The culture of food . . . .
While I have come to think nothing of sashimi, eating rice topped with raw egg and soy sauce, eel and fermented soy beans. Eating bbq grilled whole shishamo (small fish) was a recent development at the BBQ we had the other night . . . . but I doubt that even that change could alter my distaste for the idea of eating the tiny whole crabs that were served up at the farewell for the club that is linked to the International Exchange Centre and for people who want to learn foreign languages and do exchanges. Most of these kids are in the English Faculty which can result is some rather boring interchanges in English because people want to practise ~ but once the underagers all got dangerously drunk to the point of being annoying that was much of a problem and I had a great time with Kana, Kaori and others that I've known since last year. That was also the night that I ended up doing all-night Karaoke.
Buying foreign food ingredients in Japan is an expensive business ~ It strikes me that there is a big cultural difference in the food cultures of countries populated by immigrants and those where the population is largely of a single and relatively harmogenised race. A regular question asked is "what is Australian food like?" or things to that effect. The other day I discovered my tube of Vegemite so thoughtfully given to me by Pippa so long ago when I first left Adelaide to come to Hiroshima. Well, Pavlova is unique to Auslandia . . . so are lamingtons. But they're not cuisine - you can't make a meal of them. So you have to give a lengthy description of how people eat a whole range of food from countries around the world, but traditionally with a strong influence from England, etc. But thenthe food people consume can depend on their family and it's ancestry or it alters with the individual depending on any political views or allergies as in my case, where I eat a whole lot of food that most people probably wouldn't touch with a barge pole!
Soon Kana will head off to Korea for ICL stuff and also to see Hyuk for the first time in a long time. They started dating last year not all that long after we all arrived and are still going well despite so many of the issues that can rear their ugly heads where international and long-distance relationships are involved.
Then we'll both be back in Hiroshima, me with Beenz in toe and there's many a fun plan in the offing.
It's not long now before this will be over and I'll miss Kana, who's been a fabulous friend particularly over the past 6 months - but hopefully won't have to wait long so see her again because she'll come to Adelaide next year!
From this afternoon I'm heading off with Marie and others to Mitaki for a bit of a camping adventure ~ There's a long list of things to be bring . . . slippers for using inside . . . a cup of rice . . . So normal but at the same time so quaintly Japanese. Bit worried that like last time we'll end up eating curry . . . not all that much fun for me. Should be fun . . . Unfortunately due to some big problem with the water system in the Hiroshima area at the moment we can't go to Etajima as planned so I still won't have been there in the end . . . but at least Mitaki is also a new place to go even if it is just another suburb not that far away - in the mountains though so the whole 'suburb' image of plainland A-town doesn't really convert.
Time to getting on with organisation!
Buying foreign food ingredients in Japan is an expensive business ~ It strikes me that there is a big cultural difference in the food cultures of countries populated by immigrants and those where the population is largely of a single and relatively harmogenised race. A regular question asked is "what is Australian food like?" or things to that effect. The other day I discovered my tube of Vegemite so thoughtfully given to me by Pippa so long ago when I first left Adelaide to come to Hiroshima. Well, Pavlova is unique to Auslandia . . . so are lamingtons. But they're not cuisine - you can't make a meal of them. So you have to give a lengthy description of how people eat a whole range of food from countries around the world, but traditionally with a strong influence from England, etc. But thenthe food people consume can depend on their family and it's ancestry or it alters with the individual depending on any political views or allergies as in my case, where I eat a whole lot of food that most people probably wouldn't touch with a barge pole!
Soon Kana will head off to Korea for ICL stuff and also to see Hyuk for the first time in a long time. They started dating last year not all that long after we all arrived and are still going well despite so many of the issues that can rear their ugly heads where international and long-distance relationships are involved.
Then we'll both be back in Hiroshima, me with Beenz in toe and there's many a fun plan in the offing.
It's not long now before this will be over and I'll miss Kana, who's been a fabulous friend particularly over the past 6 months - but hopefully won't have to wait long so see her again because she'll come to Adelaide next year!
From this afternoon I'm heading off with Marie and others to Mitaki for a bit of a camping adventure ~ There's a long list of things to be bring . . . slippers for using inside . . . a cup of rice . . . So normal but at the same time so quaintly Japanese. Bit worried that like last time we'll end up eating curry . . . not all that much fun for me. Should be fun . . . Unfortunately due to some big problem with the water system in the Hiroshima area at the moment we can't go to Etajima as planned so I still won't have been there in the end . . . but at least Mitaki is also a new place to go even if it is just another suburb not that far away - in the mountains though so the whole 'suburb' image of plainland A-town doesn't really convert.
Time to getting on with organisation!
posted by Eleanora Martinez at 9:22 AM
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