Asian Culture

the other hand, the amount of food in
On
plates is also very important. You´ll
the
see, for instance, four sushi rolls in
never
plate. For the Japanese, the number
one
also symbolizes death, because of
four
similarity of the phonetics between
the
words. On the contrary, number
both
is a symbol of good luck, so it is very
eight
to see eight elements arranged
common
one plate. Although that doesn´t mean
in
food is always displayed in this exact
that
amount.
beginning to eat, people must say
Before
masu, which is grace, it means
Itadaki
grateful for the food about to be
being
This too, applies for every single
eaten.
deshita, which is also a
Gochisousama
of thanking the ones who took the
way
to prepare the food. During the
time
chopsticks must never touch the
meal,
table, it´s considered unsanitary
dinner
impolite.
and
for the food, one of the main dishes is
As
which is a sticky rice made by
mochi,
it and then pounding it with a
cooking
of hammer. In the pounding
sort
be eaten instead of the 12 grapes at
to
This buckwheat noodles are
midnight.
what people usually eat on January
also
garnished with different proteins for
1st,
every person in the house must
process,
is traditional for everyone to
collaborate;
help preparing all foods.
the other hand, as Pablo told me,
On
is very important – it is considered
soba
lunch and dinner. Lastly, these
breakfast,
foods are usually accompanied by
festive
any kind of beer and/or sake.
not just homemade ones. Also, at
meal,
end of the meal, the phrase used is
the