Food for Thought....

Whew! What a week! Between conference presentations, class papers, research project presentations, and teaching, life is keeping me busy. Despite my hectic schedule, Japanese American identity has been at the forefront of my mind (because I really am that nerdy...). I came across an article that lists some commonalities of Japanese Americans and Japanese people. Although I do NOT want to endorse stereotypes, I found a few points particularly interesting. Please enjoy!

"You Know You're Japanese When..." (Originally published in the Pacific Citizen?)

• You know that Camp doesn't mean a cabin in the woods.
• You have at least one bag of sembei in the house at all times. (Lol...oh so true!)
• You have a nekko cat in your house for good luck.
• The bushes in your front yard are trimmed into balls.
• You fight fiercely for the check after dinner.
• You start off the new year with a bowl of ozoni for good luck, and the mochi sticks to the roof of your mouth.
• Along with salt and pepper, you have a shoyu dispenser at your table.
• As a kid, you used to eat Botan rice candy.
• Milk makes you queasy, and alcohol turns your face red.
• Whenever you're with more than three people, it takes an hour to decide where to eat.
• You've heard your name pronounced a half-dozen different ways.
• You know that E.O. 9066 is NOT a zip code.