photo by author, 30 Dec 2008
On my second day in Japan a friend brought me to a typical variety store. The thing which struck me about this store was its layout. The aisles were just wide enough for me to navigate, and products were packed onto shelves from floor to ceiling. It seemed to me to be a good analogy to something which is a constant reminder of where I am: Japan is a place without much space. Its population is about 125 million people (more than a third of the size of the USA) but they live on islands with total area less than that of California, and more than 70% of that area is uninhabitable mountains. These are things I've learned from talking with Japanese people.
photo by author, 30 Dec 2008
I arrived just in time to celebrate New Years with a Japanese family. They are happy people, and they wanted to heighten my culture shock with food they thought a westerner couldn’t eat – boiled octopus. I ate it in two bites. I had to do it before they got their cameras out. The experience highlights something which I find strikingly different from my own country. In America, it’s rare to eat meat which still resembles the animal it came from. In Japan, this kind of food is common. They expect westerners to be too appalled to eat it!
It looks like a delightful dish---like a hard-boiled egg with legs---it's very aesthetic & realistic---I have been a US consumer for many yrs & all my food to comes wrapped in styrofoam & cellophane---Patrick Michael
ReplyDeleteFascinating, octopus is something I have never had, however lobster and crabs can be as interesting to gaze upon. Some liken them to bugs. I always thought that octopi were very large and like to squeeze people to death. Now that is a preconception!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching Home Economics, my students didn’t have any idea of the origin of their foods. Celery is a stem, broccoli a florets, and potatoes roots. Never mind what part of an animal was the T-bone steak. We have really distanced ourselves from the gratitude of the giving animal or earth.
It's interesting that the Japanese super market made a big impression on you. Whenever I go to America, the biggest creverse culture shock I face is in the super markets. They are so big and wide. And the packages of food are huge!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are having fun with your host family (and vice-versa).
I like the layout of your blog. I look forward to your future observations and posts.