Smells and Bells

“Musical tones mean something only in relation to one another, when they're teamed up” (205). When listening to one speak, what is heard is uniform, but the meaning of what is heard differs between individuals. This statement remains true when it applies to music. Everyone’s musical palettes differ, some may have a more diverse palette with a broader range of interests, while others invest more time into a more specific genre. There is a common saying known as “a picture paints a thousand words,” similarly, a song paints not only pictures but tells a story. Growing up learning piano taught me that music is a story in itself. The notes of each measure serve to tell a small part of the whole story.  To me, one piece that progresses to be one of the greatest stories is Ballade no. 1 in G minor, composed by Frederic Chopin. I have attached the link of this piece at the end of this post if anyone was interested in listening to it. The reason I wanted to focus on this piece specifical...

In Religion in the Kitchen , Elizabeth Perez states that “over the last two decades, scholars engaged in the academic study of religion have increasingly come to regard the human body as a malleable multi-sensory interface continually reconfigured through ritual practice” (10). This quote at first caught my attention but for some reason I could not understand why, it took me a bit to understand that being part of different cultural environments changes my emotions. For example, whenever my family and relatives are having a get-together, being surrounded by Armenian culture changes how I feel. My grandparents were born and raised in Armenia, immigrating to the United States they brought their culture with them. On Sunday’s, my grandparents would invite us over along with my cousins to have Khash for breakfast: an Armenian dish that’s made of boiled cow or sheep, along with onion, and is served with vodka for adults. Personally, I did not enjoy this, however, every time I taste this...