June 24, 2008

Proper Way to Place the Three Items on the Table/3点をテーブルに置く正しい方法


Just cooked, piping hot rice is a favorite of almost every Japanese.
炊きたて、熱々のご飯は、殆ど全ての日本人が大好きです。
Don't ever think that rice can be a side dish or garnish in Japan. In Japan, gohan (cooked rice) is synonymuos with shokuji (meal)!
日本ではご飯がサイドディッシュやツマになりうるとは決して思わないで下さい。日本語では、ご飯は食事と同義です。
Yesterday, I bought a pack of mitsuba to make chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) in the near future. This morning, I used some of it as a garnish in clear soup.
昨日、そのうち茶碗蒸しを作ろうと、三つ葉を1パック買いました。今朝は少し澄まし汁に使いました。



By the "three items" in the title, I mean a pair of chopsticks (o-hashi or hashi in Japanese), a rice bowl (o-chawan or chawan in Japanese), and a soup bowl (o-wan in Japanese).
タイトルの「3点」とは、箸一膳、お茶碗(または茶碗)、お椀のことです。
o- is an honorific prefix, and is termed "bika go" (lit. beautifying word) nowadays.
「お」とは、丁寧語で、この頃は「美化語」と呼ばれています。
You must place the pair of chopsticks along the edge of the table, with the pointed ends directing to the left (even if you are left-handed). Place the rice bowl on your left and the soup bowl on your right.
箸を一膳、テーブルの端に沿って置きます。とがった先端を左に向けます(左利きの人でも)。お茶碗は左に、お椀は右に置きます。
Don't be innovative or creative when placing the three items!
この3点を置く際は、革新的、想像的にはならないで下さい!
Last night, I pickled three cucumbers in a 1:1 mixture (60 ml each) of mirin-like seasoning and vinegar plus 2/3 tsp salt and some shiso (perilla) leaves. They looked like this this morning.
昨晩は、キュウリを3本、みりん風調味料とお酢を1:1に混ぜたもの(60 mlづつ)漬けて、塩小さじ2/3とシソの葉を数枚入れました。今朝はこんな感じです。

6 comments:

Nancy Heller said...

Thank you for the lesson on Japanese manners, and the word for chopstick. I continue to love reading your blog!

Hiroyuki said...

Thanks! I'll explain how to have a Japanese meal in a future post.

nakji said...

I'm just happy I've reached the point where I no longer go looking for a spoon to eat the miso - I still feel a little strange picking up a bowl and drinking it, though.

Dina said...

Hi, Hiroyuki-san! I discovered your Blog recently, and I really enjoy reading the posts! Just a simple question, about the preparation of pickles: what type of vinegar do you use? (perhaps you mentioned that, but I could not find it)
Thanks!

Hiroyuki said...

Dina: Use vinegar of your choice! I personally prefer cheap cereal vinegar because that's what I have been grown up with.

Well, some Japanese people recommend rice vinegar, which is a little more expensive. I tried it once, but I didn't like the flavor.

So, again, use vinegar of your choice!

Dina said...

Hi, Hiroyuki-san! Wakarimashita! Domo arigatou gozaimasu!