Four Hundred Days Til Re-entry

Danger Zone 3 - Mortal Danger

You know, my time in Japan is rapidly drawing to a close - some 370 days or so at this point - but I think i understand the place less than I did one year ago.

Japan has a way of thinking that is almost the opposite, or an inversion, of British thought. This is true of Western culture in General, I think. English grammar puts the important bit at the start of the sentence. Japanese puts it at the end. You average Brit has a clearly defined self-image, an awareness of themself. In most Japanese people thisis less developed and group dynamics play a much bigger role in thought. I could go on, but I will try and come to the point.

In the UK, defining someting takes time. I call this the "what" stage. Literally, what is it? If a japanese person were blindfolded and dropped into the middle of, say, Yorkshire, they would spend their time wondering round sking "What is this?" and generally getting a feel for things. As they are Japanese they understand the group dynamic and their place in it (outsider, at the bottom) and move onto the "How" stage. If they have been paying attention during the "what" stage this one is very simple. The smart ones will then move onto "why". Why is it like this? Why does it have to be like this? In Britain, I think this is largely practical or ethical, in most cases.

My time in Japan, stretching over four years now, has had a lots of "what" and "how", as I have been learning how to speak Japanese, how to do various martial arts, how to fit into the public school system, etc. As I learn more of "what" and "how" more and more "why" situations have been cropping-up. I grow more dissatisfied as these build-up.

Anyway, The same system can be applied to food here, with the same result.

What is it? It is raw octipus mixed with wasabi.

How do you eat it? Cautiously and with extreme distaste and chopsticks.

Why do you eat it? I don't, at least not twice.

Let me re-phrase that; why does one eat it? Presumably because one has always eaten it and one has come to like it. Use makes master, and all that.

Ok, then. Why did one start eating it in the first place? Pass - I have asked myself the same question about many foodstuffs without any satisfactory answer becoming aparent.

I must add in passing that this is one of those fifty-fifty ones. Either you like it or you don't and the population is split. The Mortal Danger warning is this: Do not eat this if you are planning a lot of drinking for the evening.

posted by Between daisies @ 10:00