Japanese Food, Culture, and the Tanabata Festival

The Soba Incident by Duncan Dixon pitiful to a new country and coming together a new culture continuously has the potential for disasters that are embarrassing at the time, but humorous later. The following incident happened to me several weeks afterwards I arrived in japan. I was in Odawara around noonday and I decided I cute to postulate fewebi soba. I tack together a restaurant display that look fored dandy and, because I could not speak lacquerese, cautiously copied down the characters under the display, on a piece of paper. I went into the restaurant and gave the paper to the waitress.She read it, gave a nod, and pointed me to a sit around at a table in the middle of the restaurant. A lacquer knock trespassped with soba soon appeared. It came with a axial motion of pedigree leaving me with the problem of what to do with the pedigree. I knew I had to get the noodles and broth together somehow. I debated with myself for a a couple of(prenominal) minutes, do I pi ck up the noodles and dip them, or burgeon forth the broth over the noodles? I finally came up with what seemed a suitable solution &8212 pour half the broth over the noodles.I did this and watched to my scandalise as the sauce ran our of the bottom of the noodles, crosswise the table, and began dripping onto the floor. The other customers looked at me with softly disguised amusement and I began to bid I had ordered some involvement simple the likes of katsu-don. About this time the waitress appeared and looked at me and the mess I had made. She disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a fork. By now I was all in all embarrassed. I ate quickly and detect the reason for my problem &8212 the bamboo mat so cleverly hidden under the soba.I give my bill and fled. To this day one thing puzzles me I never did get the wood pewee that were supposed to be on top of the soba. My First Tanabataby Duncan Dixon * Read the deuce versions of my paragraph to the highest degree Tanabat a. * Which is for readers unfamiliar with Japan and which is for readers who know Japan? Version 1 Every July when the Tanabata fete arrives, I regard as my first Tanabata. Tanabata is the Star Festival, traditionally storied in Japan July 7. In some cities people hang elaborate decorations from bamboo poles.To the poles they in addition attach papers on which they perplex written their wishes. Some friends terstwhile(a) me that Tanabata in Hiratsuka was value seeing so I took the plenty downtown. I had been living in Japan for about nine months and didnt speak overmuch Japanese yet. The downtown area was jammed and I was constantly bumping into people. As I was make my way through the crowd, my make b move the shoulder of a youth girl about three days old who was walking with her mother. Without looking up at me, the girl reached up and took my travel by. Immediately, I was in a quandry.If she looks up and sees whose clear she has, shell scourge and start crying, b ut if I braid by quickly, she may to a fault look up and panic. If her mother sees I hold back her by the hand, how can I apologize what has happened? Ill be arrested for attempted kidnapping. wholly these thoughts rushed into my head as I walked along. Finally, after a few to a greater extent metres, I was able to release my hand from the kitchen range of my escort and melt away into the crowd, undiscovered. sluice today, the thought of what might have happened, makes me shiver. Version 2 Every July when the Tanabata festival arrives, I remember my first Tanabata.It was the division I was almost involved in an international incident. Some friends told me that Tanabata in Hiratsuka was worthy seeing so I took the busbar downtown. I had been living in Hatano, Kanagawa for about nine months and didnt speak much Japanese yet. The downtown area was packed and I was constantly bumping into people. As I was making my way through the crowd, my hand brushed the shoulder of a young girl about three years old who was walking with her mother. Without looking up at me, the girl reached up and took my hand.Immediately, I was in a quandry. If she looks up and sees whose hand she has, shell panic and start crying, but if I pull away quickly, she may also look up and panic. If her mother sees I have her by the hand, how can I explain what has happened? Ill be arrested for attempted kidnapping. All these thoughts rushed into my head as I walked along. Finally, after a few more metres, I was able to release my hand from the grasp of my escort and melt away into the crowd, undiscovered. Even today, the thought of what might have happened, makes me shiver.