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Dental Offices That Will Scare You Away

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Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend.  We’re big fans of Buzzfeed here at Malone Dental, and someone came across this very entertaining article compiling photographs of the exterior of dental offices around the world.

Before checking out these photographs, I would have said:  be glad you live in the United States, where dentistry is progressive and the most advanced in the world.  But some of these practices are clearly in America.  I have no words.

So which of these dentists would you be MOST afraid to visit?

Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.

The Crawfish Boil: A Louisiana Spring Tradition

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Our staff is particularly psyched this warm April Friday — we’re throwing a crawfish boil!  Our fellow Louisianans know exactly what this celebration entails.  For those unfamiliar with the tradition, a Crawfish Boil is an age-old tradition in the Deep South.  Here in Louisiana, we celebrate with an outdoor party and feast on the delicious crustacean.  Because we’ve just entered what we call ‘crawfish season,’ this time of year the Crawfish Boils are plentiful.

 

This tradition is so indoctrinated into Louisiana culture that we have a few world-famous crawfish boils on a grand scale.  These are the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival and Tulane University’s ‘Crawfest,’  both of which are heavily attended by Gulf-coast residents where the seafood is literally right out of the water.  Though the big festivals are accompanied by jazz brass bands and 18,000 pounds of crawfish, we won’t be requiring that much food to feed our small team here at Malone Dental!

So where did this crazy Louisiana tradition come from?  It’s part of the Cajun culture, originating from the French-Canadian pioneers who in the 1700s were exiled from Nova Scotia by the British.  The local Indians had already consumed crawfish before the Cajuns arrived.  Back then, the Native Americans used reed sticks with venison as bait on the end.  In the 1930s the net was introduced as means of capturing large amounts of crawfish; by the 1950s we had the modern crawfish trap.

 

Crawfish (also called crayfish) are in fact descendants of the Maine lobster, but smaller and with their own unique flavor.  They’re also called ‘mudbugs’ because they live in the mud of the freshwater bayous.  Locals who hold crawfish boils at their homes often go out to catch their own in the bayous or crawfish farms instead of buying from fisherman.  In fact, Lousianians are so serious about crayfish that in 1983 the governor signed a law designating the crawfish as the state crustacean, making Louisiana the first state to do so.

 

Craving some crawfish but don’t live in the deep south?  The rest of the country imports their crawfish primarily from Louisiana, so you should be able to find some wherever you are!  Here’s a great overview on How to Throw A Crawfish Boil.  Happy eating!

 

Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

Weird & Wacky Weddings Worldwide

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Welcome to wedding season!  Well, at least in this country.  Aside from lacking a wedding ‘season,’ countries around the globe celebrate nuptials very differently—if somewhat strangely.

 

For example, only do Westerners believe brides should wear white on their wedding day.  Other cultures think wedding gowns should be colorful and vibrant on the big day.  In fact, the color white used to be associated with mourning—especially if a woman wore all white, it was because she was mourning her dead husband.  This all changed in 1840 when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert; the queen broke the tradition by wearing a white gown, stirring up controversy while simultaneously setting a new trend.

 

While Western brides sporting white gowns is unusual to other cultures, what about their wacky traditions?  There are plenty of them, but here are five countries with the most unconventional of wedding traditions:

 

China:  Crying Constantly

This tradition is probably the tamest, but it’s still odd.  One month before a Tujia woman’s nuptials, she must force herself to start crying.  She must cry for one hour every day; a few days later the mother must join in, and then the grandmother until every female in the family is crying every day before the wedding.  Supposedly it’s an expression of joy, having all of the females cry together in their varying tones creating a beautiful ‘crying marriage song.’  Truthfully, I don’t know anyone who sounds good when they’re crying.

 

Scotland: Blackening the Bride

This tradition is rather gross and unsanitary.  The Scottish take bachelorette parties to the extreme.  Instead of getting the bride-to-be trashed, the future bride gets trash thrown at her.  It’s called ‘blackening the bride’—before a bride is allowed to marry her groom, she must withstand the public humiliation of having the nastiest things dumped on her head.  I mean animal feces and sticky food like molasses; dead fish, curdled milk, and tar—basically anything you can find in a garbage dump.  Then, in this smelly state, the bride is taken out for a night of debauchery.  Supposedly the point of this tradition is so that a bride is able to endure any amount of humiliation during her marriage.  I just hope the bride manages to get clean before her ceremony.

 

India: Marrying an Animal

This tradition actually has nothing to do with preparing a bride for her wedding day.  In India, any girl who is born ugly, with a baby tooth that is already growing, or with a facial disfigurement is said to be possessed by ghosts.  The belief here is that if the girl marries an animal (typically a dog or goat), she will rid her body of the demons and ward off any future ghosts or bad luck.  There’s even an extravagant wedding ceremony held, though fortunately the girls aren’t expected to—er, ‘lie with the animal’ later on.

 

 Mauritania: Fattening the Bride

 

In Northwest Africa, for a man to be proud to flaunt his wife and be of ‘high status’ she needs to be large.  The more stomach rolls, stretch marks, and overlapping thighs the better.  The fatter she is, the wealthier people will believe the man to be because he can afford to feed his wife well.  In some parts of Africa, a disturbing ritual called Leblouh requires girls between ages 5 and 15 to go to fat-farms where they are force fed thousands of calories per day to prepare for marriage.  This is no laughing matter, as women are beaten if they don’t eat and some develop psychological issues later on.  If you still don’t think this sounds that terrible, recall how difficult it can be to eat when you’re already overly full.

 

Malaysia:  Avoiding the Restroom

In Mayalsia, the Tidong people believe the bride and groom should not be allowed to use the restroom for 72 hours prior to the exchange of vows.  They are so serious about it that usually family members guard the bathroom to ensure neither of them cheats.  Oh, and on top of the torture of not being able to relieve oneself for three whole days (which can’t be healthy in itself) the pair are starved and given minimal water.  I suppose in a way this prevents the urge to use the restroom, but still.  The Tidongs are superstitious people; they believe this torture, if survived, will lead to good fertility and strong, healthy children.  I don’t buy it.  Though strangely, I think a little suffering before one’s wedding might be a good thing in the long run; perhaps you’ll think twice before bickering with your spouse so long as you’re both allowed to eat and use the bathroom regularly.

 

 

Those last two are tied for the worst for me.  Looking back, I’m not sure why all of these traditions are so—pleasant.  Perhaps we do weddings best in the U.S!  What do you think?

 

Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.

Lafayette Makes Top Ten List!

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Welcome to the first full week of March.  Typically at this point in the year parents begin stressing (if they haven’t already) about what to do with the kids for the fast approaching Easter vacation.  Well, guess what?   Our very own Lafayette has made Away.com’s list of 2013’s top 10 spring break destinations for families.

Spring in Lafayette is the best time of year to visit.  The summer heat and humidity isn’t nearly overwhelming enough to force everyone into confined spaces with air conditioning.   There are plenty of hotels, restaurants, and more kid-friendly activities here than you would think.  Here is my suggested Lafayette itinerary gathered from various travel websites:

The Atchafalaya Experience

Among family activities in Lafayette, gator watching is a must-do.  The  Atchafalaya Basin Swamp Tour will show you the best of the Atchafalaya, one of Louisiana’s largest river swamps.  You can’t get more up close and personal with alligators and up to 38 species of birds, otters, deer, mink, and beaver.  Tours are led by an experienced father-son team and leave twice daily.

Vermilionville

For older kids, visit the Vermilionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park where actors, interpreters, and craft demonstrators work to provide visitors the opportunity to view life in Lafayette from 1765 to 1890.  Fun fact: Vermillionville is the largest physical representation of Creole and Acadian culture in the world.

Avery Island

The Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory calls Avery Island home.   You can take a tour Monday through Thursday entirely for free and learn now Tabasco sauce is aged, bottled, packaged, and shipped worldwide.  After your tour, visit the Tabasco Country Store and choose your souvenirs from a wide array of sauces, condiments, collectibles, and other gourmet gifts.  Make the most of your visit to the island and stop by the Jungle Gardens and Bird City—170 acres of wildlife and exotic plant species including azaleas, camellias, and bamboo.  You might spot a few alligators here as well!

Randol’s Restaurant et Salle de Danse

Though Randol’s might be a bit touristy, it represents the true spirit of Lafayette.  Come eat authentic Cajun and Creole dishes like gumbo, shrimp pasta, crab fluffs, and crawfish étouffé.  If you’re feeling adventurous, try the deep-fried alligator bites.  The local dancers (and sometimes tourists) stepping along to the Zydeco and Cajun music create an atmosphere that is quintessential of the Deep South.

Downtown Alive

If you definitely will be visiting Lafayette this spring, try to come over a weekend so you can experience Downtown Alive, a family-oriented music festival held ever Friday evening downtown.  Here is the music lineup for this spring.

People flock in herds to New Orleans, but Lafayette is just as linked to Cajun and Creole cultures as the Big Easy and provides more kid-friendly activities.  Do you agree?  Would you take your family to Lafayette or New Orleans?

Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.

Gearing up for the Gras!

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One of the most popular Mardis Gras parades is put on by the Krewe of Rex, founded in 1872.

It has been said that a Scotchman has not seen the world until he has seen Edinburgh; and I think that I must say that an American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardis-Gras in New Orleans.”   —Mark Twain

 

Most of us already know that Mardis Gras means ‘Fat Tuesday.’  It is the culmination of the Carnival season that lasts for weeks—from January 6th until Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  Mardis Gras is a European celebration that dates back to the Middle Ages but today, Louisiana Mardis Gras is steeped in our own traditions we formed right here in the U.S.A.

The Krewes 

Before the first ‘Krewe’ (private social club with restrictive membership) was formed in 1857, the Mardis Gras parade was no more than a simple foot and horseback affair.  Nowadays, these clubs (which are completely funded by their members) use their money to finance the thematic parades.  The establishment of Krewes back in the mid 1800’s led to the introduction of lavish and laboriously designed floats that we see today.

 

Mardis Gras Indians 

Another cherished tradition is that of two Mardis Gras Indian tribes ‘battling’ on a street corner.  There are more than 50 Mardis Gras Indian tribes living in New Orleans, and they spend all year creating their costumes and practicing theatrics for when they encounter another tribe during Mardis Gras, during which ritualized dancing, singing, and chanting ensues.

 

The Flambeaux Tradition

The Flambeaux or torch-carrier tradition dates back to the 1800s when slaves or free African-Americans would carry gaslight torches during the night festivities.  The purpose of them at first was to light the way for parade-goers and floats when the streets were not well lit.  Today, the flame carriers have become a tradition that involves more than just carrying a torch—these talented revelers spin, twirl, throw and dip the torches all while keeping them lit.

 

King Cakes 

These can be found all over New Orleans during Carnival season.  The tradition of the cake is as old as the holiday itself.  It dates back to the Middle Ages when, during Christmastime, the Three Wise Men were celebrated as much as the birth of Jesus Christ.  In some cultures, the Twelfth Night after the birth of Christ is the end of Christmas and the Epiphany.  In many cultures still today, it is a time for pageants and giving gifts—one being the king’s cake.  It is a Danish braided pastry sprinkled with spiced cinnamon and gold, purple, and green sprinkles.  Inside the cake, a tiny plastic baby is hidden; whoever finds it (or eats it accidentally) is required by tradition to buy the next cake.

 

Showing Skin for Mardis Gras Beads 

 

This tradition formed in the 1970s when Mardis Gras started earning its reputation as a rowdy event filled with tourists and other drunken fools taking over the French Quarter.  Even when a ban was put forth to prevent the Kewe parades from going down the streets, people flooded to this area (especially Bourbon Street) where the tradition of showing skin to earn beads began.  You can imagine what it means to see a woman walking about in layers and layers of beads.  Most locals dislike this tradition and the chaos it brings to the city and will avoid the French Quarter this particular week.

 

New Orleans and Louisiana in general have such a historically rich culture with so many diverse traditions, it’s hard to compare it to any other place in America. Are we missing any key points? Do you have any traditions you carry out that are particular to your area? Let us know in the comments!

 

Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.

 

Plastic Surgery by the Numbers

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You would think America would top this list released by The Economist based on a report from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.  The U.S. is actually ranked number six in the world for the highest number of plastic surgery procedures.

 

This is because the numbers are reported based on population size.  In reality, Americans did have the highest number of cosmetic surgery operations, totaling 3.3 million in 2010.  Taking in population size however, we are not the country with the most willing citizens to go under the knife.

South Korea in fact outranks all other countries for the most plastic surgery according to it’s population size: one in five women elect to have a procedure every year.  It’s become an obsession in the country, and one English teacher working in South Korea can vouch for it.  In her school, full-length mirrors and scales are ubiquitous in the all-girls high school where she works.  Disturbingly enough, it is common for teenage girls to get a procedure done.  These high school students assert that they elect to have surgery because of the fact that it is expected to include a photo with university and job applications in the South Korea.  One student states that if a university or employer is deciding between two or three candidates they will go for the ‘prettier one.’

But, isn’t ‘prettiness’ objective?  Well, it depends where you live.  Beauty is defined differently across countries and cultures.  I would argue there is an exception here in the United States: in the melting-pot culture of many American cities, it would be difficult to amass a group together who agree unanimously on what the defining features are of a  ‘beautiful’ person.  In other countries?  Not so much.

 

Based on the chart in The Economist, it is evident the demands made to the surgeon reflect what different cultures regard as beautiful.  In Brazil for example, there are seven times more buttocks operations than the overall average of the top-ranked 25 countries in the world, and five times more vaginal rejuvenations.  In Greece, men get ten times more genital enlargements than the overall average.

In South Korea, the English teacher asked her students to describe a beautiful woman.  The answer was uniform: big eyes, thin, tall, B cup.  This tends to be consistent if one looks at before and after pictures on this Tumblr site called Korean Plastic Surgery.  Their eyes are bigger; noses are thinner and narrower, usually with an added bridge.  If the jaw line was previously square, it is now shaved down, transforming the entire visage into a smaller and more delicate V-shape.  I have to say, the thought of shaving down the bone of your face enough to restructure your entire appearance is disturbing enough to turn me away from cosmetic surgery forever.

The scariest part of this is how similar all the women look after surgery.  Perhaps it is hard for me as an American to understand a culture that embraces physical conformity when I come from a culture that strives to be different, and even ‘stand out’ from one another.  And reading different comments from Korean women on the Tumblr, I’m not even sure what to believe.  Some women claim they undergo eyelid surgery to achieve more ‘Western’ looking eyes—the most popular cosmetic procedure in South Korea.  Other women claim that they find foreigners beautiful, but that’s not why they want to enhance their beauty by making themselves appear bug-eyed.

 

I understand the want of young people to jump on the bandwagon in regards to following certain trends.  But when the fad involves a scalpel and anesthesia, I believe the parents need to intervene in their teenager’s decisions.  That is, unless the parents are getting their jaw bones shaved down too.

 

 

Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.

“Black Pete” & Other Odd Scandinavian Traditions

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Slightly Creepy Holiday Traditions From Around The World

After learning about how other people celebrate the holidays, I can honestly say I am glad to be an American.  While we drink eggnog, sing along to Christmas carols and our children wait for Santa to bring them presents, in the Ukraine people decorate their trees with spiders instead of tinsel, and in Spain children beat a log until it excretes their presents.

 

As there are numerous unsettling non-American traditions out there, here is a list of just four creepy traditions—excluding the just plain nasty ones I couldn’t bear to write about:

 

1)      Iceland—Yule Lads.  Instead of elves, Iceland has their own Santa’s helpers called ‘Yule Lads.’  They resemble Snow White’s seven dwarfs except they’re much, much creepier.  And it doesn’t help they have names like Pot-Scraper, Door-Sniffer, Spoon-Licker, and Window-Peeper.  Despite the fact that their names are ridden with all sorts of eerie innuendos, the Yule Lads do resemble jolly old St. Nicholas in that they ‘give’ the children of Iceland gifts during the 13 days leading up to Christmas.  While this seems harmless, they do have a pet cat cleverly named ‘Yuletide Cat’ who supposedly eats all the children who don’t receive new clothes by Christmas.  I really don’t understand this—shouldn’t the cat be eating the spoiled children who are get with lots of gifts, instead of the poor kids who barely have any clothes to wear?

 

2)      Latvia—Demented Winter Festival.  Instead of Christmas, Latvians celebrate a Pagan festival called Ziemassvētki from the evening of December 24th to the 25th in which the locals feast on delicacies such as boiled pig’s snout.  But not only that, they leave food out for the ‘ghosts’ and I don’t mean on the dinner table.  The food can be left in a barn, a sauna, or anywhere for that matter.  And it’s left out until New Year’s so that it’s available to the beloved ones who have departed until the beginning of the New Year.  My guess is that the rats get to the food first before the spirits do.  On top of all this, Norweigan ‘mummers’ (townspeople, so basically anyone and everyone) dress up in ridiculous costumes—typically as bears and horses—and knock on random people’s doors and sing to drive away evil spirits.  It sounds a lot like Halloween trick-or-treating in America, except these people are usually adults instead of children and they get alcohol instead of candy.

 

 

3)      Norway “Hide the Broom”.  This tradition also reminds me of our celebration of Halloween.  Norwegians celebrate Christmas pretty similarly to us Americans, with church services, feasting, and general merriment.  Except they also have a bizarre if not creepy tradition of ‘broom-hiding.’  Norwegians households on Christmas Eve hide their brooms and brushes so that the witches and evil spirits (who supposedly rise from the dead the night before Christmas) don’t steal these ‘necessities’ and wreak havoc until the dawn of Christmas Day.  This is really, really strange….I could see hiding your iPad, but is broom really that valuable?

 

 

4)      Netherlands—Zwart Piet.  The Dutch have possibly the most disturbing Christmas tradition of all.  Santa Claus, or Sinterklaas as he is called in the Netherlands, does not have elves but one helper called Zwart Piet, which literally means ‘Black Pete.’  I already am uncomfortable with just knowing the name.  So Sinterklaas and Zwart Piet arrive by boat every Christmas to give presents to the good children, while the bad children get abducted by Black Pete who takes them back to Spain as punishment.  There is some dispute over the obvious racial issue here of Santa having a black ‘helper’ doing all his work for him, but the purists who believe in keeping the tradition say that Pete’s face is obviously black because it’s covered in soot from going down all the chimneys….duh!  Yet why does Black Pete have an afro and absurdly large lips?  Oh, a better question…why do so many Dutch white people feel the need to dress up as him for Christmas? Maybe people around the world think our Christmas traditions are weird too. What do you think? Are our traditions weird to those outside the country?

 

Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA.   Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.  He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.