009 - Comments (1)
Category: Foreign Customs

Live Like a Tsar

The same armored car company that built cars for Tsar Nicholas, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky are now offering the Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition armored car with whale penis leather seats. This SUV also comes with gold plated bulletproof windows, a tungsten exhaust, diamond and ruby encrusted gauges, a external Kevlar coating and three bottles of the most expensive vodka made (RussoBaltique). The asking price for this dorky SUV comes in at a whopping 1.6 million dollars. It's set to be showcased at next years Top Marques show in Monaco.
Sydney Morning Herald/Dartz

Posted By: mdb777 - Sat Oct 24, 2009 - Comments (3)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Overpriced Merchandise, Foreign Customs