Since my grandpa passed away last Wednesday, our family has been scurrying around, making funeral arrangements and notifying everyone of their responsibilities. Because of his faith and his age, we are seeing this time as a celebration...and some of the family members are
really letting loose. The hot topics in our extensive email chains include our memorial service wardrobe and the origin of our humor gene.
The below excerpts are exact quotes - they have not been embellished in any way. (It's kinda long, but really ridiculous if you stick with it
)
My sister Angela: I think Ama (Grandma) told Andy and the guys to wear navy not black. Ama is
wearing a navy skirt. Anything but black. Ama just mentioned that in
old Chinese tradition red was worn when recognizing one who passed over
90.
Cousin Yucan: Thanks. Got it. So, just to confirm:: all guys in Navy Suits, Red dress Shirts. Guys- any tie color preference we should try and match on?
Aunt Lily: What I feel is can be EITHER black OR navy. We
need to do things thrifty like Acong. To buy a new suit, red dress
shirt and new tie each person will cost near $400. This become a very
complicated issue. We have other things more important to worry. What I
feel is the color should be solemn and not flashy.
My brother Andy: So many emails. We need a fashion consultant. Should I call Gucci or Fendi?
Cousin Yuming: Can I make a suggestion. Can we all wear a dark colored
suit for the guys, white shirt and one of Agong's (Grandpa) ties? He has quite a
few ties and I think it would be kind of cool to wear his ties.
Andy: Because my sense of humor is often misinterpreted, I did not call Gucci or Fendi.
Aunt Pauline: After reading all these e-mails, I started to wonder where does the
"cold-humor" trait in our family come from. Apparently, it is not a
dominantly inherited trait since neither Agon nor Ama manifest it. It
could be a trait caused by a new mutation that occurred in Agon's germ
line when he was young, so several of his children got it. (My
expertise is in spermatogenesis.) Another possibility is
environmental. After listening to Auntie Lily and Uncle Luke's jokes
at the countless Hsiao's family get-togethers, other family members
started to pick it up. I expect to see more of it at the funeral.
See you all there. Just in case you care, one way to tell whether the trait is
genetic or environmental is to see whether the spouses develop the
trait over time.
Cousin John: If we're doing Agong's ties can someone bring me one since I'll be coming straight from the airport? In fact, can one person just bring 9 of them (or 12 so we can veto
some) and we can try it (while also remember to bring our own). Or if we wanted to look like we were blending a parody of Agong
with the Crazy 88 gang from Kill Bill, all 15 cousins should wear
them. (... and all our parents ... our spouses .. our children and Ama.)
Bro Andy: Your theories are intriguing. Correct me if I am wrong, but this trait
you speak of could be X-linked recessive, carried by Ama so that even
though Agong and Ama don't phenotypically demonstrate it, it could be
passed down to my Dad, who got the affected X from Ama and the Y from
Agong. Aunt Lily may be harder to explain, but there could be a factor
of variable penetrance not accounted for. I know Aunt Pauline is
cringing because my Mendelian algorithm is all wrong. As for
spermatogenesis, I've received so much radiation from x-ray in
orthopaedic surgery, that it is a non issue. Those are the
environmental issues I've had to deal with. Like many of my Dad's
comments, this e-mail will be amusing to no more than 2 people.
Crickets...
Aunt Pauline:
Dear Andy, you obviously have the trait but your X
chromosome came from your mom. So your model of X-linked
recessive trait is off. -A board-certified geneticistCousin Kenny: What's wrong with this family?? Clearly I must've been adopted
Conclusion: If you've ever thought I was weird, now you know where it's from. The scary thing is that 75% of the writers above have their doctorate in one form or another...and this is how they are applying themselves in the world.
Comments (2)
hahahaha wow. :) that was enjoyable to read
i can't believe i read that whole thing but it was amusing nonetheless. your family kind of reminds me of my dad's side of the family in which all 8 siblings have masters or phds.