DIDN’T YOUR MOTHER EVER TELL YOU, “PLEASE SLURP YOUR FOOD!”

Over the past few days, I have been in the company of someone who is visiting Japan for the first time, and this experience has reminded me just how different things can be here to a newcomer. One thing in particular that I found funny was how reluctant foreign visitors are to slurping their food in public. In Japan, slurping is a natural habit that occurs at every meal, and there is nothing rude about it!

Just last night I was at an udon restaurant with my visiting friend, and this particular Japanese food is rather difficult to eat for someone who isn’t accustomed to using chopsticks. For those of you who aren’t familiar with udon, it is a mixture of noodles and soup. The udon noodle is rather thick compared to other Asian noodles, and it is quite long. Our particular meal was niku udon, which consisted of udon noodles, beef and the broth. This dish proposes a challenge to first timers since you not only have to grab a slippery noodle, but must also get it onto a spoon without splashing the soup all over your table.

Watching my friend was entertaining to say the least. Given the fact that he is absolutely horrible with chopsticks, the meal moved at a slow pace. After getting enough laughs out of the ordeal, I recommended he try getting a piece of noodle in his mouth and then slurping the rest. The look I got was rather funny, and it came along with a complete refusal to slurp his meal. (That is until he got so tired of dropping noodles and splashing himself that he finally gave up and slurped.)

Now this may not be a significant Japanese experience, but it is funny to think about how accustomed I’ve become to a different life style. If you had suggested that I slurped my food a year ago, I also would have looked at you like you were crazy. Now I find it natural. In fact, slurping is a compliment to the chef in Japan because it shows that you are enjoying your food. Even during a traditional tea ceremony you are to sip your cup three times while making the slurping sound.

While the act of slurping is accepted in the Japanese culture, I realize it can be weird for those that were reprimanded for it during their childhood. Perhaps I’ll experience a reverse culture shock when I move back to America and find that others think I’m rude for slurping my food.