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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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 Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:20 pm Post subject: |
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Vegetarians have to go out of their way when they go out to eat, it's true. Here are some in Tokyo - http://www.happycow.net/asia/japan/tokyo/
I arrived in Japan in 1999 a pescatarian, and because I had little linguistic self-defense (I had only only minimal Japanese language skills) I ate what was on offer at enkais. Few Japanese people could understand vegetarian or pescatarian diets. It's tough. I also arrived in Japan decorated in mendhi from toes to knees, and that got some sidelong looks for the weeks that it lasted... Mendhi and veg life are just not on the radar here. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 1:57 am Post subject: |
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| TokyoLiz wrote: |
Vegetarians have to go out of their way when they go out to eat, it's true. Here are some in Tokyo - http://www.happycow.net/asia/japan/tokyo/
I arrived in Japan in 1999 a pescatarian, and because I had little linguistic self-defense (I had only only minimal Japanese language skills) I ate what was on offer at enkais. Few Japanese people could understand vegetarian or pescatarian diets. It's tough. I also arrived in Japan decorated in mendhi from toes to knees, and that got some sidelong looks for the weeks that it lasted... Mendhi and veg life are just not on the radar here. |
I have no idea what you meant  Mendhi?
pescatarian, is just fish right? |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| Mehndi or Mendhi is henna dye applied to skin, which can last for weeks. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 11:40 am Post subject: |
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| TokyoLiz wrote: |
| Mehndi or Mendhi is henna dye applied to skin, which can last for weeks. |
Henna. OK I understand that |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:39 am Post subject: |
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| oh, though the Japanese diet is pretty sensible. What is the 80's fixation with margarine? That stuff is terrible for you, and no one buys it anymore, as it just is not worth it. Yet in Japan, people are all about it. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 1:27 am Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| oh, though the Japanese diet is pretty sensible. What is the 80's fixation with margarine? That stuff is terrible for you, and no one buys it anymore, as it just is not worth it. Yet in Japan, people are all about it. |
Because the import tariff on butter is something on the order of 800%. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 2:19 am Post subject: |
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| Pitarou wrote: |
| rxk22 wrote: |
| oh, though the Japanese diet is pretty sensible. What is the 80's fixation with margarine? That stuff is terrible for you, and no one buys it anymore, as it just is not worth it. Yet in Japan, people are all about it. |
Because the import tariff on butter is something on the order of 800%. |
Is it that high? Wow.
But margarine is so terrible for you. Good thing the Japanese eat well otherwise... |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| Pitarou wrote: |
| rxk22 wrote: |
| oh, though the Japanese diet is pretty sensible. What is the 80's fixation with margarine? That stuff is terrible for you, and no one buys it anymore, as it just is not worth it. Yet in Japan, people are all about it. |
Because the import tariff on butter is something on the order of 800%. |
Is it that high? Wow.
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It's almost as high for rice. And, according to an article I read recently, the Ministry of Agriculture has set itself up as the monopoly supplier of wheat by taxing all other importers out of the market. I could go on.
Basically, the entire food chain is run for the purpose of making all those tiny, inefficient Japanese farms economically viable. It was supposed to be a temporary system designed to revive food production quickly after the War, but somehow they never got around to abolishing it; probably for the same reason they never got around to reorganizing the electoral districts. A farmer's vote can easily be worth twice that of a city-dweller's.
Did you notice that food supplies are more seasonal in Japan then in the West? I bet you thought, "Oh, how nice. They're so in touch with nature." And maybe it is nice. But anybody who tells you it's like that because of Japanese consumer preferences is talking through their hat. It's because the out-of-season imports that smooth out seasonal fluctuations in other countries are taxed off the shelves here in Japan.
Last edited by Pitarou on Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:41 am; edited 3 times in total |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:34 am Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| But margarine is so terrible for you. Good thing the Japanese eat well otherwise... |
If you're eating enough marg' for the trans-fats to affect your health, you're eating way too much marg'. Switching to butter is not the answer to your health problems. |
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SeasonedVet
Joined: 28 Aug 2006
Posts: 236
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:42 am Post subject: |
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People become vegetarians for various reasons. Three I can think of are
Religion
Health
Fad
I am not sure if the OP is talking about vegetarianism as a fad as the mention of artistic community? Not sure but...
Japanese may see vegetarianism Mostly connected to Religion. And they may reason "I have no religion/ or that's not my religion"
In terms of health, Japanese have been enjoying high rates of longevity. It would be a lil bit weird that you come from whichever country you come from to educate Japanese about healthy vegetarian lifestyles when the already enjoy longevity and health.
In terms of a fad: Japanese have a Myriad of dishes to choose from. Then they have a myriad of foreign dishes to choose from. If I was born and raised in this type of gastronomical culture I wonder if I would be interested in vegetarianism.
It seems though that they are not exposed much to vegetarianism or vegetarians and may have little information on it other than to think it is connected to religion.
In addition, we all know that most things here are done in groups. How can you be a part of a group and telling the others "ummm...excuse me guys...you know the course that you guys ordered...well I really can't eat any of it, do you have veg?"
People may be very unwilling to do anything like that.
People here just order what everybody else is ordering or eat whatever sis ordered for them whether they like it or not. It is about Not being Wagamama and also so that things move smoothly. |
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Black_Beer_Man
Joined: 26 Mar 2013
Posts: 453
Location: Yokohama
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| Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| SeasonedVet wrote: |
People become vegetarians for various reasons. Three I can think of are
Religion
Health
Fad
I am not sure if the OP is talking about vegetarianism as a fad as the mention of artistic community? Not sure but...
Japanese may see vegetarianism Mostly connected to Religion. And they may reason "I have no religion/ or that's not my religion"
In addition, we all know that most things here are done in groups. How can you be a part of a group and telling the others "ummm...excuse me guys...you know the course that you guys ordered...well I really can't eat any of it, do you have veg?"
People may be very unwilling to do anything like that.
People here just order what everybody else is ordering or eat whatever sis ordered for them whether they like it or not. It is about Not being Wagamama and also so that things move smoothly. |
SeasonedVet, I think you have THE answer here. Harmony. The Japanese do copy the group and everything is discouraged to prevent dissent. God forbid you stick out like a sore thumb. As a famous Japanese proverb goes, "The nail that sticks out must be hammered down."
This example of following the group with respect to ordering food is also present within Japanese salaryman drinking culture with low tolerance drinkers being coerced to drink much more than they want to and then throwing up on train station platforms.
I meant to say in the original post that I am surprised vegetarianism has not caught on here because
1. Vegetarianism is a lifestyle that is said to be the healthiest. Even eating fish nowadays is not that healthy with the high mercury levels in some larger fish.
2. The desire of many people to not support factory farming. The best way is to avoid buying meat. The Japanese practice factory farming big time. I read a book called Eating Animals which said that in the U.S., chicken cages are stacked 5 stories high, but in Japan they're stacked 14 stories high. Are the chickens "living" on the higher cages pooping on the chickens below? If so, I wonder what doses of anti-biotics the chickens are getting in Japan? |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:01 am Post subject: |
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| Black_Beer_Man wrote: |
I meant to say in the original post that I am surprised vegetarianism has not caught on here because
1. Vegetarianism is a lifestyle that is said to be the healthiest. Even eating fish nowadays is not that healthy with the high mercury levels in some larger fish.
2. The desire of many people to not support factory farming. The best way is to avoid buying meat. The Japanese practice factory farming big time. I read a book called Eating Animals which said that in the U.S., chicken cages are stacked 5 stories high, but in Japan they're stacked 14 stories high. |
Responses:
1. Avoiding a foodstuff for health reasons is not the same as adopting a strict dietary taboo.
2. Japanese just don't care very much about animal welfare. Check out a few petshops, and you'll see what I mean. |
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