"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." Laurie Anderson

When I first read this assignment I thought, "What?! I am completely ignorant when it comes to anything about diverse cultures, let alone their music.” Then I thought, "Wait! I've been to the Greek Festival, I've eaten at restaurants of different cultures, and don't I have a crazy uncle who likes to listen to traditional Irish music whenever his wife allows?"

I'll begin with the Greek Festival. I have a friend, that I’ve known for years, who is Greek. Every year her family helps with the Greek Festival and she performs Greek dances. I must say, the music is always very lively and fun. Last time I went I even tried to determine the time of some of the music.

Like most people I have been to a variety of restaurants, this is America after all. The restaurant music that I am most familiar with would have to be Mariachi. My mother is from Texas and one of my uncles married a Mexican woman, so really I’ve heard it all my life. However, I only know two mariachi songs, “La Cucaracha” and the other I don’t know the name of, but I have a funny story that goes along with it. My uncle, the one who married a Mexican woman, hired a mariachi band for my grandfather’s birthday, as kind of a joke. Anyway, my cousin Celina had a request. She admitted to not knowing the song, but that it sounded like “one can tomato” and they knew exactly what song she was talking about. I’ve always found that humorous, maybe that’s just me.

Then there is my crazy uncle that insists on blaring Irish drinking songs and other traditional Irish music from his basement “man cave.” He usually does this around the holidays or whenever a large group of people visit their house. Everyone’s favorite part is when he tries to sing along. The keyword being tries, seeing as he’s rather tone deaf and exceptionally loud. It’s even better when he insists that I sing along although I don’t know any of the songs.