Hey all.Ý After a brief hiatus I'm back.Ý For
all my vegetarian friends, you know who you are, you might want to
read just the first part of this email because there is some "interesting"
eating experiences at the end.Ý So without further delay let's begin.
ÝÝÝ Some of my students are going to Kyoto, a huge tourist attraction
both inside and outside Japan.Ý Their project is to walk up to foreign
strangers who they think speak English...introduce themselves and
ask a few simple questions.Ý The basic questions are "what is your
name?", "where are you from?", and "why did you come to Kyoto?"Ý
The basic run of the mill with, of course that lonely exception student
who decided to make a joke out of it.Ý He is going to ask "Where
can I wash my hands?" "Where is the toilet?" "Do you have any toilet
paper?" and a statement "Your head is shiney"...how nice...I'm sure
any foreigner would love these.Ý So I decided "why fight this?Ý why
not just go with this kid and maybe he will learn something..."Ý
So I decided to write down some helpful questions I think a Japanese
student should ask an unsuspecting foreigner...like "Do you deal
drugs?" and "Are you going to take over my country?"Ý Now some of
you might think that was really evil of me to do, but I say take
what the kid wants and make it what you want and the student will
learn without knowing it.Ý For the first time I saw this student
looking up words in his English/Japanese Dictionary and it was a wonderful
sight.Ý Got him. ÝÝÝ Now the part that Veggy friends should skip.Ý
This will be graphic...you shouldn't have eaten at anytime around
reading this.Ý So around this time of year all Japanese businesses and
schools end and begin new years which of course have all kinds of parties
that go with them(are you sick yet?).Ý So the night of my school's
graduation I went to the "school year end party".Ý I was feeling
fine, nothing out of the ordinary until (you knew that was coming)
the woman serving our food brought out huge clear bowls of water
with little (I say little but they are about 3inches long) clear
looking fish in them...swimming around having a good ol' time.Ý Of
course I said to myself...well actually I'm pretty sure I said it
out loud..."are you kidding me?"...which no one understood or heard,
I don't think.Ý So a little while later I'm looking around the room
and I begin to notice that my teachers are scooping these things up and
putting them either in their hands or bowls...and slurping away.Ý
Then I heard one of my teachers say "Oh Jeff, this is what we call
a dancing fish, please try"Ý "Please try"...words that often haunt
both me my ALT friends and me.Ý At first I said no way...then after
another suggestion I said "well you only live once"...my teacher
put about 5 in my bowl...my chopstick expertise was useless because
these fish aren't called dancing fish for nothing.Ý One almost danced
right out of the bowl.Ý Then I looked around to see how "they" were
doing it.Ý Okay, put the bowl right up to your mouth and slurp it
in.Ý Okay, here goes...but first should I swallow it whole or chew?Ý
Well at this point I didn't want to think about chewing so I swallowed
one whole.Ý The teachers of course said that the fish was swimming
around in my stomach and might cause problems...in jest...I think.Ý
Okay, now I will chew one.Ý Okay, get that thing in my mouth...it's
dancing inside...bite...don't think ...motionless...swallow...one
down 3 more to go.Ý ÝÝÝ Later that night the server brought out a
food I had tried once before and didn't like it so I wasn't going to
again.Ý I was told it was cow stomach by a Japanese that knew a little
English when I ate it for the first time a couple months ago.Ý Seems that
this Japanese guy didn't know the word for uterus because that is exactly
what one of my English teachers told me it was.Ý Glad I didn't know
that when I had eaten it back then.Ý ÝÝÝ Well I've grossed
you all enough.Ý I am going to Hiroshima and a few other places this
coming week...leaving tomorrow night.Ý These few days off are called
Golden Week in Japan and it is tourist city.Ý In a couple weeks I'm
going to SKorea...you thought the food in Japan was strange...let
me just tell ya that the uterus thing was a Korean dish... ÝÝÝ Bye
now...