Nekojarashi No.22 November/December
1999
Santa Claus Coming on Surfboard!?
Christmas usually reminds us of a White Christmas, beautifully illuminated streets, Christmas trees, etc. But it
is the case only for the countries where it is winter in December, including Japan. In the southern hemisphere,
it is summer in December. Try to think of a Christmas in summer!
Let's take a look at the Christmas of family in New Zealand, Kim, an AET who lives in Fujimi, tells the story.
Holiday Invitation, Fujimi Highland International Club
We are planning to have a wonderful party on 5th of December! Please bring your friends and come and join us for
delicious cheese and wine and great conversation.
Date: December 5th
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Place: Fujimi Community Plaza, 2F
Cost: 500 yen
Hot Christmas in New Zealand
12/24 Almost all the people work a half day on December 24th. (some shops open till late) They spend the rest of
the day with family. They prepare food, wrap presents and clean the room for Christmas.
12/25 Children shout "Good morning mum and dad!!" and jump on their parent's bed hoping for Christmas
presents. They find them around the house and get excited.
* The day's lunch: Barbecue, fresh fruit salad and dessert. The dessert is a very special fruit cake. This special
Christmas cake is made up to three months beforehand. The cake has brandy or whiskey in it, and it is kept for
about three month. So, the cake tastes very good. After lunch and opening presents, they enjoy playing volleyball,
baseball, and other games.
In the evening: they have a party with their friends.
12/26 Boxing day: It's a national holiday. They spend the day with another family. For example, if they spend Christmas
Day with their father's family, then they spend Boxing Day with their mother's family.
One of the most important things in New Zealand is spending time with family and friends. There are Pohutukawas
blooming in the summer Christmas season. So, garden parties fit the season. It's wonderful, isn't it?
* "Pohutukawa" means Christmas tree in Maori (Maori are native New Zealanders) The combination of green
leaves and red flowers make it look like a Christmas tree. Not only the Pohutukawa but also other flowers which
have Christmas colors bloom in this season.
Quiz True or False?
Kaiten-Z(S)sushi (Rotating sushi bar)
Have you ever been to a Kaiten-Sushi restaurant? As you know, we have some in Chino. Yes, those shops are named
Atom Boy, Kappa-Zushi, etc. If not yet, why don't you try one? We are sure you will like it. But before going,
let's check how well you know Kaiten-Zushi.
Is each of the following true of false?
1) Kaiten-Zushi is more reasonable priced than other traditional sushi bars.
2) You can only eat in the restaurant and cannot take out (take away).
3) All plates are the same price.
4) You cannot order what you want and can select only from those on the conveyer belt.
5) You can help yourself to green tea.
Answers
1) True
Sushi is a rather special dish and you can find some traditional sushi bars serving very expensive sushi. Kaiten-Zushi,
the other hand, is a fast-food chain store and the price is reasonable; usually 100 yen and 300 yen per plate.
2) False
You can take out (take away). The shop named "Kozo-Zushi" which is now under construction near SEIYU
in Fujimi (to be opened in early December) is only for taking out.
3) False
In some store, the price is set differently by color of plate. See the sign in the store.
4) False
Generally you select what you want and as much as you want from those on the conveyer. But, of course, you can
ask for any other ingredient (sushi stuff) which is not on the conveyer as well as one to you taste. For example,
you can order, "so and so (name the specific ingredient) without Sabi (sabi nuki). "Sabi" is a
sushi-bar-specific word meaning Japanese horseradish (usually we say "wasabi").
5) True
You will find cups, tea bags and a tap for pouring hot water near the table. Help yourself! Additionally, you can
also help yourself to "Gari" which is in the jar on the table. "Gari" is another sushi-bar-specific
word and means sliced ginger pickles.
Learning Japanese
from one Filipina
One Japanese asked me, "Gosyujin wa ogenki desuka?" (Is your husband fine?)
So I answered, "Hai, gosyujin wa ogenki desu." (Yes, the husband is fine)
The the Japanese was embarrassed, saying "Sorry, your answer was a little strange."
* "gosyujin" is a honorific expression for "your husband", in particular, "go" is
a very common honorific prefix.
Oh! Nobody teaches me such thing! What shall I say? (Of course her husband is fine)
The correct answer is "Hai shujin wa gengidesu"
This is one of the most difficult honorific in Japanese grammar. If you say,. "Gosyujin wa ogenkidesu,"
almost all Japanese would understand its meaning. But when you tell about your family to someone, you have no need
to use an honorific.
Easy Easy Snacks from around the World
Fatias : without it, it's not Christmas in Portugal
6 slices of 1.5 cm thick bread (harder kind is better)
3 cups of milk
100 to 200 g sugar
4 eggs (beaten)
1) Soak bread in milk
2) Dip bread in eggs
3) Deep-fry bread in oil
4) Smother hot bread with sugar.
(Or dip hot bread in wine and honey)
Suwa Dialect
imohitotsu
Sometimes it does not mean that "There is one potato (or sweet potato)," What does it mean?
Hint: Some people say "Imotto" instead of "Imohitotsu."
"Imohitotsu" means "one more."
So when they say "imo hitotsu kuryo" they mean, "Please give me another potato."
In the case of "imotto", they use it like this: "imotto hashi ni yotte kuryo." (Please move
a little bit over)
What is Chinese?
Chinese is the most-spoken language in the world. There are all sorts of Chinese, because China is a multiracial
nation.
The Hang(Chinese) people (Kan Minzoku) who comprise a 94% of all have a lot of different dialects, the Cantonese
(Kanton-go), the Shanghai language (Syanhai-go) and so on. And more than 50 minority races each have their own
language. None of them is similar, so they often need interpretation to understand each other.
The Chinese language which foreigners generally learn is the common language of Hang people called "Pu Tong
Hua"(Mandarin). Nowadays it is widely spread by school education and the mass media.
If you learn a little Chinese, you will want to speak it badly, because you need not to be confused by complex
honorifics and roundabout expressions.
We are starting a New Series!
Mrs. Tan Bin and Shinzato Minami invite you to the great world of Chinese.