And now we get to cultures I have a connection with, even if I'm not blood-related.
First off, if that article about the peoples of the British Isles having the same ancestry is not true, then that would mean I'm not Irish, even though I feel a connection to Ireland. How's that? My step-grandfather was Irish. And when I say that, I don't mean Irish-American; we was from Ireland. His family came to America, lived in New York City for a while, ended up in California. You know Irish folktales, like the leprechauns, and the pots of gold at the end of rainbows? He taught me that as a kid. And being the Santa-worshiping child I was, I believed him. Also, one of my favorite teachers of all time was from Ireland. But now Scotland. What's not to love about Scotland? Golf, bagpipes, Sean Connery . . . funny enough, my brother loves the Scots. Then again, one of his favorite movies of all time is Braveheart, so I understand. It's like I'm the Irish half, and he's the Scottish half.
And here's another connection. America borders Mexico. Mexico was a colony of Spain. The Spanish, like the French, love cooking. The Mexicans are the same in that regard. Hence, I love Mexican food. (I think I committed a logic fail just now.) But it's true, though! There are great Mexican restaurants in town, and I appreciate that! And guess what? The Italians also love cooking, and as such, I too love Italian food! My favorite restaurant in my hometown is an Italian restaurant. You see, there's more to Mexican culture than Desperado, and there's more to Italian culture than, "I knew it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart."
But the biggest connection I have to the world where I have no actual lineage would be Asia. Consider this; my best friend from high school was a boy from the Middle East, and my best friend from college was a woman from the Far East. Yeah, I know, two distinct cultural regions, but they're technically a part of the same continent. It would seem I get along with people from the Orient better than I can people born and raised in my home country. And my fascination with Japanese-made games and manga speaks for itself.
I suppose this isn't unusual, though. My dad loves African-American culture of the 1960s and 1970s, my mom loves East Asian cultures, one of my uncles loves the culture of India. (Dude, you need to see Slumdog Millionaire if you haven't!) It's not that we think these places are better, just fascinating, that's all.
I don't know what else to put on here, since writing about all of this is finally making me drained. The epilogue tomorrow will be short, but the article after that, once I get back to my usual material . . .
