It seems we are always hungry for a delicious anecdote. Numerous recital recipes exist. So what makes one tantalizingly tasty? Love, war, nature, lessons, religion, politics and plain tomfoolery, to name a few, are favored ingredients often found within many concoctions. A unique formula is designed per each dish, thus creating distinctively original flavors. It is also common to uncover grub devoid of reasoning. Feasts served without the season of reason are often considered desirable only by those with an acquired taste, for not everyone appreciates fluff with less filling. Regardless of the contents, what one chef conjures up, another is sure to partake. With so many variations, anyone can be a culinary artist; from novice to sous, even the skimpiest of staples found in the pantry will do!
Some people may deliver the same cuisine repetitiously, but each serving provides slight deviations from one to the next. For example, the main course remains traditional but the side dishes are interchangeable, creating a familiar menu with daily specials. Those who appreciate the cook’s preparations eagerly welcome the sustenance that will satisfy their appetites. Each diner invited to a specific setting devours the same select meal; however, each guest holds individual presumptions. Although they have all tasted the same thing, to each the taste is incomparable.
Regardless of how chronicles are cooked up, how the stories are stirred, or why fables are fabricated, most will agree with Tim O’Brien, author of “How to Tell a True War Story” when he says, “Stories are for joining the past to the future” (439). For as long as we have been able to communicate, stories have been passed down from our ancestors as a way of connecting our past to the present, and we go into the future telling our stories as we remember them (Ibid). Of course our most astute story can be told immediately after a life episode. As time goes on we forget the less important details and remember only those that embedded in our cognizance. It’s not uncommon for a good reciter to “fill-in-the-blanks” to keep the tale interesting and the listener’s engaged. Tim O’Brien makes a very important point to story-telling, “[a]bsolute occurrence is irrelevant” (449). Nevertheless, each speaker has their own flare for elaboration. “[T]he line between reality and fiction is always a fuzzy one…” (439).
Other things for one to consider when telling or listening to a story is how greatly our perspicacity varies between one another. Do you remember slumber party games? A popular one played mostly by young girls required all to sit on the floor in a circle; the first girl would quietly whisper a few sentences into the ear of the girl on her left. The girl who received the secret would then pass it on to the girl on her left and so on. The last girl to hear it would then say it aloud. Funny thing is, it was NEVER word for word and often times it had changed dramatically, just in four to five repeats! Now imagine how a story slowly evolves through countless recitings, over numerous years, told by a multitude of speakers.
Envision two people who witness something vividly peculiar. Do you suspect their stories will be the same? If so, more than likely you would be wrong. Individual perception is tricky and undecipherable. Indeed they both saw the same thing, but take into consideration their differences in observation. Suppose one was frightened by the occurrence while the other was calmly intrigued. Simultaneously, as they each observe, they develop their own unique accounting of the event. The frightened witness may have a similar experience like that of O’Brien when he witnessed the death of his comrade. In moments such as that it’s difficult to comprehend and decipher the various angles. “What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way… And then afterward, when you go to tell about it, there is always that surreal seemingness, which makes the story seem untrue, but which in fact represents the hard and exact truth as it seemed” (442).
Now fold in the following participant characteristics to the mixture: one articulate and one elementary. What do you suppose their choice words will be when asked to verbally recollect the incident? Ah, yet another twist to tall tales! It is most likely that the elementary spectator lacks the vocabulary necessary to adequately explain all that he saw and felt. O’Brien is right in declaring “… experience outstrips the resources of language” (439). However, speechlessness of this sort can also happen to the versed speaker, if they happen to witness “…something essential, something brand-new and profound, a piece of the world so startling there [is] not yet a word for it” (446. 447). If this concept seems unfathomable, think of a simple firework display; what words come to mind? Exactly! A lot of oooh’s and ahhh’s! Many times such as these we find our tongue tied and unable to sufficiently express in words what we have experienced, or are experiencing.
A good story, like a good recipe, can be tailored congruent to the attending company. Many guests are easily amused by simply living vicariously through the story-teller’s experiences, oblivious to any factual content. Truths or untruths, small vocabularies, inaccurate memories or lack of comprehension is inconsequential to telling a true story. Each and every one of us is entitled to tell our exclusive tales in our own unique voice. Story-tellers, do not be discouraged by the scrupulous listeners who focus on dissecting the tale relentlessly searching for realism, ready to discount the story in its entirety if truth cannot be found. Instead, have sympathy for those fastidious folks who so often miss the plentiful bounties baked in everyday recitals.
Some people may deliver the same cuisine repetitiously, but each serving provides slight deviations from one to the next. For example, the main course remains traditional but the side dishes are interchangeable, creating a familiar menu with daily specials. Those who appreciate the cook’s preparations eagerly welcome the sustenance that will satisfy their appetites. Each diner invited to a specific setting devours the same select meal; however, each guest holds individual presumptions. Although they have all tasted the same thing, to each the taste is incomparable.
Regardless of how chronicles are cooked up, how the stories are stirred, or why fables are fabricated, most will agree with Tim O’Brien, author of “How to Tell a True War Story” when he says, “Stories are for joining the past to the future” (439). For as long as we have been able to communicate, stories have been passed down from our ancestors as a way of connecting our past to the present, and we go into the future telling our stories as we remember them (Ibid). Of course our most astute story can be told immediately after a life episode. As time goes on we forget the less important details and remember only those that embedded in our cognizance. It’s not uncommon for a good reciter to “fill-in-the-blanks” to keep the tale interesting and the listener’s engaged. Tim O’Brien makes a very important point to story-telling, “[a]bsolute occurrence is irrelevant” (449). Nevertheless, each speaker has their own flare for elaboration. “[T]he line between reality and fiction is always a fuzzy one…” (439).
Other things for one to consider when telling or listening to a story is how greatly our perspicacity varies between one another. Do you remember slumber party games? A popular one played mostly by young girls required all to sit on the floor in a circle; the first girl would quietly whisper a few sentences into the ear of the girl on her left. The girl who received the secret would then pass it on to the girl on her left and so on. The last girl to hear it would then say it aloud. Funny thing is, it was NEVER word for word and often times it had changed dramatically, just in four to five repeats! Now imagine how a story slowly evolves through countless recitings, over numerous years, told by a multitude of speakers.
Envision two people who witness something vividly peculiar. Do you suspect their stories will be the same? If so, more than likely you would be wrong. Individual perception is tricky and undecipherable. Indeed they both saw the same thing, but take into consideration their differences in observation. Suppose one was frightened by the occurrence while the other was calmly intrigued. Simultaneously, as they each observe, they develop their own unique accounting of the event. The frightened witness may have a similar experience like that of O’Brien when he witnessed the death of his comrade. In moments such as that it’s difficult to comprehend and decipher the various angles. “What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way… And then afterward, when you go to tell about it, there is always that surreal seemingness, which makes the story seem untrue, but which in fact represents the hard and exact truth as it seemed” (442).
Now fold in the following participant characteristics to the mixture: one articulate and one elementary. What do you suppose their choice words will be when asked to verbally recollect the incident? Ah, yet another twist to tall tales! It is most likely that the elementary spectator lacks the vocabulary necessary to adequately explain all that he saw and felt. O’Brien is right in declaring “… experience outstrips the resources of language” (439). However, speechlessness of this sort can also happen to the versed speaker, if they happen to witness “…something essential, something brand-new and profound, a piece of the world so startling there [is] not yet a word for it” (446. 447). If this concept seems unfathomable, think of a simple firework display; what words come to mind? Exactly! A lot of oooh’s and ahhh’s! Many times such as these we find our tongue tied and unable to sufficiently express in words what we have experienced, or are experiencing.
A good story, like a good recipe, can be tailored congruent to the attending company. Many guests are easily amused by simply living vicariously through the story-teller’s experiences, oblivious to any factual content. Truths or untruths, small vocabularies, inaccurate memories or lack of comprehension is inconsequential to telling a true story. Each and every one of us is entitled to tell our exclusive tales in our own unique voice. Story-tellers, do not be discouraged by the scrupulous listeners who focus on dissecting the tale relentlessly searching for realism, ready to discount the story in its entirety if truth cannot be found. Instead, have sympathy for those fastidious folks who so often miss the plentiful bounties baked in everyday recitals.
Remember, it’s not the components of the concoction that is of the utmost importance; or whether not the medley is stirred, mixed, blended, sautéed, baked or chilled that is important. It is past experience rising to the occasion that calls for the gathering and the passionate demeanor in which the story is served!
Works Cited
O’Brien, Tim. “How to Tell a True War Story”. The New Humanties Reader. 3rd Edition.
Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
Company, Boston, MA, 2009. 439-450.
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