日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #15: クリスマス / Christmas

I can't really remember Christmas when I lived in Japan as a kid. We...might have had a tree? I know we got presents, like badminton sets and colored pens and stuffed animals. But man, after spending Christmas in the States, it's kind of hard to understand all the hooey that is "Christmas" in Japan.

愛する人達と一緒に時間を過ごし、そう出来る平和を祝う事の意味を自覚するのは、結構難しい。時々人の恐ろしい正体を見たりすると、「見なければ良かった······」と絶望する事もあるし。（あ、それはお互い様か。）でも、今年はサンタになって、美味しい贈り物を持って愛する人達に会ってきます！

Merry Christmas! Or, 我愛上讓我奮不顧身的一個人......

Wait, I didn't actually mean "Merry Christmas!"; I meant more like, "fill in your favorite winter holiday here"...

冬の赤い実ではないけれど、紫でも悪くないかもしれない······鮮やかだし！

My day began with a phone call to a dear friend, which just about made my year. It also included a wind symphony concert and losing my karaoke virginity.

今日初めて聴いた MONGOL800 の｢小さな恋のうた｣。色々ショッキングな事があったクリスマス · イヴは、こんな歌が存在すると言う事だけで癒される······

持つべきものは友 / If I Didn't Have You...

今夜の夕飯のメインは、上の階に住んでる中国人の友達が作ってくれた餃子でした。極美味！家に帰って来たら配達してくれた！おまけに今日は奮発してスーパーで（三割引の）油揚げなんか買っちゃったから、お味噌汁まで豪華だったわい。こりゃー罪だな。

I can understand how people get depressed in January after seeing their holiday shopping bills, because I've got gifts piling up around my room and taking up living space. At least most of the gifts are food and thus justifiable...

西に向かって / Facing West

ここ二週間は何となくモヤモヤな気持ちが胸につまってた。ん〜、実際は今もつまってるかな。どうしよ。

There's a character in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night who is not actually in love, but in love with the idea of love. And that's kind of how I'm feeling.

こんな恵まれた環境で何言ってんだ？！って思う。自分がやりたい事をする以外、生活の事は何も心配しなくていい。ここに辿り着くまで何年間自分なりに努力して来たか。（あくまでも自分なりに。）これだけで幸せになれる筈じゃないか。

But I admit...lately I've been feeling like there is a difference between wanting and having (as my good friend pointed out), and maybe, just maybe, what I've been working on for the last five years is actually not what I want. Holy crap! (Of course, this is probably influenced by the prospect of never really finding a job in this field...)

それだけじゃない。林真理子も言ってる：生きてる人間はシャツじゃないんだ。特徴を並べて、それで誰かを愛せる訳じゃないんだ。あ〜、人生は、思っているよりずっと複雑だ。そして、それだから楽しいんだ。うん。
 
On a lighter note, I've welcomed a new member into my household, who will keep me warm on those cold, lonely winter nights. And when I'm confused and can't rely on anyone, even myself, she will be someone I can lean on...

週末 / Weekend

What I like about weekends is that I can work and still enjoy myself.

昨日は日帰りで京都行って来た！さすがにこの歳になると新幹線で関東と関西を往復するのは疲れるな。昔は San Francisco と San Diego の間を飛行機で日帰りしても大した事なかったのに······

Today I got to hear a classical guitar quartet, which has done wonders for my reading processing ability. So, once I finish the book I'm reading now, I can get to editing my in-progress paper! Having just written a quarterly report, I'm feeling the need to make concrete plans and check things off my to-do list. Nerdy work weekend! Yeah!

友達と話したり、一緒にご飯食べたり、面白い発表を聴いたりするのは、毎日の生活の中で掛け替えの無い事なんだ。私のこの生き方を変える事はできないよ。気が強くても、フェミニストでも······

[What looks like watered-down carrot juice is actually kaki yōkan...thanks for the recipe, Ace! The white wine works wonders!]

師走 / The Master Is Running Around.

The realization comes late, but it's December. Wow, 2012 has gone by fast; in fact, time has been passing incredibly quickly since I passed my quals last April. Funny that...

This week has been intense with the mental inputs. It started off with a trip to an unbelievable bookstore in 代官山 with a lovely friend from undergrad, followed by two fulfilling days of reading and preparing for a mini-presentation. I'm now pretty sure I'm going to enjoy writing the first chapter more than I thought I would...

As if that weren't enough, I indulged in お好み焼き and games of pool with a friend, which made me feel like I was 18 again. But the excitement fizzled when I acknowledged that I needed to stop being such a bitch and say only the things that make people happy. Focus on pleasing people! As a Disney character said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say...nothin' at all."

And that is what I'm going to do.

でも、今日は友達が昭和記念公園を案内してくれて、メッチャクチャ楽しい日だったわ。ついでに気に入ったリースリングも見つかったし、友達とスーパーで買い物できたし、風呂吹き大根も美味しかったし、柿羊羹もこの分だと失敗じゃなかったみたいだし······来週は締め切りで大忙しやけど、なんか満ち足りた時間が流れて行く様な気がしないでもないな······

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #14: 高尾山 / Mount Takao

今日は一日中真っ青な空で、冷たい風が吹いていても高尾山に登るのには絶好な日でした。ちょっと電車に乗って山に行くだけで季節が変わるのを体中で感じられるのは、とてもありがたい事です。何しろ綺麗だった〜······

Walking up Mount Takao was a nice exercise, and the view of the hills and city below nearly took my breath away. The turning leaves were absolutely lovely too, but I figured I don't need to add one more photo to the stock...

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #13: 炊飯器 / Rice Cooker

Instead of cooking dinner tonight I baked myself a cake—a fair trade-off, I'd say. I'd gotten a recipe for persimmon cake from my high school English teacher a month ago, and it was high time I tried it.

Except...my kitchen lacks an oven! My frying pan upside down apple cake last time was OK, but it was too difficult to control the distribution of the heat. Microwave/Oven toaster? Bleh...

But wait...I have a rice cooker! And even though the last time I made cake with a rice cooker (with a "cake mode"!) it required re-baking, this time it actually turned out looking like a cake! Dinner served...

と言う訳で、何か無くてもちょっと工夫すれば何とかやってけるって訳だ。次はかぼちゃプリンだな······

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今日この頃、自分がやる事、言う事に以前より敏感になってきてる様な気がする。説明しにくいけど、女だから言っちゃいけない事とか、学生だから言わなくちゃいけない事とか、アメリカ人だからしちゃいけない事とか、日本人だからしなくちゃいけない事とか······考えてるだけで頭が痛くなる。皆偉いなー······色んな事があっても、ちゃんと社会でやってけるんだもん。此処に住んでるのが楽しいと思う反面、絶対此処では生活していけないと思う自分。嫌われたくないし、できれば好かれたいけど、でもそんな事を気にしながら人と接するのが大嫌いな自分。あ〜、大人の人間関係って、難しいな〜······ それともやっぱ、ウチがバカなだけかな············

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #12: スタバ / Starbucks

This, too, is a misnomer, since it's less a discovery in Japan and more a discovery in front of my train station. Regardless, it seems I spoke too fast when I said that there wasn't a Starbucks close enough by: now we're getting one right across from the two-story, 24-hour McDonalds. ::sigh:: Global capitalism...

Today as I was doing some reading at Mr. Lee's Taiwanese Snack Cart (that's...not its actual name) I ended up watching a DVD of PVs from the album <<越來越愛>> by 飛輪海 on repeat for two hours straight. I would've considered getting up and leaving, except the songs were so darn catchy and them boys were so cute...except it turns out they're not boys, they're actually my age! Go figure. I thought I was past the age of liking boy bands, but I guess not.

今日は······良い日だった。明日もきっと良い日だと思う。

On Thursday I am hitting the mother lode of all jewelry in my life. Prepare for some major acquisitions...

頭が変な考えで一杯一杯。

最近色んな事があり過ぎて、頭が変になっちゃった。どうしたらリセットできるんだろう。書きたい事は山ほどあるのに······

例えば、水曜日に見た会田誠の展覧会。そこで見た「灰色の山」。 久しぶりに行った石鹸屋さん。人と人の間に生まれる「優しさ」、「親切」。友情と愛情の違い。日本の和菓子屋さん。「木守り」に間に合わなかった事。スーパーで、落ちたサインを掛け直してた女の人。電車の中で、泣いてる子供を慰めてたおっかないお姉さん。知花くらら。原発。関東と関西の違い。アジアとアメリカ軍。金持ちと貧乏。肉無しの鍋。気温がマイナス１度になって、ぎょっとした事。

My head may as well explode with all these strange ideas floating around in my head. I suspect it really was the Aida Makoto exhibition that did it to me. I'd seen his piece "The Giant Member Fuji Versus King Gidora" before, but seeing a museum full of his works did something funny to my brain. But I can't wait to go back to the Mori Art Museum in March, because they are doing an exhibition on Alphonse Mucha...muah! Perfect timing!

でも、本当に何とかしなければ、これでは仕事が進まん。ま〜、今夜のハーブティーとラベンダーのロウソクで、ちょっとは気が治まったかも。さてさて。明日はお薄と和菓子で、次の締め切りを目指して頑張るぞ〜！

clams and memories / 浅蜊と思い出

今晩は待望の浅蜊の酒蒸しだぜぇ〜っ！！

と言うか、注文した胡麻油が先週届いたので、試したかったレシピを今晩作ってみました。と、なんと······ヤバいくらい美味い！！さすがの私も、浅蜊の酒蒸しを失敗する事はなかったな〜。

I'd been wanting to make sake-steamed clams for a long time. I like the click-click sound as the clams open up, sitting there waiting for them all to cook, urging the last one to hurry up and open—I don't want to overcook the others...

今夜は久しぶりに思い出話です。お稽古からの帰り道、急に父が私が子供の頃、トトロの CD を買ってくれたのを思い出しました。それは何を隠そう1992年の出来事で、私はまだガキでしてね。でもその CD は私にとって初めての CD で、しかも父は滅多に私や姉にプレゼントを買う様な人ではなかったんですよ。（今もそうですけど。）でも、ある日父は、「こんなモン買ってきたぞ」と照れ臭そうに言って、お店のプラスチックの袋に入ったままの CD を私にくれました。

嬉しかったな、やっぱり。それはトトロの音楽のピアノ · ソロのアルバムで、おそらくピアノの楽譜の本を一緒に売ってたんだと思う。でもそんな事は私も父も知らなくて、そんな事関係なくて、私は毎日その CD を聴きました。で、「さんぽ（右手練習用）」とか「となりのトトロ（左手練習用）」とかあって。で楽譜を持ってない私は、「なんでこれ右手練習用なんだろう？だって、これのまねをしたら左手の練習じゃん？」とか思ってたんですよ。（うるさいな······ガキだったんだってば。）でもそれのおかげで音を拾う事だけは上手くなったな······

Oh, my silly dad. I got your face and height and hands, and I got your shy personality and hatred of large parties. I get bored of things as fast as you do, and I probably will never be as half a good a teacher as you are. But I'm going to work hard so that I can make you proud, pay you back for making "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" the first song I ever learned to play on the piano.

よし、十一月ももう終わりに近い。せっせと仕事しなければ！でも、さすがに浅蜊蒸すのに使った酒を全部飲んだら、フラフラしてきちゃった。ヤバいな、今日こそは論文終わらせるつもりだったのに······でもいいや、生姜と鷹の爪がたっぷり入ってるから、きっと風邪の予防にでもなるだろう······

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #11: 新宿 / Shinjuku

Shinjuku isn't actually a discovery, but this poster I saw in the station today was. I'm not sure when I started thinking of Yoko Ono as "the woman who broke up The Beatles," but I've never been able to shake that association. I like "Oh Yoko!" with reservations...

But reading the story by Gluten-Free Girl about how she met the love of her life just about broke my heart and then reconstructed it again...so in celebration of people in love, I give a thumbs up to the poster.

（最初に読んだ記事じゃないけど、このちょっと重すぎるかもしれない情熱もそんな悪くないと思う······）

日本の謎 / Mysteries in Japan #4: 銀座 / Ginza

Walking around Ginza always gives me the feeling that I don't belong there. It's a place full of lights and glitz and price tags that make my eyeballs pop out of my head. But I admit, sometimes a wave of awe washes over me when I see something really pretty (or shiny), and I wish I had a rich husband who bought me really expensive presents.

I spent the afternoon of Labor Day Friday eating chocolate parfaits and window-shopping at places like Wakō with an equally cynical friend—cynical as in, "How in the world do people decide to buy all this amazingly useless stuff?!"

I'm sure I can find ways a $1,300 scarf can be useful. (I could get invited to a really elegant dinner party!) But then I think...no, I'll stick with the scarf my mum bought me at a discount (my employee discount) at my favorite store in hipster Mission District, thanks. And I'll take the chocolate parfait over the husband who buys me gifts, any day.

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #10: 京都 / Kyoto

今日は面白くていい人達に会い過ぎて、頭も胸もはち切れそうです。

Sitting there talking to people working on their thesis reminded me of just how much fun it can be to find something you care about and to set goals to work toward what you want to achieve. It's always nice to get that reminder. (Great food and great conversation helps, too.)

新幹線から富士山は見えなかったけど、代わりに飽きれる程雲の写真を取りました。ホント、どうして私ってこんなに雲とか空が好きなんだろ？前世は鳥だったんかいな、って思う程。でも、キレイな物は皆好きだよね···？

Customer Is Not Royalty

PowerPoint? Check. Handouts? Check. Notes? Check. All I need now is to figure out how to get myself to Kyoto on time.

I realized I needed more change when I was making copies at 7-Eleven, but I couldn't bring myself to ask for it at the register. It used to irk me when people came to our store and asked for change. I said, "Buy yourself a two-dollar votive, and I'll give you change."

It isn't that I don't think customer is king/queen...I try to interact with them in a way that would make them want to stay in our store, look at what we have, buy things, come back again, tell their friends about us...but that wasn't because I thought they were royalty. I just wanted them to like our store.

Ah, if only I can go back to working retail. But hey, in order to get change, I bought myself some karaage at 7-Eleven...it was wonderfully half-cooked and super juicy. If I get salmonella and don't make it to Kyoto, I'm going to blame the fact that I didn't want to irk the cashiers.

time passes...quietly

Today was one of those incredible days that made me grateful for all the things I have and all the things I want in my life. (I've been grateful an awful lot lately...I think I'm trying to make up for the fact that in Japan we skip Thanksgiving and go straight from Halloween to Christmas. Go figure.)

冷たい朝の空気はそっと肌に染み込んで、思わず「サングラスがあったら！」って思う程の太陽の光。何となく都会の香りがして、切なくとも幸せな気持ち。どこに目をやっても全てが不思議なくらい輝いてて、まるで間近に迫る冬の前の、秋の最後の日々！って感じでミンナが頑張ってた。

A few months ago I would've wanted to throw up just thinking about the amount of work I have to get done in the next month, but somehow lately I've been feeling very...zen. Like, calmer than a waterless Lagunita on a windless day. It's the feeling of having things I want to wait for, to fight for, to work really hard for...and I just love it. I'm like a fucking saint.

と言う訳で、（珍しく）上手い手料理をワインで味わいながら今週届く胡麻油の事を考えてると、何か人生満ち足りてるな〜って思いますね。ケーキに失敗した時にできたフライパンの焦げも落ちたし、ラベンダーのキャンドルは買ったし、論文は後何回か書き直せば（このバージョンは）終わるし······

There's a place on campus that has "old-fashioned" clocks that mark the time, like this super long one here along with a huge sundial on the floor. They aren't as accurate as the digital clocks we have now, but they remind us of the ways we used to keep time according to the important things that took place in our lives, each day, each month, each year. And I realize that time passes so slowly and yet so fast, sometimes quietly but sometimes with a deafening rush that makes us fear we're letting something important slip between our fingers. I'm looking forward to encountering all the things and people that'll make me want to not let them slip by without a fight.

Food. Here. Now.

I need to stop looking for food that I like from the States here in Japan. I need to stop complaining about the lack of cheese options and gluten-free cupcakes and beef noodles. I need to embrace all that is offered here and just...go with it.

I mean, take this amazing little number, for example. It's a flan on top of a flan! How much more meta can we get? An omelet inside an omelet? A burger inside a burger? A sandwich inside a sandwich?

Except what's brilliant about this is that...well, a sandwich is supposed to have something inside of it. So good for you if you were smart enough to stick a sandwich inside another sandwich. Or a burrito inside a burrito. Or a tamal inside a tamal.

But a flan as topping for a flan? That's just...mind-blowing. I mean, who thinks up stuff like this? What's next, ice cream as topping for ice cream? An okonomiyaki as topping for okonomiyaki?!

See, there are so many brilliant things like this in Japan—along with stuff like the more traditional kashi that I am just beginning to know—that I need to stop sulking about the lack of good wine in this country.

But you know, it does make me sad when things are marketed as being...whatever...and then they're jut not that good, as that thing as which they are marketed or as anything else. I'm not much concerned about authenticity, but man, eating really bad Pad Thai makes me more angry than if someone were to drive over my foot.

Letters / 手紙

I remember how my friends and I used to pass notes to each other between classes back in middle school. There was always a new way to fold it, the overlying flaps hiding secret compartments for special messages. Most of the time we had nothing to say, really—it was more for the joy of feeling like we had someone to confide in, being able to expect something in return later on in the day.

子供の時は下駄箱に入れられるラブレターに憧れた。いや、ラブレターでなくても良い、果たし状でも······「放課後体育館の裏で」という感じで、誰かが自分宛に書いてくれる一言一言に身震いを感じた。（結局ラブレターも果たし状も貰わなかった。）

But these days my inability to respond to incoming correspondence comes to bite me where it hurts most (guilt-wise), since I am blessed with friends who still put pen to paper despite the fact that I so rarely write back. (This is also the case with email, however, since I have lost many friends by letting a response sit in the Drafts folder for literally years.) I don't know how I got so lucky, with some who stay and some who kindly walk away...

でも偶に、本当に偶に、無性に自分の手で人に手紙を書きたくなる事がある。大体の場合それは実行されないが、言葉では言い表せない様な焦りと寂しさを感じ、「手紙に書いたら伝わるだろうか？」と思う事がある。遠くにいる家族、喧嘩をした友達、もう何年も話していない昔の恋人······手を伸ばしても届く事のない心の距離を間に置きながら、一つ一つ溢れる様に自分の気持ちを文字にしたら、何か奇跡が起こってくれるのではないか。でもそれは、愚かな期待に過ぎないのかもしれない。

Actually...the handwritten word is probably only as powerful as the word that comes in any other form—which means that I can probably still get away with sending those long-awaited responses to my friends and claiming that I took all these months because I wanted to make the words extra special.

友達が教えてくれた記事を読んで、色々と思い出した。中３の時のバレンタインデー。ガールフレンドに手書きの手紙をスキャンして送ったとはしゃいでいた大学時代の友達。就職する前の夏に貰った手書きの詩······どれも記憶の隅に押しやられていたが、考えてみると、今待っているテキストやメールも同じ位愛おしいのだと思う。いや、そう思いたい。

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #9: 紅葉 / Autumn

Actually, that's not really a discovery...but it's nice to know that leaves turning with the seasons are everywhere around here.

今日は思いがけなく休講になり、駅前でアマンダちゃんと出会したので、二人で中華ランチを食べました。It didn't quite fulfill my cravings for Taiwanese food, but I'm afraid that's going to have to be somewhere more...serious. What does it take to get some 蔥油餅 around here??

部屋に戻ったら、大統領選挙が終わってました······実際は大して変わらなくても、今夜は何となく安心して眠れます。

I've been off of my work schedule for the last two weeks, which means I've fucked myself over with this paper deadline...but it's nice to collect myself and mull over some ideas about love, capitalism, and other confusing things. How refreshing!

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #8: 柿 / Persimmons

Apparently persimmons are good for the liver, which means they're good for folks who drink a lot.

Today I saw a dude selling persimmons off of a cart outside the train station, and knowing that produce sold off of a cart tastes particularly good, I bought some. Since it was about 3 in the afternoon, the dude cut me a deal and gave me 7 persimmons for $10*, rather than the original 5 for $10 deal.

In the evening I went two train stations over to look for something, and there also I encountered a dude selling persimmons. I took the taste-test piece that was offered and, indeed, it was quite good! This dude said that these persimmons go for 4 for $10.50, but that (since it was nearly 9 PM and he needed to sell them off) he'd cut me a deal and give me 6 for $10.

Now what do you suppose I did?

I told him that 6 for $10 was too expensive and that he ought to give me 7 for the same price, to which he agreed. Which means now I have 14 persimmons sitting in my house. (Well, 13, since I just ate one.) Oh man...feel free to hit me up if you want some ripe persimmons...

誰かこの食い意地を治して下さい······

[*The currency conversion used in this post is 1 USD = 100 JPY, which is not the market rate.]

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #7: 身長 / Height

On Monday we had a little get-together among the Chinese lit people. When I saw a photo yesterday that was taken after we'd finished eating our delicious hot pot meal, I said to myself..."Wait, since when was I so tall?"

I always thought that I was fairly average in terms of height (or even on the shorter side), since among my freshman roommates in college I was the shortest one. But apparently the average height for women in Japan is 158.8 cm (171.2 cm for men), while the average height for women in the U.S. (not controlled for race) is 164.1 cm. (For men it's 178.2 cm.) So, being 165 cm, I am pretty average...just not in Japan.

I think I remember talking with my college roommate about an article that talked about the four things you're not supposed to make fun of about a guy: his height, his salary, his mother, and his penis size. I wonder if there really was such an article, or if I just imagined it. I wouldn't be surprised if I had.

葉っぱ / Greens

今日は水菜が届きましたぁ〜！しかも埼玉県産。もうこうなったら運命としか言いようが無い。

Today is by far my favorite day for co-op deliveries. I even got more early oranges along with some bananas to supplement my kiwi. :D And cabbage and komatsuna! I am eating well this week.

結構切羽詰まった状態の筈なのですが、なんとなくいつまでものんびり。これだからストレスが溜まらないんやな。（で仕事も進まないのだ。）

But...if I can think that I can do it, I can. And if I think that I can't, I can't. So it's better to believe that I can, and just press forward...

Also, yesterday I had an inexplicable desire to listen to Adele's "Someone Like You"...and then I found out that she just had a baby. I must be psychic...

A Little Bit of Oil Is Good, Even Necessary (どだ、油だ！)

The bad thing about cooking for myself is that I have to eat bad food every day. At least Tuesday's delivery from the co-op included the bottle of olive oil I ordered, so now I can make some real stir fry, not just stir steam. Rock. (I am also waiting for lettuce season to end.)

I've been slow on picking up some useful ingredients and seasonings, but once I'm through with this deadline I am going on a shopping spree at Ito Yokado. I need some chili peppers, sesame oil, gluten-free (?) bread crumbs, ginger, garlic, basil, cayenne pepper, cinnamon...

I'm thinking steamed clams: with garlic and chili peppers fried in olive oil, clams opening up in white wine, fresh parsley sprinkled on top...

Holy crap, I am getting hungry.

Is it sexist? And if it is, is it bad?

Yesterday I was asked a question about a potentially sexist tradition, and since I had to write a reply anyway, I thought I would recycle it as a blog post. (It's not being lazy, it's being efficient.)

The story is this: An acquaintance of mine is in charge of a math/science program for high school students. The program hosts a dinner with notable scholars, where a student participating in the program escorts a scholar of the opposite sex. Apparently some people involved in the program think that this practice, described as a "tradition," is sexist, while others think that it's not a big deal, adding that students like the opportunity to talk with the scholars.

Here is my hastily crafted response, slightly edited...it's missing a lot (and it sounds like I'm leading a DOC section), but it did get me thinking about some things (like all those times I had to make tea/coffee at my old workplace...).

--
That is an interesting question about the program. Here are some of my personal thoughts.

I think I agree with both sides of the group―Is it sexist? Yes. Is it a big deal? Probably not.

I think that it is sexist because it is a decision being made based on the identity category of "sex". Therefore, by definition, it is "sexist". If we were to have, say, a white student escort a black scholar simply because it is a tradition that a person of a particular race escort a person of a different race, then that, too, would be racist―since the decision is being made based on the identity category of race.

Is that a bad thing, or a big deal? Who knows. On a practical level, maybe not. At least for the person doing the escorting or being escorted, I'm sure it's not terribly unpleasant.

I think the larger question is, setting aside the idea that this probably isn't a "big deal" in practical terms, do we want to maintain a tradition that is inherently sexist? For example, in Japan, we have a "tradition" of women wearing wedding dresses or female kimonos and men wearing tuxedos or male kimonos when holding a wedding ceremony. Is that a big deal? Probably not. But then, what do we do about the "tradition" of women in Japan being asked to make tea/coffee for their coworkers/bosses/corporate guests, or being denied opportunities for promotion, just because they are women? Or the "tradition" that men are expected to work long hours and drink too much for corporate socialization just because they are men? Both of these seem like problematic traditions and gender/sex roles. ("Problems" also arise, I think, when some people decide not to follow those traditions.)

These "traditions" may seem like they are of different types, but traditions, too, are things that are created and invented by people. They are not natural things that simply emerged and were then handed down from generation to generation. At some point, someone decided to start calling a particular practice a "tradition."

So, on a practical level, the program's tradition is probably not a big deal, even if it is sexist. But on an ideological level, in which "tradition" is often used to justify many discriminatory and oppressive practices, I wonder if we want to rethink whether it is appropriate to maintain such a tradition. Perhaps we do.

It might help to consider what the "goal" is for maintaining such a tradition. Is the goal simply to maintain the tradition? Or to provide participating students an opportunity to speak with a famous scholar? If it is the latter, then why not simply have another opportunity to do so? It may not be "one-on-one," but I wonder if that would hardly matter.

Also, consider if you had a program participant who was a transgender or a transsexual student. Would there then be issues in trying to decide if that student should escort a male or a female scholar? Would you deny that student the opportunity to escort the scholar because you cannot arbitrate to which sex category the student belongs?

What is the alternative? I'm not sure, but I am sure that there are many. These are simply my personal thoughts, so I hope that you do not take them too seriously, or share them with others.

Sincerely...

Overly-Dramatic but Sexy Movie

Indeed, if you are looking for an overly-dramatic but sexy movie, you might find yourself pointing your browser to whatever site offers free streaming of <<亲密敌人>> (Dear Enemy), directed by Xu Jinglei and starring Xu and Stanley Huang in the main roles of former-lovers-turned-business-competitors.

I didn't swoon over it as much as I did over TiMER, but I did cry once...

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #6: 上野公園 / Ueno Park

That's a tightly formatted title there...must follow my own instructions when I tell my students that they can't reformat their paper just because it doesn't fit the page requirements...

Second (and Fourth) Saturdays are free at the National Museum of Western Art, so rather than do real work I headed to the other side of the Yamanote-sen.

美術館にも行ったし、東北応援の短冊も見たし、ブラブラ公園の中を歩いたし······晴天だったので人が沢山いました。でも帰って来たら仕事が山積み。ここ一週間は遊んでられないな······

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #5: "Bad" Wine

This is the equivalent of a "Please pick up after your dog" sign in the U.S., except this one says "Please take your dog's poop home." I suppose even in the U.S., after you pick up your dog's poop, you would then take it home...

Right now I am more than tipsy (and feeling silly for it) because I am trying to finish off the bottle of wine I picked up in Yamanashi. Thank goodness I at least have delicious 焼きとうもろこしあられ to wash it down. Otherwise I'd have to eat lettuce or something.

My friends had warned me about "bad" (read: not to their tastes) wine in Japan, but I didn't think I'd fall prey to that phenomenon, too. In California you take three steps and you can't help but run into a decent (even good!), cheap bottle of wine, but apparently in Japan the wine is made to (surprise) Japanese tastes, which does not seem to suit my taste buds. Plus the other day when I had wine at Pastel, my glass of red wine came out positively refrigerated. Oh, come on, man...I do like a good glass of chilled white wine (even in winter), but even I like my red wine only slightly below room temperature when I do drink it...

So, until I find a decent bottle of wine at a reasonable price, I think I'm going to have to keep taking pictures of silly dog poop-related signs around town...

Shopping Spree / 買い出し

Ito Yokado served me quite well today, as I went from one floor to the next checking things off of my to-buy list—and all at competitive prices!

The steal of the day was my One Piece "yoga mat," which enabled me to do floor stretches for the first time in nearly four weeks! Holler.

I also chose toothpaste based on which product matched the color scheme of my bathroom best. I believe that is a first in personal history...

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #4: 甲府 / Kōfu

今日は、生まれて初めて甲府へ行って参りましたぁ〜！

My first trip to Yamanashi Prefecture...lots of mountains, trees, grapes, and overall goodness. 

友達とゆっくり電車で目的地まで。研究、人生、恋愛······お喋りしながら時間を過ごせたのが嬉しかった。

We went to see her friend's art show, and on the way back we bought some grapes and a bottle of wine. Score.

[甲府市藤村記念館と初秋の雲 / Fujimura Kinenkan and some nifty clouds]

日本の謎 / Mysteries in Japan #3: The Ubiquitous T-Shirt

Last summer my aunt gave a very similar shirt to my mum. Which means...clearly this shirt design already has been around for over 16 months, right?

でも、このデザインの Tシャツって、やたらと色んな所で見るんですけど。どこに行っても、いつも視界の中に最低一人はこういう感じのシャツ着てるんですよね。時々色違いだったり、もっと丈が長かったり、シマシマが違う太さだったり······これって、もしかして「定番」っつー奴ですか？

It's not that I don't like the design, it's just...I guess I haven't caught on to what makes it so darn popular. Somebody, please tell me. Is it the boatneck? Is it the unexpected contrast between the stripes and the upper white space?? DAH!! I can't stand the mystery!!!

きっといつか分かります。でもその時にはもう遅い····

How to Live a Life

As long as I can drink Calpis, I think I can be happy.

今日はとてもいい日でした。図書館に本を返したり、初めて ATM を使ったり、台湾風唐揚げを食べたり、焼き芋を歩き食いしたり、面白い授業に出たり、カルピスを自動販売機で買ってみたり、大学の図書館で読みたかった本を見つけたり······こんな一日を過ごせて、ちょっと罪深いです。

This weekend I get to see a relative (holy crap!) and also go to Yamashi prefecture with a newfound (newmade?) friend. Who cares that I have to give a presentation on Tuesday? I only live once.

でも、遊んでばっかいてもいけないので、今日はちゃんと仕事してから寝ます。ん？ん······ホント、ホント！だってカルピス飲んじゃったんだもん、仕事ぐらいしなきゃ、神様に怒られるよ······

日本での発見/Discoveries in Japan 3: 食いしん坊万歳

いえ、あのテレビ番組ではありません。（書き方も変えました。）ただ私としては、南大沢でこの様に便利な食品の買い方ができるのが嬉しいです。

I signed up to join a co-op, and now I get groceries delivered to my door every Tuesday. This is, like, the coolest thing since sliced bread.

有機栽培だったり、国内直産だったり。今週はキャベツ、白菜、苦瓜、ピーマン、洋梨、等等。勿論自分で選べるので、決められた中身の箱が届けられるのよりもっといいかも。

You can choose what you want delivered, but they also offer a "grab bag" option so that produce that don't get specifically ordered still make it to people's tables—so there's a surprise element that is kind of charming. (I'm sure the charm is not their goal, but rather to cut down on waste.)

今年も食生活だけは充実するような気がします。

Work or no work, at least I'll be eating well...

台風／Typhoon

今夜は台風１７号で空が大忙し。飲みに行こうと思ったけど、家に留まっててよかった。

Stormy is just the word I'm looking for. It's windy out there, but there isn't the kind of thundering and lightning we had a couple of weeks ago.

結構終末っぽい写真になりました。窓開けてたら気持ちよかった。「家」の中は安全です。

the color of happiness

I think is gray.

何となくここ何日間か幸せに満ち足りてます。なんでやねん？

It's been a gray few days, but somehow I've felt really happy all the while. It may be because I'm getting a lot of sleep.

The view of houses is different from city to city, but the feeling I get is the same each time...

日本での発見／Discoveries in Japan 2: Movies are pricey

I had heard about the notoriously expensive movie-watching-in-theaters-experience in Japan, but I cannot not go see a movie from a director I like if it is playing within walking distance. But 1,800 yen? That's more than 20 bucks! Crazy...

日本の映画館が高いとは聞いていましたが、まさかこんなに値が張るとは······でも最後まで観客が静かに座っていたのにはもっと驚きました。一回は行ってみるべき。でも次回からはビデオにしよっと······

日本の謎／Mysteries in Japan 2: Halloween

ハロウィーンって、日本のホリデーだったっけ？街の至る所でハロウィーンの宣伝を見ます。コスチュームやら、キャンディーやら、ぬいぐるみやら······日本って、ハロウィーンの伝説とかに当てはまるのかいな？

でも、日本のカボチャは美味しいし、コスプレも見慣れてるから、あんまり違和感無いのかもしれない······なんて。でもお菓子は断然日本のの方が旨いと思う。

Was Halloween a Japanese holiday too? I see ads and goods for Halloween all over the place—at the grocery stores, the department stores, even at real estate agencies. Was the All Hallows' Eve stuff applicable in Japan, too?

But pumpkins in Japan are yummy and cosplay isn't uncommon, so maybe Halloween will actually fit right into Japanese culture...minus the cheap/gross candy.

日本での発見／Discoveries in Japan 1: Sun God's cousin!

昨日サンリオピューロランドの方へ歩いている途中、随分と見慣れた物が目に入りました。な、なんと······あれ、サンゴッドのもっとイビツな奴じゃん？

思った通り、彫刻家はニキ・ド・サンファル。作品名は『蛇の樹』。やっぱ派手やな〜。

As I was walking toward Sanrio Puroland yesterday (no, I wasn't going there), I saw something out the corner of my eye that reminded of something close to home. Wait, is that...Sun God? WTH?!

Check it out if you find yourself near Keiō Tama Center station and compare it to our school's finest.

日本の謎／Mysteries in Japan 1

この、日本の窓によくくっついてる赤い三角形、何ですか？私が子供の頃、よく父のオフィスのある建物の窓でも見かけました。でも、一体なんだか分からないまま大人になって······

母の提案：「あっちが下って意味じゃない？」と。母ちゃん······

What is this red triangle that I often see on windows in Japan? I used to see it on the windows of my dad's office building when I was a kid, but I grew up never actually knowing what it means...

My mum's suggestion: "Maybe it means that that way is down." Oh, mum...

[一晩 3,000円の窓からの景色！]

見ました、『サマーウォーズ』

待ちに待った『サマーウォーズ』。最初は吹き替えだったからショックだったけど、根性で字幕のやつをネットで探して見ました。やっぱり感動。

ストーリーのテンポもよかったし、一人一人のキャラクターが一生懸命になる所もよかった。時々自信を無くしたり、自分に素直になれなかったり、思いがけない人に励まされたり······そういう、人生の中である、色々な事を考えさせてくれる映画でした。

そして、公式サイトに載ってるポスターが一々好き。シンプルで、でもなにかをフッと思いつかせてくれる様なポスター、大好きです。サイトのポスターのセクションから、クイズの問題に答えると、幾つも見られます。

あ〜、でも、夏と言うとやっぱり映画ですね。この前『母べえ』を見て、その時もやっぱり涙ボロボロでした。 今度はボックスティッシュ側に置いておこっと。

on being a migrant

hot darn, yo, moving sure is a pain.

I heard that moving is up there on the list of most stressful things in life, next to divorce and lay-offs. But imagine having to move to a foreign country where you don't really speak the language.

Well, OK, that doesn't apply to me in this case, but finding a place to live, enrolling in national health insurance, registering as a resident, etc., can be kind of a pain.

But that's nothing compared to being an adult responsible for spouse and kids, or being without documentation required by some government, or needing a job, or having to constantly be on the move. I still can't really swallow the justification for the idea of citizenship, but someone must be profiting a whole lot from all this people moving around in the world...

nameless tree, or, being a proper Japanese woman

As Poirot once said, what you and I don't know could fill volumes. And one of those volumes would be a book about plants—flowers and trees and such. With that in mind, I am thinking of learning the names of flowers and trees, so that when I come across one, I would know what in the world I was looking at.

Some people can hear birdsong and identify the bird singing. I'm not particularly interested in birds, but I like flowers and trees, so this should be fun...

It'd also be nice to be able to identify musical instruments in orchestral pieces, or maybe voices of singers...or maybe composers of classical pieces? Or maybe spices in cooking. Or fish? Like, if I eat a fish, I'd know what in the world it was...

Is that what being a connoisseur is...?

Not Yet Paradise

I just finished watching Paradise Now, a 2005 film that won the Golden Globe and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film as a submission from Palestine. I remember hearing about it when I was in college, putting up a postcard of it on my wall (along with other movie postcards) to remind myself to watch it. (I didn't, obviously, until now.)

At 90 minutes, the movie is tightly crafted and does an amazing job of pushing forward the tense plot. (Wow, that was a lot of adjectives and adverbs.) I think what struck me most was its presentation of the suicide bombing operations as...mundane, like any other project that has to be planned and carried out in order to achieve a practical goal.

And I think, despite the political weight of the issues addressed by the film, what made the film for me was the two actors playing the protagonists: Kais Nashef and Ali Suliman in the roles of Said and Khaled, respectively. To me they were pitch-perfect in portraying the anxieties and also the ordinariness of the two characters. Um...yeah, I'm making it more difficult than it is...

Anyway, I love watching movies in the summer—this is my 11th annual summer film festival, and I intend to keep up the tradition.

A Good Restaurant at the End of the Rainbow

We went out to dinner the other day, and I had to accept a painful truth that had been fairly clear since some time ago:

There are very few good restaurants in the region where I live. (Yes, that is a Popeye's in the photo. No, we were not going there.)

How, in a country with cities full of good food, can there be entire regions with few restaurants that offer food, service, and atmosphere that are worth paying money for? And why must I live in such a region?

I wonder what it takes to have a good restaurant. It doesn't have to be super expensive ingredients, just honest food, thoughtfully prepared...

No Time to Lose

I realize that the month of August is already half gone, which is...bad. I mean, really, really bad. Never mind the crap ton of shenanigans that I'm supposed to execute in the next several days, I'm also supposed to be...booting myself out of the city of Riverside.

It's funny how I can't stand other people saying bad things about Riverside, but I don't mind putting it down myself whenever I get a chance. It's like in those old mangas, when the girl only realizes she likes some dude when her friends point out the fact that she gets upset whenever...

Never mind. That got too complicated.

The skies of Riverside are as smoggy as ever, but occasionally we get a nice cloud or two. I'll dream of you, California...

What's a Baby Shower for?

On Saturday I attended a baby shower for a family friend (actually the son of my parents' friends...he and his brother used to teach me and my sister tennis when we were kids. And now he's having a baby! Good lord!). This was my first baby shower (the only thing close was the small bridal shower brunch I went to for my college drawmate), and I think it set the bar pretty high for the rest of my baby shower attending career. 

We had wonderful food (with fresh fish! smoked and grilled!) and cake from Diamond Bakery. Everyone was friendly and felt like family, and we all played silly games...and we had lots of presents, which made it feel like Christmas for the happy couple.

But may I ask: What's a baby shower for? Or a bridal shower? There must be a historical significance that has been lost over the years, and now it seems a little bit like a consumerist gift-giving occasion. (This one on Saturday wasn't really, but still.) What confuses me even more is a bachelorette/bachelor party. If you have to have a hyper sexualized weekend in order to prepare yourself for your ball and chain, why get married at all? Confused...

[I need to brush up on my gift wrapping skills...]

wabi sabi

It's a leaf caught in mid-air.
It's a fragile piece of nature drifting between dark and light.
It's dead lightweight swept up against the wall.
It's loneliness and sadness in the shape of a bract.
It's a quiet moment of contemplation.
It's peace in the most unsettling way.
It's blocking my path back home.
It's an eeriness that invites wonder.
It's a reminder of things no longer here.
It's the reason for learning old and new things.
It's a dark and fuzzy photograph.
It's the third time that's the charm.
It's nowhere near where it started.

Actually, it's a piece of a bougainvillea plant that got caught in a spider web because I haven't been sweeping my front porch often enough.

Bottoms Up!

Last night my parents and I had some "Belgian Style Ale" to celebrate life and all its wonders (maybe). I shouldn't actually be drinking beer, but I gave myself a boozy break since I'm on medication this week. Whee!

I bought the ale for my parents in celebration of a certain special someone in our lives, even though she, too, can't drink booze (yet). But we'd been missing the occasion to open the fine bottle, so finally last night I put my foot down and demanded that we have some ale with leftover cheese. Yum.

The ale (I love saying the word) was sweet, with almost a pear flavor. (Turns out it was aged in a wine barrel with orange peels...close enough.) But it was light and refreshing and tasted almost like pear cider. Easy on the palate, I tell you. Next time I am back at St~Germain I shall procure me another bottle.

This week is full of celebrations, since I'm letting some chapter ideas simmer and also finishing up my panel proposal for a little people conference. I'll have to shoot myself if we don't get in, but at least I'll give it an honest go.

論文を書きたくなる為には

この夏休みは、実家で過ごしています。食料品にお金が掛からないのは、実に不思議で、嬉しい気持ちです。

でも、 一番嬉しいのは、自分の研究について考える為のまとまった時間がある事。 そして、数日前父から借りた本を読んで、ますます考えるのが楽しくなりました。

読んだ本は、外山滋比古の『思考の整理学』。本の読み方、ノートの取り方、考えのまとめ方、下書きの書き方等等。同意しない部分や、何故わざわざ書くのか？と思った部分もあったけれど、それでも面白い本でした。なんとなく、論文を書く「ハウ・ツー」みたいな感じでした。　

夏休みも、ぼんやりしてたら終わってしまいます。しかも、12日間の間に、9冊程の本を読みたいと思うと、嬉しいんだか悲しいんだか、分からなくなってきます。 学生の人生とは、この様なものなのでしょうか？早く仕事したいな～って、時々思ってしまいます。

選択オプションがある仕事人とは

最近友達と話しながら、人生を幸せに生きるには何が一番重要か、という質問の答えを考えていました。

「んなもん、決まってるじゃん。カネだよ、カネ。」

「いや、違う。一番重要なのは、選択オプションがある事だ。」

選択オプション？なんじゃ、そりゃ。

友達が言うには、どう人生を生きるかを自ら選べる事が、幸せに生きる為の重要なポイントなのです。

「どの街で、どの会社で、どんな仕事をして、誰と行きて行くかを決められる事自体が、一番重要な事なのさ。」

ま〜、その考え方は、普通のサラリーマン／ビジネスマンには通用しますけどね、人文科学者には通用しないんすよ、旦那。何を隠そう、一年間に両方の手で数えられる程ぐらいしか履歴書を送る大学が無くて、おまけに万が一仕事が貰えても、それは誰も聞いた事の無い街の大学なんですから······

でも、だとしたら、私は真剣に将来の就活について考えなければならない。で、この間偶然見かけた、「自己認知」の定義をここで思い出してしまう。

「自分自身の価値観や、長所・短所を把握すること。

能力開発や仕事の選択に当たっては、自分自身が大切に感じる価値観や、自分自身の強み・弱みを的確に把握することが重要である。自分自身を正しく知ることは意外に難しく、心理テストや面談を通して正しい自己認知を促すことも多い。近年の能力開発の新しい流れとして、これを研修に組み入れる企業が増加している。本人の強みは『より強く伸ばすべきもの』として強く動機づけを行い、本人の弱みは『普段から気をつけて対応すべきもの』として、日常の行動改善につなげる。」

なるほど。私もしなくちゃ、この「自己認知」ってやつ。

でも、もっと面白かったのは、吉田秀雄の「鬼十則」：

1. 仕事は自ら創るべきで、与えられるべきでない。
2. 仕事とは、先手々と働き掛けていくことで、受け身でやるものではない。
3. 大きな仕事と取り組め、小さな仕事はおのれを小さくする。
4. 難しい仕事を狙え、そしてこれを成し遂げるところに進歩がある。
5. 取り組んだら放すな、殺されても放すな、目的完遂までは……。
6. 周囲を引きずり回せ、引きずるのと引きずられるのとでは、永い間に天地のひらきができる。
7. 計画を持て、長期の計画を持っていれば、忍耐と工夫と、そして正しい努力と希望が生まれる。
8. 自信を持て、自信がないから君の仕事には、迫力も粘りも、そして厚みすらない。
9. 頭は常に全回転、八方に気を配って、一分の隙もあってはならぬ、サービスとはそのようなものだ。
10. 摩擦を怖れるな、摩擦は進歩の母、積極の肥料だ、でないと君は卑屈未練になる。

いいね〜。好きだね〜、私、こういうの。私も吉田秀雄みたいに頑張って、いつか人生が実る様、努力します。さぁ、ファイティング！

What to Do With Small Animals

I met a very nice raccoon on my way home tonight. She was just chillin' outside of Center Hall. I've taken up an interest in animals recently, and I felt this was an appropriate occasion to begin contemplating how I ought to interact with critters from here on.

Rule #1: Be polite. (Duh.)
Rule #2: Meet them eye-to-eye. (It's not nice to look down on them.)
Rule #3: Ask open-ended questions. (Yes-no questions are for uncreative folk.)
Rule #4: Be clear about expectations. (If you don't have any food, come clean at the beginning.)
Rule #5: Acknowledge that you both have other things to do besides chatting with each other.

I've yet to re-encounter my baby bunny from Peterson Hall, and I am hoping she wasn't eaten by some predator. It sure is a critter-eat-critter world out there...

Epic (German) Potato Salad

I've been making some "epic" things lately, though not because they're good—they've just got a grand list of ingredients. (The curry last week was such an example: snow peas, carrots, radishes, turnips, shishitō, etc., etc.)

Today we have a potluck, so in my effort to use up the stuff in my fridge, I made potato salad—and by request, a Germanic one. (Which was well and good, since I didn't have enough mayo anyway.) And this, to my surprise, just happened to turn out somewhat epic.

Epic Potato Salad

Potatoes
Vinegar (that has been pickling peppers)
Mayonnaise
Horseradish (grated and in a jar, people)
Dried dill
Green parts of scallions, chopped
Salt

1 Cut and peel the potatoes, reminding self to cut off the suspicious black parts. Congratulate self on getting faster at peeling. Leave potato pieces in water for a few minutes, then rinse. Bring potato pieces to boil, adding salt to the water once it starts boiling. Boil until soft. Curse self for making them too soft.
2 Drain the potatoes, cook off the remaining water, and let cool. When they're a little cool, pour some vinegar over the pieces. Wonder if that was a good idea, but let sit to cool completely.
3 Add mayonnaise and be surprised that there isn't more left in the deep jar. Mix. Add some horseradish, then add some more horseradish, thinking that you need to pick up the pace on using this thing. Mix some more. Sprinkle some dried dill and be very pleased. Pause, mix.
4 Chop the green parts of the scallions and let soak in water for a bit. Realize that you should've used a larger bowl for the soaking, but let it go. Add scallions to the potato and mix.
5 Salt to taste, then put the potato salad in the casserole dish to take to the potluck. Feel your heart break when you realize that you forgot to add freshly ground pepper. Make self feel better by telling self that someone at the potluck is probably allergic to freshly ground pepper.
6 Stick in the fridge and wait until the time to walk over to the potluck.

So, now I've used up my mayonnaise, and a couple of nights ago I used up my bottle of olive oil. Now, what to do with them horseradish and pickled peppers...

Just go with the flow. Or not.

As I was walking across the terrace (?) of Geisel the other day, I noticed that all the flowers in a planter (?) on the way to Sequoyah were facing the same direction. I wondered if they were all facing South, toward the sun (?), or if the wind was just blowing them all over.

Either way, it's not such bad practice, going with the flow and doing like everyone else does. Sometimes it's a lot easier and presents the path of least resistance. And for a flower, that can mean the difference between surviving and perishing.

But sometimes it's just nice to know that, if you really, really want to not go with the flow, then that's OK too. I mean, who knows, maybe the flow is just bad. It's bad flow and bad karma, and maybe you'll be unhappy where you end up. 

So yes. Go with the flow, or not. (I think this is the result of my recent ambivalence about life in general, though it is, nonetheless, a positive kind of ambivalence...)

残り物には福がある、とのこと。

さて、もう六月という事は、そろそろアパートの大掃除をしなければなりません。そして、一番楽しいのは、何と言っても台所の整理整頓。何故なら、今まで食べようと思って買って、でも何ヶ月もほったらかしにしておいた材料が、色々な場所から出て来るからです。

台所をざっと見渡すと、色々な物が目につきます。今日からの何週間かの間、おそらく毎日が Food Network の "Chopped" みたいになるでしょう。これから使い終わってしまわなければならない材料の例を幾つか上げると：

- だし（至る所にある）
- オリーブ油
- 醤油（小麦粉無し）
- パン粉（小麦粉無し）
- マヨネーズ
- ビーフン
- 海苔
- コーンミール

等等。さぁ、以上の材料を使わなければならないと言われたら、あなたは何を作りますか？

[今日の「おでん」は美味しかったな〜。つーか、絶対おでんじゃなかったけど。でも、ちくわもこんにゃくも入ってたし······味は違ったけど、まぁいいか。]