People are often unfamiliar of the cultural eating manners and etiquette when they travel to Japan. New Zealanders are used to the westernized forms of manners and etiquette used in Japanese style fast food places and restaurants in New Zealand. The lack of knowledge becomes an obstacle for New Zealand travelers to Japan (OE, JET program, exchange), as they are unaware the eating taboos seen as rude in Japanese culture. As a result travelers fit into stereotypical associations and feel socially excluded. Eating etiquette and manners are part of the core values of Japan. Knowledge in this helps to gain a better cultural understanding. Therefore bridging the gap in knowledge of manners and etiquette would create a smoother transition into Japanese culture and improve their experience while abroad. “Culture is more often a source of conflict than of
synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster."
"As far as culture is concerned, a special notice should be
taken into account here: the same person can belong to several different cultures
depending on their birthplace, nationality, ethnicity, family status, gender, age,
language, education, physical condition, sexual orientation, religion, profession,
place of work and its corporate culture. However, culture is the “lens” through
which you view the world. It is central to what you see, how you make sense of
what you see, and how you express yourself. Cultures – both national and
organizational – differ along many dimensions. Among them, four are the most
important: Directness (get to the point versus imply the messages); Hierarchy
(follow orders versus engage in debate); Consensus (dissent is accepted versus
unanimity is needed); and Individualism (individual winners versus team
effectiveness)." http://www.acta.sapientia.ro/acta-philo/C3-2/Philo32-4.pdf food may predict cross-cultural problems, of far more relevance are the differences in underlying core values of cultures." -------------
Found some food made into flags which may not relate. But is an interesting idea.
Images made from food
Artist/Architect Hong Yi plays with her food for 30 days
"The project deals with data from a list of the social related interests of the Danish people. The list is the result of an opinion poll from a major consultancy company in Denmark. I have used the context of specific opinion polls within each interest to shape and design diagrams. By doing so the receiver understands more layers of information about the data."
from the book:
Hecter, G. (2011). A geek in Japan: Discovering the land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony. Tokyo: Rutland: Tuttle Publishing Do (道)
-Many names for Japanese traditional arts include the character Do. Do words express some psychological or religious knowledge.
-The Japanese dictionary contains hundreds of entries with the character Do.
-"The character as a whole in Japan is a whole philosophical concept and a way of life that has been deeply rooted in Japanese thinking for centuries."
Origin of Do
Do originated in China five or six centuries before Christ. Laozi (Lao Tzo) who developed tao and dao the Chinese pronunciation of 'Do'.
-"He wrote about the importance of following a way, a doctrine, a code to unite man and nature, to unite sky and earth. According to Laozi, there is a tao or do that is a sort of universal spirit with which we can come into contact just by following the way."
-Strict systems and mediation have developed from the teachings of Buddhism. The learning system has influenced different aspects of Japanese life and survived to the present day. The apprenticeship system
Discipline following the tao/do-zen philosophy consisting of three steps:
1- establishing a series of patterns, models, or forms known as kata.
2- repeating the kata for many years
3- Perfecting and searching for beauty in the kata, "joininjg" them in a sort of enlightenment.
-The system of repeating was introduced into some traditional disciplines such as the tea ceremony. It takes many years to master the all of the tea ceremony's kata.
-The method of repetition without thinking in a strict, systematic and perfectionist way has spread throughout into daily routines of the Japanese.
--------------
Soto Uchi
The dichotomy that reveals the level of familiarity and trust a Japanese person has with you. If you belong to the group of family and friends, they will treat you as uchi, and if you don't belong to it they will treat you as soto.
-"In Japanese thinking, there is a big difference between the way you treat your family and circle of friends (uchi) and the way you treat other people (soto)." This is the same across the world where people don't treat people who are close to us the same way we treat those we don't know that well.
-"Becoming part of a group you don't belong to, no matter how much effort you put into it, is almost impossible if they don't accept you."
Degrees of soto and uchi
-"uchi and soto and the differences between them can fade into one another quite a lot. At the first uchi level we find our family unit, followed by families "connected" to us. Then we have friends, followed by our company, and last we have our country. Thus, foreigners in Japan are about as soto as you can get; that's why they say that, no matter how long you live there, you will always be treated as a gaijin. The Japaneses will treat you as soto simply because they unconsciously believe you are some sort of threat to their uchi harmony, and that is one of the reasons Japan is such a closed country."
Integrating into Japan
-"being treated as soto doesn't mean they treat you badly. They will probably be more attentive to you than your western friends. The problem is, you feel as though there is some sort of barrier. This comes through in the use of both verbal and non verbal cues, which clearly denote whether you're entering their uchi or not."
-"They say that making friends with a Japanese is difficult, but if you do, he or she will become a true friend who will never fail you."
Delights of Japanese Cuisine
-"Around the world, sushi is Japan's most famous dish. But, as with all things 'typical', people tend to think that's the only thing Japanese eat."
----------
Sake
"When you arrive in Japan, you realize that sake means 'alcoholic drink' in general. Thus, if you drink a beer, you are drinking sake; if you drink whiskey, you are drinking sake; and if you drink rum, you are drinking sake."
-There's more than one kind of sake in Japan.There are hundreds of varieties of nihonshu, shochu and other drinks in a tradition that go back thousands of years. If you're a tourist and want to make an impression when you go to a restaurant instead of ordering sake, you should order nihonshu or shochu.
-"Over time warming liquor has become customary, and there are specific words to indicate the temperature you prefer."
-"Nihonshu is used in shinto purification rituals. It is considered the drink of the gods, and even children drink it in religious rituals and in special celebrations."
Where to next:
-I think we need to find some methodology - an overarching technique to apply theories from the project. E.g. we could do Semiotics(we would have to choose a topic within semiotics) but not sure how we would use that, I think ethnography is one (field research -interviews or surveys) so we could use that. Let me know what methodology. Also, are you still thinking of interviewing, if so what kinds of questions?
Ethnic vs. not being Ethnic (stereotype) "The word ethnic has this complex history of both trying to reflect changing relationships and understandings of culture and trying to avoid more taboo terms. It came into play mostly in the 1950s, and is most commonly used in the world of food to mark a certain kind of difference — difference of taste, difference of culture." ".....some people are beginning to get the sense that the word ethnic is this weird catch-all category that isn't useful anymore, that we should be talking more about Indian food or Thai food or Pakistani food, or maybe even further specifying. Maybe saying Indian food doesn't even make sense. Maybe what makes most sense is talking about regional cuisines." Hierarchy of interest: "French cuisine has never been defined as ethnic. Japanese cuisine is not considered ethnic today. Those are examples of cuisines that are both foreign and prestigious. There is no inferiority associated with them."
"....naturally you begin with archetypes and stereotypes, but the question is whether you are willing to pay as much attention to it as you did to the other cuisines, as you did to, say, French food." "....if you move up in the cultural ladder, so will your food." "Our treatment of Japanese food, on the other hand, has changed, largely, I think, because of the nature of the people migrating to the United States from Japan." "If we know more about certain cuisines, we develop a palate for them and can see the various registers and complexities. But if we look at cuisines from a distance, as we do so many here, it's impossible to understand them." "It's important to point out that this is all probably part of the natural ethnocentricity of a people. The more we know about a culture, the more we can understand about its nuance. That's why you'll hear people couple together Indian food and Thai food, and then say something like, 'Boy, Italian is so great and diverse.'"
A recent Washington Post article about authenticity and ethnic food (in the US). Some key concerns around psychology and stereotypes when it comes to the bottom dollar. "Our palate has undergone something of a renaissance over the past century, evolving to incorporate the cuisines of the immigrants who have made the United States their home. But we have incorporated these foods on our terms — not on theirs. We want "ethnic food" to be authentic, but we are almost never willing to pay for it." "Despite complex ingredients and labor-intensive cooking methods that rival or even eclipse those associated with some of the most celebrated cuisines — think French, Spanish and Italian — we want our Indian food fast, and we want it cheap." "The word ethnic has this complex history of both trying to reflect changing relationships and understandings of culture and trying to avoid more taboo terms. " "It's the fact that we are not willing to pay the same price to get the same level of quality. And frankly, that's why you get so much crappy foreign food in the United States. There is so much bad Indian food here. Here in the United States, when you buy "ethnic food," you're essentially buying it from people who learn to cook it on the fly, mostly men, who have often never cooked back home. What ends up happening is they hide technical deficiencies behind salt, butter, and fat. That's the food we have gotten used to." 'A really good example is the fact that most Japanese restaurants in the United States are run by Chinese, most inexpensive ones anyway. At expensive Japanese restaurants, this isn't the case — those employ skilled Japanese chefs — but those are few and far between. If you want to lure a skilled Japanese chef to a place like New York City, you have to pry them from a high-wage market in Japan. " "If you're going to pay $8.99 for sushi, which is the bottom of the market, there's no way you're going to get a Japanese chef to do it. That price cannot pay the opportunity costs for this chef to leave Japan. So instead we get poor immigrants, and not ones from Japan. Often that means a Chinese chef, since to most Americans they look similar." How Americans pretend to love ‘ethnic food’ - Roberto A. Ferdman
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/22/the-great-ethnic-food-lie/
--------------
I found a study that sort of relates to what you found above:
Ethnic dining: Need to belong, need to be unique, and menu offering by Stephanie Qing Liua, Anna S. Mattila
"findings
suggest that mainstream American customers respond negatively
when an authentic menu is not offered to them. Furthermore,
our findings indicate that customers’ decreased satisfaction manifests
through two fundamental psychological needs of human
beings – the need to belong and the need to be unique. The ethnic
composition of other customers plays an important role in influencing
customers’ psychological responsesto the unavailability
of an authentic menu. Specifically, the presence of Asian customers
activates the focal Caucasian customer’s situational need
for belongingness, while being surrounded by fellow Caucasian customers
induces a situational need for uniqueness. These heightened
needs consequently dampen mainstream customers’ satisfaction
with their dining experience."
-The study was based on offering two menus (one inauthentic, one authentic). They offered the authentic menus to the asian people and the inauthentic to westerners.
-When the westerners were surrounded by asian people in an asian restuarant the westerners felt that they needed to belong and wanted to order authentic foods like the asian people.
found from the massey library: Liu, S. Q., & Mattila, A. S. (2015). Ethnic dining: Need to belong, need to be unique, and menu offering. International Journal Of Hospitality Management, 491-7. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.04.010 ------------Below a video on how a chief learnt Japanese values from food in Japan:
How to
focus on the benefits from what Japan’s society maintain. Things such as longevity and
reduction in a lot of problems that western countries tend to have.
- Applying techniques under the radar. Westerner view of being too used to eating ‘dead food’.
Most Japanese table manners generally say the same things but what is actually used in everyday settings? Many food rules depend on the types of people that you are with. However, many eating manners and etiquette can be applied in most scenarios. Focus on hygiene
-Floors are considered dirty in japan and purses or bags are often put on floors. Putting a purse or bag on the table is considered bad manners. Instead put it on a chair or the floor.
Place setting
-When home staying you might be expected to set the table. Most people don't care about proper place setting, but just put their chopsticks at where each person usually sits.
-Normal for people to eat things without anything to drink. Might be waiting for after the meal to drink tea.
-In restaurants if they can't serve everyone in a adequate amount of time. You might be asked to eat first so your food doesn't get cold. Because they bring food out as its made.
Manners
-Before the meal say ittadakimasu (thanks for the meal). Some people put their hands in a praying motion but it isn't always necessary.
-After the meal say gochisosama deshita (that was delicious). In restaurants after you've finished eating or after you've paid for the meal.
-Burping in Japan is considered really rude. If you have a runny nose you should leave the room to blow it. Some people often snort or sniff to avoid having to blow their nose.
-If you don't like the food. It is really rude to not eat the food someone has prepared for you. Usually the people that invite you over go over what main dishes they will make with you so they don't make something that you don't like.
-If you're home staying and the family is making meals for you everyday you should try your best to eat it. If you can't eat certain dishes , its best to tell them before they accidentally make it for you. Or tell them you are allergic which is not ideal but is okay sometimes.
-It isn't that rude to not finish your meal occasionally. However, you should always try to finish it. If you're with a friend you can get them to finish the food for you.
-You shouldn't give your host family a list of foods you don;t like because this gives them a really negative image of you. Being picky about things in Japan is considered rude and it is rude to inconvenience people with what you prefer. They will view you as someone who always complains about things.
Etiquette
-Typically your chopsticks are held in your right hand and the bowls with rice or soups etc. are held in your left hand. Bowls held with you thumb on the edge of the bowl and your fore fingers underneath.
-You can't pass food with chopsticks because chopsticks are used to pass the bones of the deceased. A bowl of rice with chopsticks stuck in it is left for the deceased.
-Bring the bowl up to your mouth while you eat so that the food does not drop onto the table.
It is considered bad manners for you to bend your head down to your plate or bowl because it resembles how dogs eat and bad manners.
Many meals have a dish where everyone eats from. traditional rules say to use the back of your chopsticks to get food from the dish because it's the most sanitary. In reality most people don't follow that rule. It depends on the types of people your with.
If the dish is nabe some families put the remaining soup they have back into the pot to make another meal for the next day. If they do this you aren't expected to eat it and they understand if you decline. Eating sushi
The two most common sushi to westerners are the California roll and nigiri.
nigiri= rice (shari) with a topping (neta)
-Traditional rules say to dip only the topping in soy sauces, however it doesn't matter nowadays.
Some meals already come with it soysauce on top, if it already has soy sauce don't add soy sauce.
-Traditional rules say that you should eat sushi in one bite. However, it won't always fit in your mouth. You can just cut it in half with your chopsticks or just bite off half. It is more rude to shove too much food into your mouth by forcing yourself to eat too much food at once.
-In formal settings using both hands to use chopsticks is considered childish. However, it is okay if it is not a formal setting. Since your a foreigner it won't be treated as a big deal.
-Poking through food is also considered childish so it is best to try to pick up foods even if they are slippery.
And the video you found seems useful too.
Way of viewing food (western compared with Japanese):
"Food and language are the two pillars of every culture. There are other components -- religion, code of behavior, costume, games and rituals -- that interest cultural historians. But language and food are the most deeply ingrained features of everyday life in any culture, and, so, they appear so "natural" to the "natives" that their conventionality eludes them. To the Japanese, unless they have struggled with English, find <light> and <right> sound exactly the same, and they find nothing peculiar about answering yes when they mean no as when answering a negative question. Cross-cultural studies, indeed, raise questions about normalcy." "In Japanese inns and restaurants in Japan, the guest is provided with a small wooden or lacquerware tub of rice for one or two customers, a bigger one for a company. In Japanese restaurants here in America, only one small bowl of rice is delivered to the table, already filled. This is Americanization. I always feel sheepish about asking for the second bowl but I do. I never ask for the third, however, even when I could use a little more. I don't because more often the okazu is oversized here."
http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/tkitao1/japan/okazu.html
People are often unfamiliar of the cultural
eating manners and etiquette when they travel to Japan. New Zealanders have
become more accustomed to the Japanese style fast food and restaurants using
westernized forms of etiquette compared to traditional Japanese. This becomes an obstacle for New Zealand travelers (OE, JET program, exchange or holidaying) that go to Japan as
they are unaware of the traditional/modern forms of manners and etiquette still used. This can
lead to misconceptions between customs, stereotypical associations causing
social exclusion and cultural shock. Eating is a way of conversing and building
relationships with others. Knowledge in eating etiquette helps to build respect
and gain an understanding of another culture. Therefore bridging the gap in
knowledge of manners and etiquette would create a smoother transition into
Japanese culture and improve their experience while abroad.
How can design be used to provide essential
knowledge on eating etiquette and manners to create a smoother transition from
Westernized culture to Japanese culture? How does the use of eating etiquette and manners of Japan help to better understand the overall culture? Who: Travelers going to Japan (OE, exchange, JET program etc.), people who would benefit from having knowing eating etiquette and manners before going to Japan Why: Transition between two very different cultures (western to Japanese), reduce cultural shock, misconceptions, stereotypical categorization What: Understand appropriate eating manners and etiquette often used in Japan. Traditional forms still used in the everyday life. When/Where: Before going to or landing in Japan How: By providing knowledge through a guide book, posters or brochures
Language and food are the core features of everyday life in
any culture, and, so, they appear so "natural" to the
"natives" based on their own conventional behavior. To the Japanese, "light" and "right" sound exactly the same,
and they find nothing peculiar about answering yes when they mean no as when
answering a negative question. Cross-cultural studies question what is normalcy
in cultures.
Key Concepts
-Why eating etiquette and manners? "food systems remind us of the persuasive role of food in
human life. Next to breathing, eating is perhaps the most essential of all
human activities, and one with which much of social life is
entwined."(food anthropology)
Japan is known for its food which is doing
pretty well in NZ fast food outlets. Eating is also a way to socialize and
build relationships with others. This is key to settling in, in a new
environment.
In Japan chopsticks were used
in ancient times because they were functional and hygienic. Chopsticks is a
large part of etiquette. Tea ceremonies incorporate the etiquette of zen monks.
They value courtesy and the mind.
Brief history of chopsticks
"Different
cultures adopted different chopstick styles. Perhaps in a nod to Confucius,
Chinese chopsticks featured a blunt rather than pointed end. In Japan,
chopsticks were 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. In 1878 the
Japanese became the first to create the now-ubiquitous disposable set,
typically made of bamboo or wood. Wealthy diners could eat with ivory, jade,
coral, brass or agate versions, while the most privileged used silver sets. It
was believed that the silver would corrode and turn black if it came into
contact with poisoned food."
"Throughout
history, chopsticks have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with another staple
of Asian cuisine: rice. Naturally, eating with chopsticks lends itself to some
types of food more than others. At first glance, you’d think that rice wouldn’t
make the cut, but in Asia most rice is of the short- or medium-grain variety.
The starches in these rices create a cooked product that is gummy and clumpy,
unlike the fluffy and distinct grains of Western long-grain rice. As chopsticks
come together to lift steaming bundles of sticky rice, it’s a match made in
heaven."
History of the Tea
Ceremony (influenced by the monks way of being):
It was introduced to
japan by china in the nara period and was originally intended as medicine. The
monk Eisai was said to have brought seeds back from china. They believed that
the tea kept them awake when they were meditating. To keep their mood calm it
became a custom that they prepare tea in a slow manner. This behavior soon spread
to the aristocrats and merchants where they also became to adopt the custom of
drinking tea in quiet yet tasteful surroundings. The greatest master was named
Sen-No Rikyu. His believed that the most important part of a tea ceremony was
not what people used but the relaxation and appreciation they created.
Religion (A way of understanding why Japan's manners and etiquette are the way they are):
The Japanese have a
religion called 'Shinto' which means way of the gods. They worship nature and
gods. The religion didn't have a great founder or prophet, however there were
myths written about the religion in the first Japanese books. In the Shinto
religion, people are taught that every natural object such as a lake or
mountain, tree or rock and any living person living or dead had a spirit (kami)
that needed to be respected. Shinto festivals began with the people asking the
gods to protect the rice crops and thanking them for the good harvest.
Buddhism in Japan:
The Japanese learnt
Buddhism from priest sent from Korea. Buddha was a title given to the followers
of the Indian teacher Gautama. In his teachings he explained that if people
lived a good, considerate and unselfish life they could escape being born over
and over with the disadvantage of the pain and suffering humans’ experience.
Buddhism was already over 1000 years old by the time it spread through japan,
Korea and China.
The Japanese were interested
in Buddhism because it taught you about what happens to people when they die.
The Shinto religion was focus more on life. They were complementary. They even
believed that Buddhist gods could be Shinto spirits in another form.
-Why Japan? More
New Zealanders are going abroad each year. In 2016, Japan was in the top ten
predicted places New Zealanders wanted to travel to.
In 2016, "Expedia's State of the
Nation report claimed 93 per cent of Kiwis, over the age of 18 have been
overseas, and 69 per cent have explored a different country in the past two
years."
"3,000 New Zealanders are
currently living and working in Japan, engaging in a variety of professions.
Perhaps most noticeably, a significant number work as English teachers, both
under the Japanese Government’s Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET),
and under private contracts. - New Zealand foreign affairs and trade"
"Less noticeable signs can catch us off our guard and rob us more
insidiously of our sense of security. Most of the picturesque (vivid) details
that strike travelers as weird have to do with table manners."
A poetic description of going abroad:
"I am like a mouse in a
cage. We seem to have more freedom but we don’t. Since I came here, I felt a
week has gone so quickly. But I just repeat the same things over and over. I
feel like running in a wheel like a mouse in a cage."
"The metaphor of a cage seems
to represent the idea that international students have only a limited amount of
information about experiences in the host environment and therefore, feel
trapped in a small cage."
Differences in social customs:
"It is rare in Japan
that people say hello or something whenever they meet. In Japan we do such a
thing only between people in close relation-ships. But here, even strangers
greet each other when their eyes meet.I became used to it and got to understand
how to do it."
Study
on Irish students in Japan:
"Across all six diaries
three themes emerged as significant in both reflecting and affecting the
students’ cross-cultural adjustment process:social networks, food and
language. Interestingly, they correspond to three basic concerns common to
students going to study abroad: Will I be able to make friends? Will I be able
to eat the foreign food? Will I understand and be able to communicate in the
foreign language?"
"For the Irish students in Japan,
becoming familiar with new tastes and textures, learning to eat things they
would normally not consider as food, and mastering a new mode of eating with
chopsticks, all required considerable adjustment. Since eating is a basic
necessity for survival, it was part of the host culture that the students could
not avoid interacting with on a daily basis."
"Japanese culture exerts strong conformity pressure on both Japanese and
foreigners to adhere to strict codes of behavior and strong in-group/out-group
boundaries make integration difficult for a foreigner.As ‘adapted 'gaijin’
students often encountered difficulties around food and food practices with
Japanese hosts, due to no longer fitting the expected stereotype. This resulted
in the paradox that the more they cross-culturally adjusted to Japan, the more
they tended to feel excluded from Japanese society (Gudykunst, 1983).These findings refine understanding
of Babiker et al.’s (1980) Culture Distance Hypothesis, suggesting that
although surface differences in variables such as food may predict cross-cultural
problems, of far more relevance are the differences in underlying core values
of cultures." -examples of core values are Japan's customs, etiquette and manners.
"Naomi (Host family sister) made me a piece of fish and everyone else got
this amazing fish rice and soup mixed up with chopsticks and I got a knife and
fork. I’m so pissed off. She wouldn’t even give me rice. Why is she singling me
out. Dad came home and gave me a cake, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him
so I said I had to study.Jesus I can’t believe how upset I am. Hopefully I can
sleep this off. I can’t stop crying oh please let this week be good, I don’t
think I’ll make it through the year. I’m so lonely. (1.10.95) Lucy’s
interpretation that receiving different food symbolized exclusion from the
family unit, underlines the central importance of food in creating and
maintaining social relations (Fischler, 1988)."
Byram, M., & Feng, A. (2006). Living and Studying Abroad :
Research and Practice. Clevedon [England]: Multilingual Matters.
-There is the issue of being
stereotyped by others. For example Americans may be seen as loud, immature,
wasteful, informal, and ignorant, but obviously they aren't all like that and
other cultures may be stereotyped a similar way.
Understanding the Japanese
culture before will reduce the distance of the relationships between cultures.
Cultural stereotypes:
"In the United States,
individuals of East Asian descent are often depicted as the “model minority.”
They are usually stereotyped as industrious, educated, polite, quiet, and
skilled in math and science"
"asserted that stereotypes allow for categorization of people from
different groups with certain characteristics. The development of stereotypes
occurs when beliefs or generalizations are made by perceives in social
conditions regarding a group of people."
Wong, R., & Niu, W. (2013).
Cultural Difference in Stereotype Perceptions and Performances in Nonverbal
Deductive Reasoning and Creativity. Journal Of Creative Behavior, 47(1), 41-59. doi:10.1002/jocb.22
"The students’ cross-cultural adjustment
showed parallel changes in their alimentary tastes, and they suddenly found
themselves liking Japanese foods they had initially found off-putting. In
November, Roisin reacted negatively to raw fish in a sushi bar: ‘I looked at
all these slimy bits going around on the conveyor belt and felt ill’ (4.11.94).
Yet by December she was commenting on how delicious sushi was (4.12), and her
first real feeling of being ‘at home’ in Japan was when wandering round a
Japanese shrine eating yakisoba like all the other Japanese tourists (2.1.95).
Closer identification with their host society saw them consciously choosing
Japanese over Western food, sometimes in contrast to their Japanese friends:
‘It was a bit strange, I was the one eating rice and fish with chopsticks,
while Seda-san had her curried rice, salad, knife and fork’ (Roisin, 30.1.95).Bourdieu’s
(1986) assertion that food preferences are often a conscious expression of
changing identity is supported in the diaries. It is most clearly
expressed by Lucy, for whom eating
Japanese food was some how a way of ‘being Japanese’ "
Byram, M., & Feng, A.
(2006). Living and Studying Abroad : Research and Practice.
Clevedon [England]: Multilingual Matters.
-Japanese food has been introduced to NZ but
the eating etiquette changes to suit western tastes and the country we live in.
(we could look into the Japanese foods introduced
here and how they eat it here compared to in Japan- Is it different?) Also, the taste of food isn't the same from country to country
even though it's called the same thing.
(from what we found at interim it seemed that
people are aware of other culture's manners and etiquette. They try to follow
them if they are aware and know the people (respect aspect) or they just go
with whatever seems natural to them.)---
Foreigners aren't expected to know all the
appropriate etiquette but it makes the transition between cultures smoother. I
guess the issue is whether the etiquette they think is correct etiquette is
correct etiquette when they go to Japan.
another point to add is that modern day
young Japanese don't necessarily follow the etiquette and manners
that their parents or grandparent's followed. There has been a change in
etiquette and manners. looking into the extent that etiquette and manners are used in everyday life would be useful in deciding which manners and etiquette we decide to include in our project. An example of not knowing specific manners are the chopsticks taboos:
From personal experience I probably have done half of these not knowing that they were taboos. This includes Saguri bushi, mayoi-bushi, sashi-bashi, neburi-basi, Hotoke-bashi, hashi-watashi, Namida-bashi. But the people I'm around don't seem to care or take notice. (however, this isn't around Japanese people)
"...young people in Japan have become
contaminated by global modernity and have lost their native manners. He says,
“Exposed to the corrosive crudeness of Western popular culture, young Japanese
are abandoning the sometimes stifling codes of politeness for which their
country is famous, while older people look on in horror.” (Miller & Bardsley, 2011)
(An Ethnography of dinner entertainment in
japan) reading:
"Superficial understanding of a culture is
often said to be worse than no understanding at all."
"..it gives one a false conviction that he
knows it all."
-In addition to the point above, understand
Japanese culture and eating etiquette and manners compared to western. For
example Japanese people being raised to think of themselves as part of a group.
"One important rule to be followed in
dinner entertainment of a small party of five or six persons is to center the
conversation of the entire group on one topic."(An ethnography of dinner
entertainment in japan)
"face to face interaction is like a drama.
in which each actor knows what the others are supposed to say."
"When an American is invited to a dinner
party in aryootei, he naturally goes in without rehearsal and without the
practice of improvising lines in the way appropriate to a Japanese social
scene. He lacks the social accouterments necessary to act with grace and
without flaw. The result is somewhat like an American wrestler having to play a
match of sumoo with a sumoo athlete using sumoo rules. The result is a most
awkward match. Since Japanese are too polite to tell their guests they are
clumsy people, guests leave the scene believing they played their part
according to the script."
"they try so hard to make American guests
believe they play their role like Fredric March that in reality the Japanese
are the Fredric Marches heroically helping clumsy and inexperienced American
actors"
In summary, what you think is correct etiquette
and manners might not be. The american thought he was using appropriate
etiquette and manners but actually he wasn't and the group of Japanese people
were being polite in going along with it.
"In Japan the wife serves her husband’s
parents, a child serves its father and mother, but here it is the
practice for the husband to serve the wife. "
Miller, L., & Bardsley,
J. (2011). Manners and Mischief : Gender, Power, and Etiquette
in Japan. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Brett Bull- Punchy Posters Urge
Tokyoites to Mind Manners
"The theme was “Do it somewhere
else.”"
"The posters were striking and
somewhat comical, with a bespectacled man appearing in each as the unfortunate
witness to the behaviors."
"Although various acts of social behavior
are not uniformly attended to by all members of society, and may differ by
sub-culture, generation, class, or region, graphic representation changes these
acts into behavior that everyone ought to recognize as rude."
"There have even been online parodies of
the posters, such as one that has the observing man vomiting and shows the
caption “Please do it at the pub.”"
"...changes affect the playing out of
gender roles in the face of conflicting expectations, decisions about
appropriate workplace and family relations, the constitution of satisfying
friend-ships and romantic partnerships, and just in general, how to be a better
person. Notably, they affect all segments of Japanese society."
"unspoken yet ever- present rules laid down
by dominant ideological constructions of the good person, the good family
member, the good lover or friend— in short, they are often advised to undertake
a project perhaps best described as “ideological etiquette""
"eating etiquette
to a child. This image accords well with Ikegami’s analysis, showing ideal
rather than incorrect behavior.By contrast, today’s etiquette advice often
includes models of what not to do and other prohibitive formulas."
"The prevalence of
a new curriculum that contains models of “what not to do” illustrates the
notion that unless we know what constitutes the offensive and un-befitting we
will not know where the borders are or when we are crossing them."
"A bad- mannered maiko who pours sake one-
handed adumbrates general advice we later find given to all women."
video on what maiko are
"Hot Pepper, a free monthly coupon magazine
and restaurant guide, often includes pieces on public manners. Most issues
carry tips for good behavior when one is at an “all you can eat and drink”
restaurant. For example, advertisements for restaurants that offer such deals
have sidebars concerning nomi hodai tabe hodai no mana (manners for all you can
drink, all you can eat) that advise party- goers to make sure that when
ordering food they order enough for everyone."
-When going to Japan resulting factors would
be cultural shock which makes a rough transition between cultures. "Without
a fixed cultural identity, the multicultural person is forced back on her or
his own subjectivity to interpret experiences. It is easy for the multicultural
person to be overwhelmed by the cultural context."
Where to after this?
-mostly researched into how people represent
bad manners in media and how manners and etiquette is
translated across western culture to Japanese and vice
versa. Also, did some on people going abroad (westerners in Asian countries).
-I haven't got much information on all the
different types of etiquette and history but all that stuff would be good to
add too. Probably should write a list of all the manners and etiquette in
relation to eating that we want to include.
But yeah above is just where I think we could go
for the project.
let me know whether the stuff above is okay or
what we could change if you have a different view.
-------------
"Adler (1974) suggests that increased
cultural contact is resulting in a new type of person who orientation and
worldview transcends that person;s indigenous cultural identity, which he calls
'multicultural'. "The multicultural person's identity is inclusive rather
than exclusive in appreciating both the similarities and differences between,
among and within cultures."
"Without a fixed cultural identity, the
multicultural person is forced back on her or his own subjectivity to interpret
experiences. It is easy for the multicultural person to be overwhelmed by the
cultural context."
The
Five Stages of Culture Shock: Critical Incidents Around the World
"Culture shock is manifest as anxiety,
stress and disorientation, and arises when an individual is confronted with an
unfamiliar environment, where existing familiar social patterns are rendered
ineffective (Mumford, 2000). It is often heralded as a negative phenomenon, and
more than five decades of research have demonstrated how culture shock, at its
worst, can lead to depression and even breakdown. A plethora of studies (for example,
Brown and Holloway, 2007) have delineated the debilitating influence of culture
shock upon some international students abroad. In addition, research on
business organizations has surmised that culture shock is the catalyst that
precipitates an inordinate number of premature returns by expatriates deployed
abroad (Mendenhall and Oddou, 1985)."
"Culture shock is correlated with ‘cultural
distance’ (the difference between the host and home cultures) (Babiker et al.,
1980, cited in Ward and Kennedy, 1999: 671). UK sojourners travelling to South
East Asia might therefore be expected to experience a high degree of culture
shock, and this was evidenced in this study (Mumford, 2000). Participants
displayed behaviours and emotions considered typical of culture shock:
disorientation, homesickness, stress, loss, role confusion, depression,
rejection of host nation and idealization of home country (Oberg, 1960). The
findings evidenced distress and disorientation when familiar social patterns
were rendered ineffective in their new surroundings. Also, confused about their
role and work expectations, several began to question their skills and felt
de-professionalized. Although some homesickness was evident, this was probably
ameliorated by impending visits from family. Language problems might have been
mitigated too because it was not necessary to learn the local language in order
to interact effectively, as host nation staff and many ‘locals’ spoke some
English. Depression was most evident in regard to work situations as travel and
social events continued to be enjoyed. In line with research about culture
shock, the teachers formed strong, exclusive conational relationships which
served to protect them from the stress of culture shock. In addition they were
strongly critical of host nation characteristics while simultaneously
idealizing aspects of their home country."
-----------
In 2016 Japan was in the top ten predicted
places NZders wanted to travel to.
Expedia's State of the Nation
report claimed 93 per cent of Kiwis, over the age of 18 have been overseas, and
69 per cent have explored a different country in the past two years.
Poster- outlining the issue and facts
Instruction manual/guide to food etiquette
Booklet/brochure- in flight instructional guides
for visitors before they land in the country (how they eat the food in japan
and what manners and etiquette.)- could be in relation to the fast food we find
here or maybe region specific traditional foods (specialties).
Invitations, how do we converse around the
dinner table in Japan? other eating etiquette information for those travelling
to Japan.
Eating manners and customs people could
understand beforehand to create a smoother transition into their cultural ways.
----
Sushi origin
Shintoism, was another
important influence on the Japanese diet. In the A.D. 700s, the rise of Buddhism led to a ban on eating meat. The popular
dish, sushi (raw fish
with rice) came about as a result of this ban. In the 1800s, cooking styles
became simpler. A wide variety of vegetarian (meatless) foods were served in
small portions, using one of five standard cooking techniques. All foods were
divided into five color groups (green, red, yellow, white, and black-purple)
and six tastes (bitter, sour, sweet, hot, salty, and delicate). The Japanese
continue to use this cooking system.
http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Japan.html ---------- less in depth summary
