Keishera Aldonza
Culture Partners: The Interview with the Albanian
I first met Enea almost by accident. It was the night of the first fire alarm at Roberts Hall. The steam pipes had burst and the basement became overwhelmed with steam, forcing Enea upstairs and into my common area. He was alone and I felt particularly sociable that night. He introduced himself as Alec, which I learned later was his “Americanized” name, and I introduced myself and my friends. Our friendship stuck and he even introduced me to the man who is currently my boyfriend. There was no doubt in my mind
Anthropologists use ethnography as a method of studying cultures based insight given on a first hand interaction. I am not an anthropologist by specialty, however; …show more content…
The Albanian people are as ancient, possibly older, as the Greeks. Unlike other languages, the Albanian language shares no common roots with any other language. After World War II, Albania fell under the control of the Soviet Iron Curtain; the Soviet hegemony left an impact on Albanian culture that is still felt today. Enea was born just a few years after the communist government was dissolved; however, his parents lived through the reign of communism. His mother stood in lines a hundred people long only to receive 1 kilo of meat, 1 liter of milk, and half a kilo of cheese, which his grandmother made last for one week. The Iron Curtain systemically forced the removal of religion from national culture in its spheres of influence. Albania forcibly became an atheistic state when mosques and churches were closed and religious observance was banned in 1967. This was law until 1990 when the prohibition of religion was abolished. While the public practice of religion was banned, it became increasingly difficult to outlaw the private practice of religion. For example, a Muslim in the time period (Albanian was 70% Muslim before communism) would not suddenly eat pork, since it is haram and ingrained into their culture and personal identity. In the aftermath of the disintegration of the Iron Curtain, Albania has embraced religious tolerance; however, many Albanians would state that religion is not a major component of …show more content…
Between these countries, there is sort of a cultural food exchange, with countries borrowing elements from one another and making slight tweaks to the food. Common foods in Albania are gyro and tzatziki sauce, both of which are Greek foods, as well as Greek salad. For the dessert section, Albanians have tiramisu, which is Italian, and baklava, which is Turkish. More traditional Albanian food is souvlaki, a dish with skewered meat wrapped in a pita, and llokume, which is often referred to as “the candy.” For Albanians, calling foods by their general category instead of by a specific given name, i.e. the sweet, the bread, is common. Bordering the Mediterranean to the west, Albanian food is filled with seafood, especially within coastal cities such as Shkodër.
It was easy to tell from the enthusiasm in Enea’s voice and the excitement in his gestures, food is a source of national pride for Albanians. When it comes to food and guests, Albanians hold a “kill them with kindness” type of attitude. As Enea eloquently said, “you feed them until they die.” Bread is heavily implicated in Albanian hospitality as it embodies the home and the hearth. Food is near and dear to Albanians and they take pride in
Culture Partners: The Interview with the Albanian
I first met Enea almost by accident. It was the night of the first fire alarm at Roberts Hall. The steam pipes had burst and the basement became overwhelmed with steam, forcing Enea upstairs and into my common area. He was alone and I felt particularly sociable that night. He introduced himself as Alec, which I learned later was his “Americanized” name, and I introduced myself and my friends. Our friendship stuck and he even introduced me to the man who is currently my boyfriend. There was no doubt in my mind
Anthropologists use ethnography as a method of studying cultures based insight given on a first hand interaction. I am not an anthropologist by specialty, however; …show more content…
The Albanian people are as ancient, possibly older, as the Greeks. Unlike other languages, the Albanian language shares no common roots with any other language. After World War II, Albania fell under the control of the Soviet Iron Curtain; the Soviet hegemony left an impact on Albanian culture that is still felt today. Enea was born just a few years after the communist government was dissolved; however, his parents lived through the reign of communism. His mother stood in lines a hundred people long only to receive 1 kilo of meat, 1 liter of milk, and half a kilo of cheese, which his grandmother made last for one week. The Iron Curtain systemically forced the removal of religion from national culture in its spheres of influence. Albania forcibly became an atheistic state when mosques and churches were closed and religious observance was banned in 1967. This was law until 1990 when the prohibition of religion was abolished. While the public practice of religion was banned, it became increasingly difficult to outlaw the private practice of religion. For example, a Muslim in the time period (Albanian was 70% Muslim before communism) would not suddenly eat pork, since it is haram and ingrained into their culture and personal identity. In the aftermath of the disintegration of the Iron Curtain, Albania has embraced religious tolerance; however, many Albanians would state that religion is not a major component of …show more content…
Between these countries, there is sort of a cultural food exchange, with countries borrowing elements from one another and making slight tweaks to the food. Common foods in Albania are gyro and tzatziki sauce, both of which are Greek foods, as well as Greek salad. For the dessert section, Albanians have tiramisu, which is Italian, and baklava, which is Turkish. More traditional Albanian food is souvlaki, a dish with skewered meat wrapped in a pita, and llokume, which is often referred to as “the candy.” For Albanians, calling foods by their general category instead of by a specific given name, i.e. the sweet, the bread, is common. Bordering the Mediterranean to the west, Albanian food is filled with seafood, especially within coastal cities such as Shkodër.
It was easy to tell from the enthusiasm in Enea’s voice and the excitement in his gestures, food is a source of national pride for Albanians. When it comes to food and guests, Albanians hold a “kill them with kindness” type of attitude. As Enea eloquently said, “you feed them until they die.” Bread is heavily implicated in Albanian hospitality as it embodies the home and the hearth. Food is near and dear to Albanians and they take pride in