JAPANESE ARUARU
At an outdoor pool with a Japanese friend, you might open your book just as they put on goggles and get in the water. After several lengths, they pause, then swim again. The neighboring deckchair spends most of the day holding a bag.
Bread and pasta are already on the table when a Japanese friend asks whether there is rice. Add a bowl of steamed rice, and their meal seems complete. To the host, it looks as though another main staple has joined dinner.
Take a look
At dinner with a Japanese friend, the soup bowl may rise with every sip. The host, who laid out a spoon, notices it is not needed. By the end of the meal, the spoon alone is still perfectly clean.
Take a look
Sharing food with Japanese friends, you may find one final piece left. “Go ahead.” “No, you.” The plate moves between them. The conversation has changed subjects, but that piece is still in the middle of the table.
Take a look
Invite a Japanese friend for sushi and you might hear, “I love it, just not raw fish.” They order omelet sushi, cucumber rolls and inari. A plate arrives, but its cast looks rather different from the one you pictured.
Take a look