{"id":5708,"date":"2014-03-26T08:00:39","date_gmt":"2014-03-26T12:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=5708"},"modified":"2014-05-06T14:54:20","modified_gmt":"2014-05-06T18:54:20","slug":"talking-cheese-say-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/talking-cheese-say-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking Cheese: Say Cheese?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this blog series<\/a>, intern Julia will explore the everyday language surrounding cheese, from etymology to idioms to associations. Learn why we “say cheese” when we take a photo, why once upon a time we believed that the moon was made of green cheese, or even the history of the word cheese itself. Plus, be sure to answer the prompt at the end of the post each week for a chance to win a copy of culture’s ultimate cheese pairing guide: Cheese+<\/strong><\/em> Last week, we discussed the origin of the word cheese<\/a>, and the winner from that round is Kevin. Congrats and good luck to everyone for this week!<\/em><\/p>\n

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Photography is an incredible medium, and one that I\u2019ve been around for most of my life. When I was little, I borrowed my father\u2019s camera so often that it eventually became my own. Now, I\u2019m the one at family events with camera in hand, pushing people into groups and attempting to capture flattering candids. I don\u2019t remember the first time I insisted a person \u201csay cheese,\u201d but I\u2019ve said it thousands of times since. It is only recently that I wondered why an aged hunk of curds is associated with smiling in photographs – why not instruct someone to \u201csay pineapple\u201d or \u201csay puppy\u201d?<\/p>\n

 Some of you probably know that people originally didn\u2019t smile in photographs. This was for a combination of reasons – cultural norms, bad dental care, the long exposure times required to capture an image. However, the grim-faced photograph is mostly a relic of the past. A BBC article<\/a> from December 2011 mentions that \u201ca desire to move away from \u2018repressed\u2019 Victorian era attitudes and better technology may also have played a part in the demise of serious looking poses.\u201d Slowly, the smile became standard.<\/p>\n

The new challenge for photographers was getting people to look at the camera and look happy at the same time. In the early years of photography, the \u201cbirdie\u201d helped entice photo subjects to both sit still and smile. Mostly geared towards children who were less likely to listen, the mechanical \u201cbirdie\u201d would make the children laugh while also giving them something to look at – it was usually held just above the camera.<\/p>\n

Similarly to the birdie, \u201csay cheese\u201d became a way for adults to know the photograph was about to be taken, but no one knows who first said it or why. There is, sadly, no known link between \u201csay cheese\u201d and our favorite dairy product – but the double \u201ce\u201d of \u201ccheese\u201d creates a baring of the teeth reminiscent of a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay cheese\u201d turned from casual practice to readily-given advice. According to the website phrases.co.uk, an article from October 1943 called \u201cNeed To Put On A Smile? Here’s How: Say ‘Cheese’\u201d was published in The Big Spring Daily Herald, based in Texas. It stated:<\/p>\n

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Now here’s something worth knowing. It’s a formula for smiling when you have your picture taken. It comes from former Ambassador Joseph E. Davies and is guaranteed to make you look pleasant no matter what you’re thinking. Mr. Davies disclosed the formula while having his own picture taken on the set of his “Mission to Moscow.” It’s simple. Just say “Cheese,” it’s an automatic smile. “I learned that from a politician,” Mr. Davies chuckled.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The practice spread rather quickly. According to a critical essay by Christina Kotchemidova<\/a>, Kodak\u2019s history may have had a lot to do with this. When the company released the $1 Brownie camera in 1900, it was a hard sell: Prior to this, cameras were clunky, unwieldy, and complicated, meant for professional photographers and not the general public. Kodak\u2019s marketing tactic was to promote this as a simple, hands-on device that would help you capture the happiness of your life. Kodak did not use \u201csay cheese\u201d on any of their marketing materials, so it is unlikely they came up with the phrase. But they did encourage  society to fall in love with cameras and photographs, leaving a cultural space for this smile-inducing phrase.<\/p>\n

\"d495197ccef7164c364a810ed1bd9ba9\"<\/a>

Photo credit Eastman Kodak<\/p><\/div>\n

It turns out Americans are not the only ones who \u201csay cheese,\u201d although most countries use different words. Bulgaria, for example, likes to say \u201cCabbage!\u201d (\u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435); Hungarians favor \u201cSmall bird\u201d (Cs\u00edz); those in Spain say \u201cPotato!\u201d (Patata). Multiple places still use a translation of \u201cwhere\u2019s the birdie?\u201d or \u201clook at the birdie.\u201d There are, however, a few languages that use their own equivalent word for cheese: Greek (\u03a0\u03b5\u03c2 \u03c4\u03c5\u03c1\u03af), Hebrew (Tagid chiz), and Indonesian (Katakan keju). In Germany, some people are photographers are known to ask their subjects to say \u201cK\u00e4sekuchen\u201d–cheesecake. (Explore a full list<\/a> at Omniglot!)<\/p>\n

Wheels of cheese may not have been the inspiration for this common phrase, but hearing the phrase definitely puts me in mind of my favorite curds!<\/p>\n

Given the variety of texture and appearance, cheese lends itself quite well to having its portrait done. Have you ever photographed cheese, for a blog or article or just for fun? What are some tips and tricks for getting the best photo?<\/strong> Answer in the comments section by April 1, 2014 at 12:00 midnight EDT for a chance to win an issue of our upcoming special issue, Cheese+<\/strong>. Also, don’t forget to stop by next week for an investigation into the world of dreams – and the belief that cheese can give you nightmares<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Featured Image Photo Credit: FreddieBrown<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With cheaper cameras and endless iPhones, we are saying “cheese” more than ever before–but what is the origin of this picture-perfect phrase?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":5711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[319],"coauthors":[408],"class_list":["post-5708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-community-culture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTalking Cheese: Say Cheese? - culture: the word on cheese<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With cheaper cameras and endless iPhones, we are saying "cheese" more than ever before--but what is the origin of this picture-perfect phrase?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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