By Dr. John L. Oldani

In this book on local lore, Dr. John Oldani probes the area’s proverbs, superstitions, customs, legends and even insults. From childhood jump rope rhymes and riddles to holiday customs, ethnic sayings, modern-day graffiti, and Internet quips, Oldani captures the city’s lore. “Dr. John L. Oldani is to folklore what pepperoni is to pizza: he brings out the flavor of all the lore,” says former KMOX radio personality Jim White, who contributes a foreword to the book. Oldani, a longtime professor of American Studies, catalogues folk food favorites like brain sandwiches and toasted ravioli, as well as St. Louis ethnic terms like the “scrubby Dutch.”