{"id":6472,"date":"2020-09-12T08:12:05","date_gmt":"2020-09-12T08:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/japanese\/?p=6472"},"modified":"2020-09-12T08:12:05","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T08:12:05","slug":"intercultural-presence-of-a-refrigerator%e3%80%80%e5%86%b7%e8%94%b5%e5%ba%ab%e3%81%ae%e7%95%b0%e6%96%87%e5%8c%96%e9%96%93%e5%ad%98%e5%9c%a8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/japanese\/intercultural-presence-of-a-refrigerator%e3%80%80%e5%86%b7%e8%94%b5%e5%ba%ab%e3%81%ae%e7%95%b0%e6%96%87%e5%8c%96%e9%96%93%e5%ad%98%e5%9c%a8\/","title":{"rendered":"Intercultural Presence of a Refrigerator\u3000\u51b7\u8535\u5eab\u306e\u7570\u6587\u5316\u9593\u5b58\u5728"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been in charge of homestay programs for Japanese university partners in the ESL section of a U.S. university. Japanese universities want their students to immerse themselves in English and learn the local culture by staying with local families. \u00a0The most important thing that I tell students at an online pre-departure orientation is \u201cplease open the refrigerator\u00a0<\/u>(\u51b7\u8535\u5eab\u3000\u308c\u3044\u305e\u3046\u3053) if your host family tells you to help yourself\u00a0<\/u>(\u9060\u616e\u3057\u306a\u3044\u3067), and take out what you want to drink (\u98f2\u3080) or eat (\u98df\u3079\u308b).\u201d\u00a0 In general\u00a0<\/u>( \u4e00\u822c\u306b), it is very difficult for the Japanese to open a refrigerator or a kitchen pantry at someone else\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

I tell homestay students \u201cI understand that you feel awkward\u00a0<\/u>( \u6c17\u307e\u305a\u3044) opening someone else\u2019s fridge.\u00a0 But if you wait for the host family to bring something for you, they may think that they have to take care of\u00a0<\/u>(\u4e16\u8a71\u3092\u3059\u308b) you.\u201d\u00a0 And I tell host families \u201cthe reason why your student may not want to open the fridge to get something to drink is that the student is simply feeling awkward to do so.\u00a0 It is not that the student wants you to cater him\/her.\u201d\u00a0 Host families usually laugh to find out what an intercultural problem t a fridge can pose!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Image by Alexas_Fotos<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It is not a joke ( \u5197\u8ac7), really.\u00a0 A few years ago, a homestay student talked to me while I was speaking to the group. \u201cMeals<\/u>(\u98df\u4e8b)are terrible.\u00a0 Because I am Japanese, she serves rice all the time.\u00a0 But that is it. I am starving\u00a0<\/u>(\u304a\u8179\u304c\u30da\u30b3\u30da\u30b3\u3060\u3001\u9913\u6b7b\u3059\u308b).\u201d\u00a0 To make a long story short, her host mom bought so many special foods for the student as she had allergies and stored them in the fridge and in the pantry, telling her to help herself.\u00a0 So the misunderstanding ( \u8aa4\u89e3) was cleared.\u00a0 Guess I will have to continue to talk about the fridge at orientations.<\/p>\n

So what do you think if the situation (\u72b6\u6cc1) is reversed, meaning a foreign visitor stays at a Japanese host family in Japan? I searched on the internet.\u00a0 When a Japanese host family told a foreign visitor \u201cPlease eat as much as you want\u201d, the host family said that the foreign guest did not read between the lines\u00a0<\/u>(\u7a7a\u6c17\u3092\u8aad\u3080) and ate as much as he wanted.<\/p>\n

I am not saying that the host family is telling a lie\u00a0<\/u>( \u5618\u3092\u3064\u304f). But I think the host family generalized their experience. I can only talk about the Americans, but when we go to a party or dinner, we rarely see people eating the last piece on a shared plate without any hesitation\u00a0<\/u>(\u305f\u3081\u3089\u3044). People always say something like \u201cThey need to take the plate away. Can anybody eat the last piece?\u201d or \u201cIs it OK if I eat the last piece?\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you think??<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

I have been in charge of homestay programs for Japanese university partners in the ESL section of a U.S. university. Japanese universities want their students to immerse themselves in English and learn the local culture by staying with local families. \u00a0The most important thing that I tell students at an online pre-departure orientation is \u201cplease…<\/p>\n

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