(I'm sorry to have missed last week. I've been having some personal life difficulties and haven't felt able to write about my life. I'm one of those lame writers.)
Most gaijin (foreigners/cave people) stand out in some way or another. Often, it is obvious by the foreigner’s appearance. This was certainly the case for me. At the time that I went to Japan, I was 5’3” tall, wearing about a size 18 pants, white blond hair, blue eyes, and slightly tan skin (which was super pale next to most Nihonjin: Japanese). Given my appearance, I definitely wasn’t able to blend into any crowd. I did stand out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, Japanese are very polite and didn’t stare overtly. I know that stalkers choose their focal obsession for many reasons. I’m pretty sure my stalker in
Among my friends was a nice looking fella. Danny is 6’ or so, thin, blue eyes, and at
the time had waist length blond wavy hair.
Once, when he and I were out and about with our other friends during the
afternoon or day time I observed that Japanese seemed really comfortable with
him. I even saw a number of different
Japanese reach out and touch his hair. I
had never experienced anything like that – at least, nothing that was
purposefully done in that sort of intentional way I observed them do with him. This was puzzling to me at the time, but I’ve
come to understand it as a clear demonstration of what protects me. People just did not feel able to reach out to
me. This is generally true as well, I
think.
I conducted at least one social experiment while I was in Japan
As a foreigner, there are certain things I was not expected
to either know, know about, or like. I’m
grateful for this list, really, because it enabled me to coast a bit more given
that I didn’t know a lot and I did NOT know ABOUT a lot! Among the things I was expected not to know
about or like were many food items. Taco,
nato, cow’s tongue were a few of the food items I was expected not to know
about or like. There were others, but I
just don’t remember them. As for taco…
that’s octopus, I love/loved it! My host
family considered me baka da gaijin for this strangeness… that’s “silly
foreigner” to be nice. I did not
previously know about nato and I did not like it. I think, in a way, this was a relief to my
host family. Nato is fermented soy
beans. It has a horrid smell and
amazingly snotty texture and… well, I just didn’t like it one bit. As for cow’s tongue… that was a sneak attack!
My family took me to a Korean BBQ restaurant. It was a really cool experience! In the table of our booth there was an actual
little BBQ. My Host Father did the
cooking honors (for as long as he wanted them, at least) and we enjoyed quite a
bit of BBQ. My family was always amazed
at how much I ate and could eat. They
purchased numerous plates of meat and some veggies and we ate them all up. There were numerous types of meat offered and
served. One of them they prepared and
served me with, as I could see in hind-sight, special attention on me and my
reactions. I loved it! It was “oishiidesu” and I told them so
(delicious). It took a little while for
the question from them to me to come together in a way I could understand
completely. They were asking if I knew
what it was. Nope. Then they told me, “It is cow’s tongue.” They were, all four of them, paying close
attention to my reaction. I thought
about it for a second and told them, “Okay, well, it’s still delicious!!” They were shocked! Then they asked if I wanted more and I told
them that if there was more I would love it.
Again: shocked! But it WAS
delicious and learning which of the many muscles I’d eaten didn’t change
that. Anyway… it was pretty funny all
around. Much laughter about this at the
table that evening… and I’m sure they told their friends what a strange
foreigner I was and referenced my many odd behaviors with special emphasis on
the foods I loved that were not meant to be well-favored by gaijin.
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