Question

In at least 150 words, describe the local color that makes the region where you live distinctive. Include all the elements common to writers of this literary movement.

Answer 1

In where I live, Texas of the U.S, there is a diverse mixture of people from all different backgrounds and places, the vast majority of those people being White Americans However, there is still a significant amount of Hispanics/Latino and African American, the Hispanics/Latino of which have had a distinctive and considerable influence on Texas culture. Because of Texas's geographical location, it has developed three different cultures. The Tex-Mex culture, the "country" culture, and the general American culture. Because Texas borders Mexico, many of Mexico's people and culture, including their food and language, has made it in to and blended with American culture, to the point where Spanish is a widely known and taught language in schools and public. And to the point where an entirely new cuisine style called TexMex was made from the massive inclusion of Mexican and even South American food. Also, there is the country/western culture that Texas is usually associated with by many outsiders. Because of this culture, things like rodeos, hunting, fishing, country music, and the cowboy style are enjoyed and popular in Texas. There is also the widely partaken, general American culture. This is the most, unlike popular belief, practiced culture in Texas, this mainly because of the inclusion of the internet and social media in peoples lives. Re to the local color of Texas, I would have to say red, for the sweltering, arid climate and the fact that the majority of Texans are Republicans making Texas a "red state."

Answer 2

There was a literary movement in the US called regionalism and local colour which apparently relates to this question. Re the local color of where I and my wife live, in the city of Vancouver, it is a national minority area with many filipinos, some South Asians, some Asians, a few Polish people and a few white Anglo-Saxons like me. In the early morning, around 8-8:30AM the bus is full of young people going downtown to work and the basement parking lot of our complex is mostly devoid of cars except for a few retirees-mostly relatively young families in our apartment block. There are 2 main shopping areas where we live-one which is partly South Asian and the other one partly filipino but with an increasing number of upscale eating establishments for gourmet food and coffee bars. Across the street from our apartment complex is a very large cemetery which doesn't bother us as it is peaceful for walking and we don't have to worry about someone building a high rise to block our decent view. Mostly we don't have Chinese people looking onto the cemetery because I believe they are superstitious about living in view of a cemetery.