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Is food a MAJOR conversation topic with Japanese?

maushan3

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Well, I just got my first e-mail from my host mother who will be hosting my for a year beginning next month in Japan. Thing is, it kind of shocked me that most of the e-mail was about food. I don't know, is this normal for Japanese people to be talking about food most of the time, or just some culture shock? I mean I love food, too, but it was kind of strange for me.
What have been your observations about this.

Mauricio
 
I know the Japanese can be quite proud of their food and they handle it with care, but I don't know if it is a Major topic of conversation. Maybe somebody more knowledgable can have some input here, but I have never spoken about food to a Japanese person.
 
Food is a major conversation item - but its also important at the stage you are at now. What do you like, dislike, allergies, etc. It needs to be asked
 
That is true. Is it something that comes up regularly in every day life though?
 
Well I know that in my family we have been discussing food recently but not for the reasons that you gave here in the OP.

We have been discussing the fact that recently it has been found that imported food from China has had outlawed chemicals and "other" products, such as chopped up card board boxes included in some of the "niku man" products imported into Japan.

We have made the decision to not purchase any imported foods, including fresh vegetables that come from China.

In that regard we talk about food.
 
I think that if someone was coming over to stay with us I would ask them what type of food they like to eat, I would have to ask if they were a Vegetarian and buy products that they would eat.

On a side note Food is always discussed in this household, as I am the one who mainly cooks it and our beloved daughter does from time to time empty this house of almost all the food we have stored in it. But Children are children, cant live with them and cant live without them!
 
I think the concern about food in the email received comes from the fact that the writer is a "mother" and the recipient is presumably "a foreigner" who might have strong likes and dislikes about food.

A major concern for mothers (not only Japanese) is nutrition and taste of foods they serve to the family and guests. Whether the food on the table is well received or not brings joy when successful or major disappointment when not. That was also a major problem for me until my kids grew up and took charge of their own meals.

Just cooperate with the host mother and tell her your preferences. She'll be relieved tremendously.
 
yep i agree with everyone here. I have a reputation for being a bad eater so my mother went well out of her away to make sure she could cook what i liked. I think you can be happy that she is thinking about you in this sense and no doubt the information you give her will mean that everything you like will be there to eat. E.G say you really like yakisoba and there will be about 15 ready for you when you get there lol.
 
Yeah, I used to save one or two of my host mother's dishes as leftovers for breakfast the next morning. It had nothing to do with my liking or disliking -- my stomach simply cannot handle a multi course meal and figured this was the best way to make everything stretch a little further ! Besides I knew she worked maybe 30-40 minutes cooking dinner, not bent over a hot oven the entire day, but unbeknownst to me, she was apparently extremely upset...

Assuming that the food issues being referred to in the email were related to his preferences, I have no difficulty seeing that from a Japanese housewife.
I've learned over the years to accept Japanese womens' obsession with their cooking to the point it seems completely natural.

Still, there's definately a cultural component. I can't imagine an American mother fretting over their foreign host student's palate unless maybe it was to worry over the fat or health content. American food ? We also have rice, salad (just not for breakfast), even sushi, sake, McDonalds and everything you have back home, and more ! What's not to like ??
 
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Haha im a really bad eater and dislike the more traditional Japanese food such as sushi but rather then say nothing and have it wasted id just say what i liked. I remember eating this chicken dish and saying how much i liked it, i swear i had that dish about 4 times that week haha and till this day she still makes it for me when i visit. I also remember going to Mcdonalds and the brother came after me so i bought him some too and it wasnt that i was hungry but bored but when i came home she started asking me what i wanted to eat and began making things for me. I dont think even my own mother would of done that lol.
In my case she was working and then coming home to cook for everyone more or less right away, last time i visited i cooked for everyone and even then she wouldnt sit down and relax she would be helping me with everything. Shes a really kind person so im glad if Maushan can have someone like that.
 
Aside from the good ideas presented here, you will notice that food is actually a common topic of conversation in Japan. So, while the current discussion with your homestay mom has relevance to your imminent homestay, you'll find that it will be a recurring topic with other people due to everyone having the ability to discuss it, and the fact that it's not inflammatory (like politics or religion). Alot of Japanese entertaining is also done in restaurants and bars to avoid noise since homes are densely situated, so it naturally comes up for that reason as well.
 
Food is a major conversation item - but its also important at the stage you are at now. What do you like, dislike, allergies, etc. It needs to be asked
Click to expand...

She told me I will be able to eat a lot of food since she used to be a cooking teacher and certainly, as you say, she asked me if I have any allergies, which I don't.


And not only food, but products like toothpaste among others contain deadly chemicals. Thing is, this might only worsen the relationship among Chinese and Japanese.


It's good to know, however, I don't think I will have any problem with that since I've seen pictures of different dishes Japanese eat and it all looks good and sushi rolls and miso soups are a favorite of mine. The only thing, if she asked me, I will truly have to tell them that natto doesn't seem appetizing.

Mauricio
 
maushan3 said:
I've seen pictures of different dishes Japanese eat and it all looks good and sushi rolls and miso soups are a favorite of mine. The only thing, if she asked me, I will truly have to tell them that natto doesn't seem appetizing.
Mauricio
Click to expand...

Dont worry about what looks nice or not. If you can give everything a try, your be accepted better
 
The only thing, if she asked me, I will truly have to tell them that natto doesn't seem appetizing.
Click to expand...

Dont feel too bad if you can't handle natto there are many Japanese as well that cant stand it either.

Then there are those that just love the stuff.....including me
 
Food is a major topic in most cultures. It is also one of the easiest to talk about, even if you don't know the other person's language.
 
It is not a business to accept homestay students here.

I have a friend who went to an English speaking country in a homestay program and she found that a grandmother she had to stay with could not speak English. In your case, you don't have to worry about Japanese speaking families. Enjoy your stay.
 
Obeika said:
found that imported food from China has had outlawed chemicals and "other" products, such as chopped up card board boxes included in some of the "niku man" products imported into Japan.
Click to expand...

Someone needs to talk more about news and less about food - the cardboard was not in any way related to items exported to Japan, but domestic items sold by people running roadside stands IN China.

Countless small, often illegally run operations exist across China and make money cutting corners by using inexpensive ingredients or unsavory substitutes. They are almost impossible to regulate.

As for the chemicals, its not so much that they are outlawed, its more that the levels are above limits set out by the country that is importing them.

I'm not going to stop eating anything I find at the supermarket - if I get sick because of it I'll be raising hell with the retailer that sold me the food - but if they shops boycott Chinese products then I guess I'm in by proxy

But yeah, food is a major topic for anyone. Today during lunch (with my Nepali, Indian, Filipino, Serbian and American co-workers) we talked about some restaurants we liked, about different diets (eg. Atkins sucks, South Beach sounds interesting, etc) and I got tips on how to make good curry
 

Oh, yes, I made sure of that as I have heard of other exchange programs that have troubles with the exchange students saying that the family was only in for the money and that they were treated like crap by the family. I made sure it was straight from the kindness of their hearts because I would like to have a nice relationship with them.

I know I will enjoy my stay.

Mauricio
 
Just take a look at Japanese television... flip around the channels and you'll see that most are talking about food and reviewing it with celebrities. And if one or two channels aren't talking about food at the moment, rest assured that they will soon. Often I'll be watching a show that seems totally unrelated to food and with no warning, it's carted out onto the stage and everyone starts eating.

That's one thing I noticed soon after I came to Japan, and after having the same conversation about 100 times, I got tired of the topic entirely. Now when I meet new people, I make it an effort to steer the conversation away from food... sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't. Sensual things like gourmet food and massages are a huge part of Japanese culture.
 
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