| Description |
xxii, 306 pages ; 22 cm |
| Note |
Originally published: Toronto : HarperCollins, c1994. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction: Yes, But What Does It Mean? -- Heavenly Hostesses -- Initiations -- Awful Offal -- Sunstruck -- Conspicuous Competence -- Talking Turkey -- No, Virginia -- High Heels -- Baked Beans: An Apotheosis -- In Flagrante Delicto -- Tips of the Slongue -- Greetings -- Beards -- Avocados -- Tipping -- Vacations -- English Spelling; Or Would You Like to Be Phtheighchound for a Ghoti? -- Umbrellas -- Parades: Taking Over the Street -- Blush, Cringe, Fidget -- Bells -- The February Feast -- Caviar -- The Professionals -- The Left Hand -- Wedding Cake -- Taking a Shower -- Crossword Puzzles -- Sitting Pretty -- Gloves -- The Fireplace -- Great Expectorations -- Wigs -- Knitting -- Sour Grapes -- Swimsuits -- Menus -- Wearing Blue -- Uncivilized to Contemplate -- Santa Claus's Significant Other -- Stripes -- The Easter Bunny -- "I Mean, You Know, Like..." -- Vinegar and the Search for Sour -- Mahogany -- The Joy of Jelly -- Synaesthesia |
| Summary |
From the celebrated author of The Rituals of Dinner and Much Depends on Dinner comes a new collection of witty and insightful essays. In The Way We Are Margaret Visser, a self-described "anthropologist of everyday life," identifies and dissects the whos, whats, whys, and wherefores of how we live. |
|
Tapping in to our fascination with our own origins, eccentricities, and foibles, she makes ordinary objects - like restaurant menus and bathing suits - and typical habits - like showering or forgetting someone's name - yield up what they have to tell us about the way we are and how we became this way. What constitutes an initiation rite in our society? Why are we so squeamish about eating offal? What are the unsavory implications of Santa Claus? |
|
This is writing that bears Margaret Visser's distinctive, unmistakable stamp. She leaves us with a rich and fascinating portrait of ourselves and forces us to think about what exactly it means to live in the modern world. |
| Subject |
Manners and customs.
|
| ISBN |
0571198856 |
|
9780571198856 |
|
