There are many differences between Japanese culture and American culture. One of them is food culture. I think food culture has close relations to our daily life. Japanese have traditional customs peculiar to Japan in eating. You would not know about it so much. So I will tell you our food habits.
As you know, we eat meals with "chopsticks". It is a typical Japanese custom. But do you know how to use chopsticks? Have you ever used them? When I was child, I used to be said about how to use chopsticks by my parents that we grip one chopstick as we grip pencils when we use chopsticks. Next, we put another chopstick into the circle with the thumb and forefinger. And we put it between the second finger and ring finger. You can understand them well in this youtube video !(But this video may be too funny...) http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=RF7i0Rg7HVA
Then there are some bad manners with using chopsticks. They are called "Kiraibashi（嫌い箸）". For example, we must not stick chopsticks in rice or foods. It is called Sashibashi(さし箸) in Japanese. We stand chopsticks up a rice offering when we put it on Buddhist altar. Therefore it is not good manner for Japanese. And we must not pass foods from chopsticks to chopsticks. This manner is called Hashiwatashi（箸渡し） in Japanese. Survivors pick up bones of dead people and pass them with chopsticks. So we had better not do so. Besides it is common rule in Japan to raise rice bowls or other dishes when we eat something. And it is important for workers to pour alcoholic drink for seniors at the drinking party. There are many many strict rules at meals in Japan !!
So Japanese have to be careful during meals. But recently there are many people who can't use chopsticks well or don't know such eating manners. I think recent parents don't teach them to their children. Anyway I feel envious of American dinners because you have them happily talking with your family. In Japan (only in my home?) many families have dinner watching TV !! So there are not much conversation. (つω-`*)
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3 comments:
That video was absolutely hysterical! I was laughing my ass off when they did "shigotonin - karate - dynamite". "kokusai style" was great, too.
When I was little I always tried to have the TV on when we had dinner. My parents are old fashioned, though, so they never let me. They wouldn't even let anyone answer the phone during dinner sometimes!
But I doubt every family is like that here. I'm sure there are all kinds.
Hello milkey!
I laughed at this video, too! I think you don't know right how to use chopsticks. But I am glad that you can enjoy to watch this video.
Really? I thought that you Americans don't watch TV during meals. Is it just a fixed idea? My parents never let me use a cellphon during dinner, too! But I think It is a bad manner.
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