EDITORIAL
Smo¨rgaÊ staÊ rta and Gumbo: A recipe for cross-cultural success Log Phon Vocol 2001; 26: 49 –50
‘‘If you have learned anything at all from us, Thumbietot, you no longer think that the humans should have the whole earth to themselves.’’ Selma Lagerlo¨f ‘‘New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.’’ Mark Twain
The mass emigration from Sweden to the United States that began around 1846 created long-lasting scars and memories in the hearts and minds of the people who left. My great grandmother, Wilhelmina Hanson, was one of the adventurers. She was reportedly born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1860, emigrated with thousands of others, married Gustav Edlund in Chicago, and eventually settled in Iron River, Michigan, a tiny town hammered out of iron ore not far from the shores of Lake Superior. Life had been harsh in Sweden, but it did not take long to realize that the streets of Iron River, Michigan were not paved with gold, but instead were covered with the red dust of the iron ore mines. Carving the red chunks of ore from the deep caverns was exhausting and dangerous. I wish I knew more of my great grandmother’s struggles. I wish I had been more attentive to the cultural heritage carefully secreted from Sweden to the United States. This most honored invitation to capture some thoughts about human communication and its disorders for your journal has triggered a time journey for me. Contact with my father, our 86-year-old precious relic and living family oral historian, has revealed facts and mysteries about the Swedish side of my heritage that only hint at the story buried in the Stockholm – Iron River connection. The tale must have veiled chapters about which we can now only guess. For example, this Wilhelmina ‘‘Minnie’’ Hanson Edlund Nault was divorced in 1892, a time when divorce was practically unheard of. She married the man I grew to know as my great grandfather, Fred Nault, and their daughter, Mae Nault, was my beloved maternal grandmother. Mae Nault, of half French, half Swedish heritage, was the woman next to whom I spent countless hours on the piano bench as I prompted her to play the music and themes from © 2001 Taylor & Francis. ISSN 1401-5439
the silent movie houses where she had worked as a teenager. Swedish. French. American. What a blend of history and cultural heritage. This joining together of cultural tradition is the binding theme of this essay. Smo¨rgaÊ staÊ rta and gumbo are interesting metaphorical images by which to make the point that interesting layers or even the blending of seemingly disparate ingredients can result in enchanting end products. The Swedish smo¨rgaÊ staÊ rta reveals layers of bread or other pastry that are spread with creamy llings, layered with delicious ingredients, and creatively topped with fresh decorations. Here truly is a dish that is a feast for the eyes and can serve as Midsummer’s Eve party fare for guests. Gumbo, too, is a good metaphor for magical blending of ingredients. Gumbo is a typical representative of a regional cuisine in the United States that is associated with the Creole or Cajun culture found around New Orleans, Louisiana. This thick soup concoction of seafood, sausage, meat, spicy seasonings, and vegetables served over rice is what inspired Mark Twain to characterize New Orleans food (Creole and Cajun) as a less criminal form of sin. A good source of Creole Cajun history and recipes can be found at www.gumbopages.com For a avor of the blend that makes this magical potion consider the following list of ingredients for a typical gumbo: Soup stock Roux (oil, butter, our) 1 chicken or guinea hen Andouille spicy sausage Peeled shrimp (prawns) Blue crabs Okra (a southern United States vegetable) Onions Bell peppers (capsicum) Celery Garlic cloves Bay leaves Chopped fresh parsley Creole seasonings (black, white, cayenne pepper, salt, paprika) Log Phon Vocol 26
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Editorial Tabasco hot sauce Long grain rice
Appropriately, the November 2001 convention of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States and this will be an ideal venue to sample and experience the results of cross-cultural success. So the metaphor is obvious. In the tradition of nearly any culture or national heritage, one can nd rewards from sharing what is unique. This is particularly true as we pursue answers to the clinical and research questions that haunt us as we deal with human communication and its disorders. In my view there has been far too little sharing across national boundaries in our profession. What is the current approach or model used in aphasia rehabilitation in Sweden? Is there a consensus on how to deal with palilalia? Is memory part of the model of how to deal with auditory comprehension disorder? Do these approaches differ from approaches in Finland or in Denmark? What Scandinavian surgical or pharmacological advances have in uenced the way we intervene with individuals with Parkinson Disease? How do these differ from those used in France or Japan or Belgium? What is the tradition of remediation in Brazil for puberphonia or other disorders of voice? What de nes the working relationship between physicians and logopeds, speech therapists, speech-languag e pathologists, or voice clinicians in China, Israel, or Australia? Are there successful alternative-augmenta tive communication intervention strategies for those with ‘‘locked-in’’ syndrome that are part of daily practice in Canada? How prevalent is ataxic dysarthria in India? What are the guidelines for evidence based practice for velopharyngeal function in the United States? Are they similar in Norway? What guidelines exist for the conduct of clinical trials in communication sciences and disorders? What techniques are used to slow speaking rate in hypokinetic dysarthria in Iowa? How does it differ from those used in Florida or New Zealand? Perhaps the advances in global communications will help us answer some of the stated and tacit questions from the previous paragraph. It is possible, however, that a new barrier to transcultural communication will rear its head. That issue is reaction to the ‘‘threat of globalization.’’ Those who fear globalization have their fears reinforced by the obvious and sometimes blatant intrusion of hamburger chains, coffee markets, mouse characters, and CNN into the cultures and lives of nation states throughout the world. Formula hamburgers and mouse ears have indeed penetrated the recesses of remote lands and have given rise to a fear of homogenization of local culture. But there is also a Log Phon Vocol 26
good side. Historical context reveals that the belief that the Internet or global communication is an instrument of globalization will join the company of the telegraph, the railway, the steam ship, wireless telegraphy, the airplane, radio, television, and other technical advances as perceived threats to borders. Given the excesses of some of the more crass popular cultural aspects of globalization, in science in general and human communication disorders speci cally, we are threatened more by a lack of information sharing. Notice the lists of references at the end of scienti c articles and papers. The citations appear provincial, particularly in publications from the United States. The body of scienti c and clinical work from other countries is largely ignored. Pity. We can gain so much from transcultural communication and collaboration. Cross-fertilization does not always result in weird hybrids. Some of us have had the good fortune of travel and study in venues other than our own backyard. Too many of us have not. My collaborations with colleagues in Japan, Australia, South America, Europe, and Hong Kong have been some of the most fruitful, enjoyable, and instructive activities of my professional career. I have heard this sentiment echoed from my colleagues from many other countries. So this honored invitation to share some thoughts in this issue of a respected and important Swedish journal has provided the opportunity for several paths of re ection. First has been chance to formulate some views of advocacy for more intense scienti c and clinical collaborative efforts across our borders. This includes efforts to increase person-to-perso n contact toward the greater goal of advancing our clinical science by a deeper understanding of what each of us has to offer. Another unexpected path has been to increase my personal awareness and appreciation of part of my cultural heritage. Not only have discovered the words of love and wisdom of Selma Lagerlo¨f, the rst woman and the rst Swede to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, but I have uncovered new and intriguing information about Wilhelmina Hanson Edlund Nault, a part of my history that is now less shrouded. Finally, I have enjoyed the opportunity to advocate that the blending of ideas and cultures can indeed be a mosaic as well as a melting pot. The subtle layers of smo¨rgaÊ staÊ rta and the blended spices of gumbo are good metaphors for what we can reap from cross-cultural receptiveness. Leonard L. LaPointe, Ph.D. Francis Eppes Professor of Communication Disorders Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-120 0 E-mail:
[email protected]
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