Japanese Culture

sirhin wrote:Got it. haha...

So can you explain it to me? :beaten: :hehe:

Uh... Explain how I got it and how I have no idea what "roast suckling" has anything to do except that it's in a joke I'm not in on?

haha... I's think it was self-explanatory, right?

y japanese from Osaka wanna throw salts at those ppl that they think are unlucky?(see this from the Risou no kekkon ) :mrgreen:

As mentioned by juliana-phang, salt is used for purifying things in Japan. Have you ever seen sumo? Sumo wrestlers throw salt at the ring called dohyo between matches. We put salt on the place we want to purify( I never do that).
But we do not throw salt at people!(Î)@Never in our daily life. I haven't seen Risou no kekkon. But in Nodame Cantabile Masumi-chan (Koide Keisuke) throws salt at Takahashi (Kimura Ryo). In my opinion, it's meant to exaggerate Masumi's hatred for Takahashi. :dancing:

irmakhan wrote:Does anyone know why Japanese people love raw foods like sushi, sashimi?

It's a difficult question. :sweat: I don't know why exactly...but I come up with two reasons:
1. As you know, Japan is surrounded by the seas, and so we can get fresh fish easily.
2. Japanese people have loved 'the beauty of simplicity' and have thought that 'to be as it is' is important and precious. Traditional Japanese food needs to be simple but deep in taste, be perfect in visual harmony like Japanese gardens. It mustn't be too much cooked, nor kill the taste of foodstuff itself.

Shiori wrote:

y japanese from Osaka wanna throw salts at those ppl that they think are unlucky?(see this from the Risou no kekkon ) :mrgreen:

As mentioned by juliana-phang, salt is used for purifying things in Japan. Have you ever seen sumo? Sumo wrestlers throw salt at the ring called dohyo between matches. We put salt on the place we want to purify( I never do that).
But we do not throw salt at people!(Î)@Never in our daily life. I haven't seen Risou no kekkon. But in Nodame Cantabile Masumi-chan (Koide Keisuke) throws salt at Takahashi (Kimura Ryo). In my opinion, it's meant to exaggerate Masumi's hatred for Takahashi. :dancing:

I believe that Japanese people also throw salt over themselves, or each other, before re-entering their house after attending a funeral.

Shiori wrote:

y japanese from Osaka wanna throw salts at those ppl that they think are unlucky?(see this from the Risou no kekkon ) :mrgreen:

As mentioned by juliana-phang, salt is used for purifying things in Japan. Have you ever seen sumo? Sumo wrestlers throw salt at the ring called dohyo between matches. We put salt on the place we want to purify( I never do that).
But we do not throw salt at people!(Î)@Never in our daily life. I haven't seen Risou no kekkon. But in Nodame Cantabile Masumi-chan (Koide Keisuke) throws salt at Takahashi (Kimura Ryo). In my opinion, it's meant to exaggerate Masumi's hatred for Takahashi. :dancing:

You could turn the fork around and ask why Americans cross their fingers and why Germans/Austrians squeeze their thumbs into their fists.

It's not just the salt. Geisha have this little custom of using two firestones and spray a spark over an apprentice's shoulder when she leaves the house. It's supposed to bring her luck.

Shiori wrote:

Does anyone know why Japanese people love raw foods like sushi, sashimi?

It's a difficult question. :sweat: I don't know why exactly...but I come up with two reasons:
1. As you know, Japan is surrounded by the seas, and so we can get fresh fish easily.
2. Japanese people have loved 'the beauty of simplicity' and have thought that 'to be as it is' is important and precious. Traditional Japanese food needs to be simple but deep in taste, be perfect in visual harmony like Japanese gardens. It mustn't be too much cooked, nor kill the taste of foodstuff itself.

I think one of the big misconceptions is this "raw" thing. Usually it's NOT in the way Gollum would do it, catch the fish, whack it, eat it (but I think that's the impression most people have). That said, that is exactly the reason why one can't become a sushi chef within 3 years. Depending on the season and on the fish there are plenty of ways of how to turn it into food. It's funny, when you tell people that it's "raw" fish, they often go "ewwwwww", and then take haggis, take the German/Austrian "Blutwurst", agreed that stuff isn't raw, but I consider it to be "ewwwwwww" myself. Or you can buy kidneys or livers from cows at a butcher's here. People do that and eat that stuff. Some even eat brain. The thought of eating kidneys or lives simply makes me sick. I rather take "raw" fish.

However, I do remember a speciality where the fish is supposed to be still gasping for air.

Once I was in Turkey and there I saw a guy taking an onion and... bite into it as if it was an apple. Yikes!

Takekaze wrote:Geisha have this little custom of using two firestones and spray a spark over an apprentice's shoulder when she leaves the house. It's supposed to bring her luck.

Only lucky if the spark doesn't set her kimono ablaze. :beaten: :hehe:

bmwracer wrote:
Only lucky if the spark doesn't set her kimono ablaze. :beaten: :hehe:

You'll laugh, but I always wondered why the Tokugawa would allow such a custom, especially when the quarters of the flower and willow world were so massively restricted and controlled. One little mistake and the whole area would burn. Today it's not a problem, but back in the days? With the houses made of wood and paper? Oioioioioi...

Takekaze wrote:
The thought of eating kidneys or lives simply makes me sick. I rather take "raw" fish.

However, I do remember a speciality where the fish is supposed to be still gasping for air.

I always thought I would never eat "raw" fish. But I have tried sushi and liked it. What I REALLY want to try is sushi prepared by a real Japanese sushi chef :)

Once I was in Turkey and there I saw a guy taking an onion and... bite into it as if it was an apple. Yikes!

I worked at a place once that had many Europeans working there too. There was one guy who used to eat cloves of garlic like they were apples. UGH!

Takekaze wrote:
I think one of the big misconceptions is this "raw" thing. Usually it's NOT in the way Gollum would do it, catch the fish, whack it, eat it (but I think that's the impression most people have). That said, that is exactly the reason why one can't become a sushi chef within 3 years. Depending on the season and on the fish there are plenty of ways of how to turn it into food. It's funny, when you tell people that it's "raw" fish, they often go "ewwwwww", and then take haggis, take the German/Austrian "Blutwurst", agreed that stuff isn't raw, but I consider it to be "ewwwwwww" myself. Or you can buy kidneys or livers from cows at a butcher's here. People do that and eat that stuff. Some even eat brain. The thought of eating kidneys or lives simply makes me sick. I rather take "raw" fish.

However, I do remember a speciality where the fish is supposed to be still gasping for air.

Once I was in Turkey and there I saw a guy taking an onion and... bite into it as if it was an apple. Yikes!

Not so easy to be culturally open minded about food. :bleh:
I am not so sensitive and would try everything - except something alive or endangered species.
I have to admit though that I almost threw up when trying natto, because of the consistency
:say_no:

EstherM wrote:

Not so easy to be culturally open minded about food. :bleh:
I am not so sensitive and would try everything - except something alive or endangered species.
I have to admit though that I almost threw up when trying natto, because of the consistency
:say_no:

Natto... I hate natto. I think the thing with natto is, you either love it, or hate it. I just outright hate it.

I'm going to try whale next time I'm in Japan. Curious how that tastes.

Takekaze wrote:
Natto... I hate natto. I think the thing with natto is, you either love it, or hate it. I just outright hate it.

I'm going to try whale next time I'm in Japan. Curious how that tastes.

Natto is one of those love-hate deals. Lots of Japanese folks hate it too.

Remember when my cousin was a freshman at UC Santa Barbara, after the first time he busted it out, the residents of his dorm expressly forbade him from eating it again. :rofl:



Cheers, :drink:
PCM

EstherM wrote:

Not so easy to be culturally open minded about food. :bleh:
I am not so sensitive and would try everything - except something alive or endangered species.
I have to admit though that I almost threw up when trying natto, because of the consistency
:say_no:

Mmmm... Gimme natto NOW!!
Serious.
Why does it hane to be so damn expensive in Canada?
Booooo. :usuck:

š‘‰¤

Anime Dad wrote:I always thought I would never eat "raw" fish. But I have tried sushi and liked it. What I REALLY want to try is sushi prepared by a real Japanese sushi chef

You will LOVE it. I hate easting sushi outside of Japan by now. It's just not the same. Usually it's a big let-down. Of course, there are exceptions, but as usual they are hard to find :P What I really hate is this current trend that every Chinese restaurant around here tries to show off their "leet" Japanese cooking skills. Oivech.

Anime Dad wrote:I worked at a place once that had many Europeans working there too. There was one guy who used to eat cloves of garlic like they were apples. UGH!

URK... garlic is fine, as long as I a) don't see it in the food and b) it only adds a bit to the taste. But some people... OI!

kokuou wrote:
Mmmm... Gimme natto NOW!!
Serious.
Why does it hane to be so damn expensive in Canada?
Booooo. :usuck:

š‘‰¤

Natto lover here too. :drooling:

I don't know the price in Japan, but here it seems fair. About $2.50~$3.50 for 3 or 4 individual packages. I think I'm the only guy in Town that eat the stuff. :hehe:

In case anybody's wondering why you always see a policeman standing right outside the police station, this from Japan Times:

Last summer, there was this cheerful cop in front of the city police station. He stood there holding a long wooden rod. Most police stations post someone out front with just such a rod, and I have often wondered why. This fellow seemed friendly, so I stepped up and asked.

What I write next is not a misquote, nor an embellishment. It is what the man said, word for word.

gIn case the station is attacked, I can defend it.h And he gave the rod a pat.

Now we know why gangs of crooks dare not assault police stations. For surely, they are dying to. Yet, that man with the wooden rod would knock them silly. So they keep their distance.

The cop had this five-star stupid look, like he had just said something that had cracked the time-space continuum. I know that look well, as I often wear it myself.

gActually, itfs just tradition,h he added, harking back to days when criminals lurked about in deadly fear of wooden rods.

gaijinmark wrote:In case anybody's wondering why you always see a policeman standing right outside the police station, this from Japan Times:

Last summer, there was this cheerful cop in front of the city police station. He stood there holding a long wooden rod. Most police stations post someone out front with just such a rod, and I have often wondered why. This fellow seemed friendly, so I stepped up and asked.

What I write next is not a misquote, nor an embellishment. It is what the man said, word for word.

gIn case the station is attacked, I can defend it.h And he gave the rod a pat.

Now we know why gangs of crooks dare not assault police stations. For surely, they are dying to. Yet, that man with the wooden rod would knock them silly. So they keep their distance.

The cop had this five-star stupid look, like he had just said something that had cracked the time-space continuum. I know that look well, as I often wear it myself.

gActually, itfs just tradition,h he added, harking back to days when criminals lurked about in deadly fear of wooden rods.

I saw such policemen numerous times on my most recent trip to Japan. I was told the wooden rod is actually a Luau Limbo stick to see how low you can go when the drinking starts at the police station after they clock out.

Tu_triky wrote:

I saw such policemen numerous times on my most recent trip to Japan. I was told the wooden rod is actually a Luau Limbo stick to see how low you can go when the drinking starts at the police station after they clock out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTKj_Vd5_Bk

shin2 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTKj_Vd5_Bk

Hahaha. Funny!

Today March 3rd, is Girls Day in Japan:

http://www.japantoday.com/category/travel/view/playing-with-dolls-explore-the-traditional-trappings-of-hina-dolls

And if you can't get enough of hina:

http://www.google.com/search?q=hina+dolls&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=QqYUU9OfMcbhoAS8woCoCQ&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1100&bih=895