Syncretism in Food

Ah, dinner, the last meal of the day until a late night snack. My family is very simple about dinner rules: no elbows, no talking over others, no talking while your mouth is full, no phones, etc. With the food, well, we actually usually have some sort of pasta, despite having no Italian genealogy from neither my dad or my mom. I think a good point to make is that cultures of all sorts have spread through the United States, allowing there to be many different dinner options, such as Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Jewish, Persian, etc. We usually eat what we want, and special meals come around usually once a week or so, such as when my mom makes us tacos. Taco night woooo. So on that note, despite being a primarily American family, we eat whatever we want.

I haven't gone to a dinner at another house that wasn't American. Sure, there were different dinner rules, but they were only slight changes. One time a few years ago, I went to my friend Richard's house for breakfast and to hang out around the day. Richard is a 1st-gen-American I believe, as his parents came from China to here. Little did I know that day that we would be going over to a strictly Chinese restaurant. It was weird. The menus were primarily Chinese, with a bad English translation of everything, and Richard knew little Chinese, ironically, and so I had to talk to his mom. The food wasn't that bad, but just how I was the only American in the whole restaurant just gave me a sort of unease, something I didn't feel anywhere else. That is my only real experience of another culture first hand. Like no joke it felt like I was in China in that restaurant, with everyone speaking Chinese to each other and everyone being Chinese. But hey, it's good to be exposed to that; you quickly learn the differences between cultures.

Nathan, Meaning "Gift" in Hebrew

As many of you know, my name is Nathan Mirsky. Nathan is a very Jewish name, in fact, and the Hebrew verb "to give" transliterates to "natan." So take the noun version of that and boom, you have the noun "gift", which sounds like "minchah" in Hebrew (if you know how to read Hebrew, both words have nun, tav, and final nun, but with different vowels). At my old school, Tarbut V'Torah (TVT) in Irvine, we had to take a Hebrew class, and they were all Israeli. Whenever those teachers called my name, very rarely did they call me "Nathan"; instead they called me "Natan." Unlike Gogol in The Namesake, I'm not bothered by my name, despite it not being a super common name like Alex or Sarah. I like it due to its uniqueness and how it stands out (especially when put with my last name, Mirsky). I think Gogol thinks his name is a hindrace for its uniqueness, and ultimately the historical background of it. In the beginning of chapter 5 of The Namesake, he actually goes to the courthouse to change his name to "Nikhil," and by the end of the chapter he ultimately regrets changing it. I would never change my name; I'll always keep it at Nathan. And even though some people like to shorten it to Nate (which I hate), I don't beat myself up over it because I like it!

The reason I was named after the word "gift" is a full story with a spiritual significance, much like Gogol's. My brothers, Steven and Greg, were born in 1985 and 1987, and I was supposed to be just a couple years afterwards as "Michael." Unfortunately, my mom failed to get pregnant, and when she finally did, it happened to be a miscarriage. Skip a few years to September 1999, and my mom learns that she is pregnant again with me. Obviously it succeeded because I'm alive, and despite my mom being 41 when she gave birth to me, I came out perfectly (right on my due date [April 30] and at a great weight [7 lbs]). Now, the reason I was named Nathan was because my mom literally prayed to have a third child, just to make the family complete. With the whole decade that failed of getting pregnant, my conceiving was like a gift from God because I was conceived actually one month before my mom was going to take those pills that put women in immediate menopause. So I was my mother's gift, hence why I am named Nathan.

Heritage and an American Identity

When you hear my last name, Mirsky, you can tell that it is Russian due to the "-sky" ending. I have ancestors from Russia; even some that date back to the times of the Mongols (due to a DNA test, it showed that I have a very, very, very, very small percentage of Mongol in me [someone got raped]). I also have ancestors from Norway and the UK, mostly on my mom's side. They moved to the US in the 19th century to escape from religious persecution, converted to Mormonism, and moved to Utah in the early 20th century. More of my ancestors moved all over the US and the world, some ending up in Anaheim, California. When my mom married my dad, she decided to convert to Judaism. I'm not exactly sure why my dad's side decided to go into the US, but eventually they ended up in New York, some staying in Europe (about 10 died during the Holocaust). That is where my Jewish heritage comes, too. I think understanding where I come from and my genealogy is fascinating; my mom is almost addicted to it. However, I do not think it is important to identify as those nationalities because of one thing: if you are an American citizen, then you are an American. One thing I have noticed in our society is that people are starting to lose their American identity (the 2016 presidential election made me observant and I realized this). Let me explain my observation: people are starting to focus more on their heritage than their contemporary identity. To reiterate, people are starting to think of their race or heritage more than what it means to be an American. So, reader, I ask you to comment not about this post, but about this question: what does it mean to be an American? To me, it means that I live in the most unique, amazing country on Earth that delivers amazing opportunities to anybody that works for it; the American Dream, for example. In this election, and please respect my opinion, I particularly do not like Bernie Sanders not because he is a bad guy (I think he is a very nice man and would morally be good to the country), but because he wants to model this country off Denmark. Why? Well Denmark is pretty peaceful, its economy is doing well, and its socialist. However, look at the size difference between Denmark and the United States. Socialism cannot work in America, unfortunately, and 20 years ago, Bernie wouldn't be as far as he is because of his socialist goals.

I think diversity is definitely an important thing. It is definitely important to recognize in a community, but to strictly emphasize it is another story. Sage Hill definitely prides itself of its diversity, but I believe that its pride has turned into a rather negative affect. Why? When one consistently emphasizes diversity, it eventually segregates people. Ironic, right? Don't believe me? Think about it: when one says that we need to focus diversity, it segregates the Asians from the whites, Persians from the Asians, and so on and so forth. It puts people into racial categories. I think we need to stop focusing in terms to these racial categories, and like I said earlier, focus on what it means to be an American. Because, like it or not, we all live in America, and thus are Americans. So, in conclusion, we should classify as Americans, not white or black or Asian, but Americans. I know other states do not have this issue, and some races unfortunately do have a greater amount of privilege than others, but until we solve those problems, we still have to be Americans, and most importantly, we cannot be divided by opinions. Conservatives cannot be constantly attacking and disparaging liberals, and vice versa. We must learn to agree to disagree, and unite.

In conclusion, because I am not first-gen American, my influences come from my parents. My stress on focusing on our American identity rather than our racial identity comes from them. I mean, they grew up during the Cold War, and they were influenced by Ronald Reagan, the man that made the US win the Cold War. We must stop categorizing people and stop with constantly arguing; we must learn to agree to disagree, which also means eliminating political correctness; we must unite and be Americans. Individual heritages are definitely fascinating to know, but we cannot focus on our pasts; we must look at the present. We once might have been Irish, German, English, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, etc, but we are now Americans. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and again answer this question: What does it mean to be an American? Thank you.

Rational or Irrational?

Ever since the Renaissance and especially after the Enlightenment rational thought has been a central part of our daily lives. Until people started questioning it during the World Wars, it controlled the Western world for a long time. However, that does not mean that it defines us. In my personal opinion, I think the greatest experiences come from irrational actions than rational. Those experiences influence us for a long time, thus defining us. I think a good example of this has been the rationality vs irrationality of the media during this election, because of the controversial Republican candidate with the best hair, Donald Trump. Some people say he will be the next Hitler, others say he will be the greatest president the United States has ever had. I will not talk about my opinions of him, but I do think the media is extremely irrational (and dishonest) when they take excerpts of his speeches and cut certain parts out to intentionally cause bias hatred for the man. For example, he said a 

“total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on" (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/donald-trumps-call-to-ban-muslim-immigrants/419298/). A lot of people took this the wrong way because they didn't look at the "can figure out what is going on." Now, am I sympathizing him? No, don't take it the wrong way from me, but I just wanted to make a point. Irrationality strikes people out more than anything; it makes them pay attention because it makes people question why another person would do what they did. A personal experience I have where irrationality was the main reason for doing it was asking my current girlfriend out as 1) she lives in Northern California and 2) we had only talked via text. But it worked, and we're still dating after over a year. We met each other the first time on our first date, which was at Disneyland. It's irrational as the outcome of it is that I am now in a long-distance relationship, but I fully realized it. That irrational action that I did has affected my life since, more than any other action. But, while the narrator of Notes from Underground never touches on the positives of why he thinks people are defined from their irrational decisions, I will by saying this: if you did something irrational and it makes you happy in the end, then it was worth it; if it doesn't make you happy, then it was a bad mistake.

P.S. sorry about the sudden change of spacing, when I copied the quote it changed the spacing and I don't know how to turn it back :P

Contradictions

Contradictions are something common in life noticed by everybody, whether that is yourself or someone else. One contradiction I have is that while I say to study for school a lot, I don't study a lot, mainly because I become too bored while studying and get distracted with other things, and when I come back I don't want to do it anymore. In addition to that, I believe double checking is very important, too (especially on AP World tests!), yet, I don't do it. I don't know why I don't but I don't. I don't try to beat myself up so much but I do get mad about it. This year, I made a resolution to start studying more and double check more for more personal benefits. I don't exactly try to justify it, but I am trying to improve it so it isn't like so as much.

Petruchio vs. Kate

Therapist: Well, now that you both have gotten that out of your system, allow me to assess the situation: Kate- Katherine-, you are saying that you never consented to marry this man, Petruchio, and that he manipulated your words for his own personal welfare. You also say that despite being married to him, you do not find it reasonable for him to starve you and deprive you of sleep. Hmmm, and Mr. Petruchio, sir, you deny that you have done any of it. You are using those "'true love' shenanigans" that Katherine said earlier, that you say that it was love at first sight, yet, Katherine says the opposite. You were just another person to her, to be shrewd- oh, excuse me, uh, disrespectful to.

Petruchio: I not know what she means when saying that doth was not truest love.

Katherine: Speak normally!

Petruchio: Fair and noble Kate-

Therapist: Stop right there, Mr. Petruchio. I see something very big in your relationship, and that is that you have been calling Katherine Kate, when she prefers to be called Katherine. Anyways, you starved her and deprived her of sleep, claiming that that is what any man would have done to fully control his wife. You control her opinions dictatorially, and I can see that she is upset with it, indeed.

Katherine: Of course I am! This sad sob over here can't even listen to me! When I open my mouth, he says something "right" and claims all my opinions are false! That because I am a woman that I cannot speak.

Petruchio: Fair Kate, 'tis not true. I-

Therapist: Mr. Petruchio, from what I saw from my questions, Katherine is correct. Now, is there anything else? Let me look. *checks notes* Well, it looks as though that is all. So, what I have basically summarized is that you two are unhappy because of Petruchio.

Petruchio: 'Tis not true. Thy a fool! She used the devilish persuasion to make us go here!

Therapist: Right... well, Petruchio, if you are going to marry someone, even if it is for a huge sum of money, at least treat them right. Do not manipulate them, do not dictate their beliefs, respect them and love them. A marriage isn't temporary unless you make it be, and Katherine has the full right to divorce you. If you actually love her, feed her, let her sleep. Maybe you two will get along better. And before you get defensive, Mr. Petruchio, if Katherine really is a "shrewd that you have tamed," then it is time to be nice to her. Listen to her. Maybe you will have even more joy with her, and it will be mutual. Katherine, be fair, too. Give him some time to get acquainted with new transitions he'll make in your relationship. All in all, both of you need to have patience. You run around arguing and yelling, and that isn't healthy for anyone, not even you.

Petruchio: I... I didn't realize...

Therapist: It's okay, Petruchio, you just need to make Kate happy. Not to think that she is but to know that she is. That is the key, Mr. Petruchio.

Do Names Need to Create Controversy?

For my entire life, I have been told and have seen females primarily take on their husband's last name after getting married. In June 2014, my brother Steven got married to a girl named Cat Clark, who immediately became Cat Mirsky afterwards, and with pride and love. Legally, she was still Cat Clark until a few months later (yay paperwork), but now she no longer uses Clark. Another example, my girlfriend's mom's maiden name was Hetherwick, replaced with Woods, but she uses Hetherwick as her middle name now. So on that note, I do believe that women should use their husband's last name after marriage, as its customary and there's honestly no real reason to be opposed to doing so. And if you want to change but also keep it, do what my girlfriend's mom did and make it your middle name. In my opinion, it is not a big deal at all, and I don't understand why feminists make such a huge deal about changing their last name when it's been done FOREVER. I don't understand why we should change it if it has been done for a very long time, and to protest it is ridiculous. If a woman and a man loves each other, she is going to be obliged to change her last name so that it makes her spouse happy and also hers. For example, in Jewish tradition, when two people get married, they are leaving their parental households into a new one between the two of them. In regards to last name, it is traditional to change it to the male's last name, as just because you are your own household, doesn't mean you're not family to your parents. It basically means you're more independent.

I think men taking the woman's name is ridiculous because if it has been tradition for the woman to take a man's last name, why are they trying to change that? It's not hearthwarming like a Buzzfeed article would try to make it, it's just dumb, in my opinion. In summary, I believe that the woman should take the man's name to 1) to keep up tradition, 2) because it out of love to do so and an obligation and 3) just to make everybody's life easier. With so many liberal protests trying to eliminate traditions that have kept this country together, this shouldn't be another issue to bring up. It's not even that big of a deal!

Oh Boy, Feminism

Feminism. Oh, boy.

Feminism is probably one of the most controversial ideologies ever. People agree with in, people disagree with it. To me, feminism is simply equal rights upon everybody. Whether that person be a woman, a man, or someone pertaining to the LGBT groups, everyone should have equal rights. I believe it would make life easier for everybody, and not make so many controversial topics about so many things, especially regarding the LGBT community. As my dad famously said, "Why the hell is everybody making this stuff such a big deal? Just give them the rights and be over with it." I have to agree with my dad. Why does this stuff have to be such a big deal? Obviously everyone should be accepting of who a person is, but people have been committing suicide over these things. Suicide is never the answer. But these people make it such a big deal and so public that most people do not understand and before you know that you have a dead teenager because they couldn't handle it anymore. It has gone too far and maybe we all need to back off from it. Death is not the way people should handle with things, instead they should either learn to cope with it or deal with it on a non-fatal level. Back with feminism, it was interesting to see how crazy the first feminists when studying about this in AP World. A lot of them were radical, some throwing themselves in front of king's' horses and being trampled to death. Others were anarchists, and it was a little too crazy. It's nice to see that it isn't like that anymore, and that suffrage is now over, for the most part, with the exception with those man-hating "feminists" out there. I don't know. I don't agree with feminism 100% but for the most part I do, and I feel like that's acceptable. Regarding the one poster of the man that is saying feminism is encouragement for women to basically abandon the family is absurd. I believe that women are just as equal as men to go out and find their own careers, start their own families, etc. Feminism was definitely a right turn in the evolution of mankind, however, some things about it don't have to be extreme as they are or have been, such as these LGBT movements.

P.S. the reason the national salary between the two sexes is different is because it's the average of what women make compared to the average of what men make, and studies have shown that women generally (keyword generally) work more low-paying jobs. There are exceptions, of course, but they GENERALLY do. I suggest to learn more clearer to look up PragerU on YouTube in order to find out more. Though they are right-leaning, or conservative, they do make some excellent points.