Explanation: john has only read two books, a scientific journal his mother acquired while working in the hatchery, and The Complete Works of Shakespeare. The name of the second book was The Chemical and Bacteriological Conditioning of the Embryo.
I'd say that the aspect of culture that this excerpt from "What For" by Garrett Hongo celebrates is A. holidays. It is customary in some countries to spend holidays with family talking about past times, and reminiscing.
