I am from Nevada. Most people I talk to at Global Cafe have never heard about Nevada, or at least don’t know where it is. Nevada is a state in America, on the west coast, right next to California. Most or all of Nevada is a desert and very dry. By the way, dry is much much better than the humidity of Japan!
Nevada is probably best known for a famous city. The sin city. Las Vegas.
Nevada was the first and only state, until the 1990’s, where gambling was legal. This is the reason Nevada, and Las Vegas in particular, became the center of Gambling in the U.S. In America, gambling has a bad image, and is associated with debt, drugs, gangs, etc… all of the guilty pleasures. My image of gambling is different.
I was born and raised in Nevada, so for me gambling is common, everywhere, and boring. I have no interest at all. In fact, it is something my parents did sometimes for fun so that makes it especially uncool! In my hometown there are slot machines everywhere. At the convenience store, the supermarket, the bowling stadium… everywhere. Every time I visit home, the rows of machines in the airport terminal greet me and remind me of my childhood. To me gambling is boring.
My parents used to go out on friday night to a casino to relax and have some fun. They would go play the nickel machines (gambling machines that cost only 5 cents to play). I guess my mom was really good, because every week she would bring home cases (one case is 24 cans) of soda that she won. I guess cash is not the only thing you can win.
There is a responsible way to gamble. You give yourself a limit, perhaps a hundred dollars, and you play that freely without worrying about money. When you lose all that money, you have to stop. If you have enough self control to stop yourself, you can enjoy gambling. If you can’t stop, and you play past your limit, you have a problem and you should never gamble!
As for me, I have gambled once. When I turned 21 years old, I went to the casino, put a quarter in the machine, and one second later lost it. Is that fun? I don’t know. I have never felt the desire to go back. I don’t like throwing away money…
The first time I came to Japan many years ago, I was in the Airport and I needed to use the bathroom after the long flight. It was not what I was expecting.
I entered the bathroom and the first thing I noticed was that it was so clean. Much cleaner than almost all public bathrooms in America! And it was bright. My image of public bathrooms in America is dark and dingy. I went to use the toilet, but I was surprised to see the door to the toilet stall stretched from the floor to the ceiling! This was very strange!
Perhaps if you have traveled abroad to America, you know that the toilet stall doors and walls aren’t that big. They only go from your knee to your shoulder. If you want to see if someone is using the toilet, look down and you can easily see their feet. If they are standing up, you can see their head as well!
I have seen movies where someone is trying to hide in the bathroom. Because the door is so small, they can’t just enter the stall, they also have to stand on the toilet and crouch down so that their feet aren’t visible under the door.
Another common story is that someone using the toilet runs out of toilet paper! What do you do? You ask the person on the toilet next to you to give you some toilet paper. They just pass the toilet paper under the wall. There is plenty of space.
Another problem is that if someone on the outside crouches down onto the ground, it is easy to look under the door. Or if you are tall enough, you can look over the door as well. I am a guy, so this privacy invasion has never been a problem for me, but maybe it is different for girls?
This small door might sound strange. I do think the Japanese style is much better. However, the first time I used a Japanese bathroom and I closed the door, I felt very claustrophobic. The room was too small and I could barely move. What happens if the door locks and, for some reason, I can’t open it! I’m stuck! In America, I will crawl under the door. What should I do in Japan?
In my last blog I talked a lot about cake, and the strange cake that my mom sent me. This blog I will describe the process of making the cake. Because it was a cake mix, it was relatively easy. However, there were some challenges I faced.
First of all, this is Japan, not America, so I had to convert all the measurements from imperial to metric. For example, how many milliliters are in cup and what is 450 degrees in Celsius. Luckily, a tablespoon and teaspoon are the same in America and Japan.
The next problem is about size. In America everything is big. This includes the cakes and the ovens used to cook them. I have some cake forms so that is nice, but I had to cook each form one at a time, as both wouldn’t fit into the oven at the same time.
In the end, I was able to figure everything out and cook the cake. Here is what happened:
The cake mix and a chocolate frosting mix. This frosting is different than the cheap one I described before. This is ‘buttercream’ frosting, which is based on a lot of butter! That makes it delicious! Although it is still very very sweet…
You might wonder how it is even possible to make such a crazy cake. Well here is the process. The cake is actually just a normal sponge cake. The difference is, after mixing the batter, you have to separate into 6 different bowls. Into each bowl, some food coloring is added. Each bowl becomes a different color. You can see in the picture the 6 colors are red, purple, green, blue, yellow, and orange (the orange I ruined by mixing with a spoon that had just a tiny amount of blue color on it). When my wife saw these colors she was so surprised and said the only thing she could think of was paint!
Now you have to pour the batter into the cake molds. You just pour each color into the center slowly and evenly. After pouring, don’t touch it.
While it is baking, I made the frosting which is just a lot of sugar and butter.
The final product! You must be curious about the taste! Well, it tasted just like American style cake. Nothing special about the flavor at all. If you want to know the flavor, any normal American style cake will taste the same. Perhaps they sell cake mix at Kaldi?
To get a Japanese opinion, I had my wife try it. She said it tasted good. Just like normal cake. If only it was a normal color…
convert （計量単位を別のものに）換算する
measurement 計量
form、mold ケーキの型
different than〜 〜と違う、 different fromと同じ意味で使用しています。different fromが正しい英語と言われていますが米英語ではdifferent thanもよく使われているようです。
Last month I made a cake. Not a Japanese style cake, but an American style cake. What is the difference? Quite a lot! Japanese cake is usually very small and beautiful with subtle and delicate flavors. Japanese cakes also have a lot of whipped cream. Most importantly, Japanese cakes are very very expensive.
American cakes, on the other hand, are more utilitarian. They should be big, sweet, fun and most importantly inexpensive. A beautiful cake is ok, but a fun cake is great! A common type of cake in America is the sheet cake. It is a big square cake that is covered in very colorful frosting that is sweet, cheap and, in my opinion, almost inedible. Perhaps you can imagine a big birthday party with twenty kids running around crazily and screaming ‘cake! cake! cake!’. The most important thing is to give them something before a mob forms!
Here is a picture my mom sent me from the supermarket. This is a nice supermarket so they don’t sell the super cheap sheet cakes, but they do have a selection of premium (for America) cakes.
It is common in America to buy cake mix at the store. I first saw this cake mix in the supermarket a few years ago on my visit to America. I was surprised by it. I imagined Global Cafe customers would be even more surprised since I have often been asked why American cakes are such strange and unnatural colors.
I didn’t buy the cake mix. I only took a picture. After showing the picture to customers many times and receiving a satisfying surprised/disgusted reaction, I regretted not buying the cake mix when I had the chance. Luckily, my mom was able to send me the cake mix in the mail.
The cake is called ‘Tie-dye’. Tie-dye was a fun way to make t-shirts when I was a child. You take a white t-shirt and bunch up the fabric in many places holding it in place with rubber bands. Then you dip the bunched up fabric in different colors of dye. After letting it dry you remove the rubber bands and spread the shirt out. It will have really crazy color patterns all over it. I recommend you search on the internet if you are interested.
This year is the year of the dog. In America, I don’t think many people know about the Chinese New Years animals. The only reason I knew is that I had a childhood friend whose parents immigrated to America from China. He and I have the same birthday (born in the same hospital!) so I even knew that I was born in the year of the bird (or Chicken? Rooster?).
But speaking of the year of the dog, do you like dogs or cats better? I personally love both. I guess if I have to choose, I prefer cats. They are independent and low maintenance. On the other hand many people dislike that independence and prefer a dog who loves unconditionally!
I have a theory about dogs and cats. A dog is a domesticated animal. They look in human eyes and they have a biological reaction. They are almost enslaved by their need for human affection. It is this very fact that makes them so loving and sweet. The reason they are considered “man’s best friend”. However, how do we really know that we are a friend and not some biological condition?
On the other hand, cats are different. There is even debate whether or not they are actually domesticated at all! They don’t really need humans at all. But, if you have been lucky enough to actually become friends with a cat, you can be assured that they really think of you as a friend.
Therefore, my theory is that a cat’s friendship is much more reliable than a dogs. At least until you take out some canned tuna or catnip anyways… Either way I think both are super cute.
These days it is starting very cold outside. However, inside buildings, houses and apartments it is usually nice and warm. I did experience some culture shock when I first came to Japan.
I visited Japan for the first time in the winter time of 2004, just in time for the New Year. It was cold. I was staying with my friends family at their home in Sagamihara (Kanagawa prefecture). In the evening, the living room was nice and warm, hot actually, and I was comfortable. But then, I had to go to the bathroom… I went to the door and slid it open. A blast of freezing cold air from the hallway hit my face! I hurried down the frigid hallway and entered the toilet as quick as I could. But I realized my problems were actually just starting! The toilet was freezing too! I have to semi-undress in this freezing room?! I couldn’t believe it! At least the toilet seat was warm.
This experience was so new for me because, in America most homes use central air conditioning. This is a single air conditioner / heater system that heats or cools the entire house including the hallways, bathrooms and even unused rooms. Most people just set a temperature for the house, and the air conditioner keeps the house comfortable. I have heard Hokkaido is actually similar to this style, using heated flooring, although I’ve never been to Hokkaido to see for myself.
Now that I understand the way homes are warmed and cooled in Japan, I realize that the American style is very wasteful. But, when I am nice and warm while I walk through the hallway in the middle of the night, it sure feels good.
slid slideの過去・過去分詞形
blast 送風、噴出
hallway 廊下
frigid 極寒の
semi-undress 半裸になる
entire 全体の
These are pictures of my parents central air conditioner and a vent that it distributes air from.
In America, we don’t send New Year’s Cards like in Japan. It is a little different. First of all, most people don’t send anything at all. Those people who do send something usually send something for Christmas or the Holiday Season, and not for the relatively unimportant New Year.
Also people don’t send postcards (or at least I have never seen any). Usually they send a letter with an included picture or collage. My mom is one of those rare people who sends a letter. She spends a few hours typing it up. She describes the interesting things that happened during the year and has a paragraph or two for each person in the family. My wife, who is Japanese, had a interesting reaction when she first read one of these letter. She didn’t like it! She felt like the letter was just bragging or talking only about themselves… so self-absorbed! It was normal for me and I never thought about it before, but after seeing that reaction, I have to agree.
And what is more, these letters are quite long! It is a good thing that they are not common because I would not want to read more than a few of these. They are one or two pages typed! That is five to ten minutes for me to read. They are especially long when you are not interested in the content…
Recently, I think these letters are starting to disappear. Now that everyone is on Facebook, it is so easy to stay up-to-date with the details (usually too many details) of evenacquaintances you have only even met once! In Japan, New Year’s Cards are still useful to help you update your address book. But the Christmas letter, and it’s pure narcissism, has almost completely been replaced by social networks. A good thing? I don’t know…
When I first came to Japan, I was surprised because, in Japan, Christmas is not a very important holiday. Likewise, Japanese may be surprised to hear that, in America, the New Year is not very important either!
In Japan the New Year last around a week and many people travel around the country to visit family and friends. In America, however, the New Year is not about family or friends at all.
New Year’s celebration is only one day, on the night of New Year’s Eve. This is usually a big party. Some people have a home party and others go to a public place and celebrate. The main event of the party is the countdown at midnight. Perhaps you know the famous countdown in Times Square New York? This countdown is broadcast on tv and many people watch. At the strike of midnight, everyone cheers out loud yelling “Happy New Year”. At the moment of the new year, couples should kiss. If you aren’t dating or married, you may be kissed by a friend or even stranger anyways! After this countdown, the party continues just as any other party. This is the end of New Year’s celebrations in America.
An interesting note about the countdown in New York is that, because America has many different time zones, in my hometown of Reno I will usually watch the countdown live at 9pm! They reair the footage again at midnight, depending on where you live.
Many people do go to parties and celebrate, but many (most?) people just stay at home. If they are awake at midnight, they might watch the countdown on TV. Otherwise it is just another day.
I was very surprised when I saw Christmas in Japan for the first time. Kentucky Fried Chicken? Strawberry cake? A holiday for couples? This is not Christmas!
I am often asked ‘If you don’t eat fried chicken on Christmas, what do you eat?’ There are no simple answers for this question. Unlike Thanksgiving, a month before, Christmas’s menu is not set in stone. I assume most families have their own unique traditions. For example, my family has a different dinner every year. One year, we even had a ‘cooking competition’ where each family member made a dish. A winning dish was chosen at the end of the night. The most important thing about Christmas is not food, but the time spent together with our family, having conversations, and perhaps even partaking in some eggnog.
Family is great, but my favorite part of Christmas is the presents! I think I am still very young at heart. But if you think about it, presents are really awesome. When you are young receiving a present is so fun and exciting. When you get older giving presents becomes the fun part. But either way, some of my best Christmas memories are waiting in anticipation to open all those presents. On Christmas morning, I was always the first person in my family to wake up. After staring at the presents, which seemed to be begging me to be opened, I woke up my siblings and parents because I couldn’t wait any longer. When everyone was finally awake, the ‘present opening frenzy’ could finally commence.
Unfortunately, there is a dark side of gift giving as well. After opening your final present and realizing there are no more, there is a sudden feeling of disappointment or depression. After all that waiting, when Christmas is finally over it is a little sad. I often thought ‘What is it over…? Now what do I do…?’
Furthermore, Christmas has been hijacked by companies and stores in order to sell stuff. Nowadays stores start their sales as soon as Thanksgiving is over. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday and the following Friday is called ‘Black Friday’. Many stores have VERY amazing sales. But these sales are usually limited quantities so you have to get up early (or stay up very late!) in order to rush into the store as soon as it opens or you will miss your chance. Or perhaps you have seen ‘Cyber Monday’. Many people don’t want to go outside into the real world. Instead, they buy their gifts online. Many stores offer discounts to items bought on ‘Cyber Monday’, the Monday following Thanksgiving. ‘Cyber Monday’ focuses especially on deals of ‘cyber’ or electronic goods. In my opinion, these sale days are just commercialism going too far and denigrating the family nature of Christmas.
Japan is missing this ‘real’ Christmas. But it is OK. During my time in Japan I have grown to love New Years as well. Japanese New Year’s, like American Christmas, is mostly about meeting and spending time with your family. Japanese New Year’s even has a little bit of gift giving in the Otoshidama. But, I do admit I miss the pile of presents under the Christmas tree and the anticipation of finally getting to open them…
This sushi is also fried, has hot sauce and a creamy mayo type sauce. It is arranged in a circle around crabmeat.
The right sushi has avocado on top. The left has tempura jalapeno (a spicy pepper) placed on top. Then more hot sauce.
This one was weird. I didn’t like it. It has mango and avocado on top.
Look at all that ‘Sushi’!
American Sushi is very strange. It is made using many heavy flavors and ingredients and is loaded with calories. A lot of cream, mayo, and deep-frying. It is also very spicy. Not wasabi spicy, but hot sauce spicy. The focus of American Sushi is neither fish nor rice. It is the flavors from all the ingredients and sauces together.
The sushi is strange, but it is delicious (probably because it is so unhealthy!). The sushi restaurant in my town is all-you-can-eat (there are no time limits in America) and very inexpensive at around 15~20 dollars a person. The spiciness is awesome and something I really miss in Japanese food.
So, Sushi in America is not really Sushi. But, curry in Japan is not really curry either. When something imported into another country, it is changed so it fits the taste and sensibilities of that country. Is it a good thing? Is it a bad thing? I don’t know. But if you get the opportunity to eat American Sushi I recommend that you try it without comparing it to ‘real’ Japanese Sushi. You might even like it.
