Well some of you might get that SNL reference
some of you probably won't but I think it is rather appropriate for this
email.Ý So in this email that stuff and other stuff...the Japanese Way
of being vague is taking its toll. ------------->Now, as you know,
pronounciation is really important here (as if it weren't anywhere
else).Ý Remember my email of confusing a question I thought pertained
to a jell0-like food with co-ed naked bathing?Ý Well another case
though not quite as funny happened.Ý First here's the background.Ý
My direct boss' name is Mr. Koike and Japanese for a business dinner
party is enkai.Ý So one day one of my teachers asked me if I was
going to--what I thought was---Koike's enkai.Ý "Oh?Ý Mr. Koike is
having a party?"Ý Well what she meant was the Board of Education
which is koike iinkai.Ý Yet, another embarrassing moment, but at
least I didn't feel left out not being invited. --------------->As you
know I complain about how my apartment gets so cold.Ý You know about
the ice forming on the INside of the windows and seeing my breath
constantly, but today a new thing happened...my pipes froze so I
couldn't take a shower and the water in my toilet froze!!!Ý Listen
folks...when the water in your toilet freezes you have a really cold
toilet seat...hence why they have heaters on them.Ý I won't go into
how I melted the ice. ------------------>At the beginning of February is
a festival called Setsubun.Ý Basically what happens is people take
soybeans and throw them out their door while chanting "fuku (again
watch out for pronounciation) wa uchi, oni wa soto."Ý Translation---"out
with the devil in with good fortune." Knowing that February is the
coldest month here it very well might be needed, but my question
is "why soybeans?"Ý Is the devil or even a little demon supposed
to cower to the sight of a soybean?Ý Are they meat eaters who look
at the soybean as an imposter?Ý It would make more sense I think
if they threw that nasty natto stuff at them, then again if you throw
enough soy they could be a pretty good weapon.Ý Still the question
remains...who thinks of this stuff?Ý One day an ancient ill-lucked
Japanese pondered "Okay how do I get rid of the demons and get better
fortune?Ý I know (candle over head...not a lightbulb..it being way
before the lightbulb was invented and all)... throw soybeans!!!!"???
Also each person has to eat their age in soybeans on that day.Ý Now
that's cool if you are around my age, but what if you are an elderly
person...say 75 or more...talk about having a whole meal and then some
of beans (I will reframe from bathroom humor here)...so I guess growing
old isn't a relaxed process here...every year add another bean.Ý
-------->Yesterday was the first snowstorm in my area...and I found
out that when there is a lot of snow they do plow...how nice...though
they don't use salt very much and the roads are pretty slick. --------->Sometimes
the school lunches consist of rice (big suprise) and, the only way
I can describe it, paper sheets about 4 inches by 3 inches of dried
seaweed.Ý Take the paper and rap up some rice in it for a burrito
rice ball.Ý No problem with one exception.Ý The seaweed paper is
EXTREMELY dry and if it touches your lips it will get stuck...similar to
placing your tongue on a icy metal pole.Ý Well this happened to me and
I pulled it off...yes it did draw blood.Ý Solution...don't let it
come near the lips and put the whole thing in your mouth at once
regardless of how silly it looks. ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Well that's all folks...take
care Ý