My Japanese senior Watanabe from last year’s Kyushu University ATW summer programme came to visit Singapore last week with his Thai girlfriend Pear and another Vietnamese friend Duc. To complete their gourmet experience in Singapore, a couple of my Singaporean friends and I brought them to have chili crabs for dinner at No Signboard Seafood Restaurant at The Central.
In this region of Southeast Asia, having chili crabs for dinner also means getting your fingers and platters messy in the process of devouring the delicacy hidden within the confinement of the crabs’ shells. While Pear found this to be the norm even among Thais, to Watanabe, this was a mind-blowing dining experience eating with bare hands. We explained how appropriate and practical enjoying chili crab in this manner is and the use of warm water with sliced lime in a bowl to clean fingers to his astonishment. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the sumptuous meal served in a sea of thick and slightly spicy gravy, albeit not without occasional help from Pear at the beginning of the meal.
In the context of Japanese table manners, the use of bare hands when dining is strictly reserved for certain types of food such as nigirizushi, temaki and bread. Even eating these two kinds of sushi using bare hands is governed by strict manners and restrictions; regardless whether utensils are used, one is expected to treat the food served with honour and respect (teinei) to demonstrate the care given and knowledge about proper table manners. This refined attitude towards food is strikingly different that when one meets face-to-face with chili-crabs. On the other hand, Duc might have thought that it is absolutely proper to follow what the locals do given the different understanding in what defines a “proper attitude towards food”.
What do you think about the way people acclimatize their presupposed interpretation of culture in a globalised world?
Hello Wellens, I think as the world gets more connected due to globalization, people should be more educated about the different cultures especially when visiting another country, be it as a tourist or as a student on exchange. Hence, they should first ask to clarify what are some manners that he / she may need to observe.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, when visiting Malay homes, visitors are expected to take off their shoes and leave it outside of the house before they enter. Thus, the importance of understanding each culture and respecting it.
I think there are 2 errors that I found,
1) "... the norm even among Thais, To Watanabe, ..." --> "...the norm even among Thais, to Watanabe, ..."
2) "... about proper table manner" --> "... about proper table manners"
Other than that, I think that this is quite an interesting post that shows the different cultures when it comes to food matters.
Thanks Luqman. I've made the corrections.
ReplyDeleteHey Wellens!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this little part of the Japanese culture. There are many cultures in this world and I feel that it is adequate to just get to know more about the culture that is different from your, not necessarily accepting it.
With understanding, it might lead to less misunderstandings and stereotypes and the world will be a happier place to live in! (:
cheers!
This is a beautifully described scenario, Wellens, clearly and concisely related and insightfully evaluated. You have a deep understanding of Japanese culture, which comes through in the way you explain your friend Watanabe's reaction to his chili crab experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to know if there were nay Japanese foods that you could not eat, for one reason or another.
Thank you for the excellent effort!
Thanks Brad and other classmates for your feedback.
ReplyDeleteSo far I have no problem eating any Japanese food. I was once a little reluctant to try out basashi (horse meat sashimi), but I am glad I enjoy it very much.
I always have an open attitude towards food even though my family traditionally would not consume beef or raw meat. I think it is good for one to have a try first before giving a judgement for oneself instead of easily taking in hearsay or opinions without any question asked. That said, there are exceptions: you don't have to try out cocaine or other narcotic drugs yourself to realise the implications of drug abuse.