If you're Japanese-American, like me, you'll find things on this list that you do. I admit it... I can't start eating until I have a bowl of rice. A few of my other behaviors favorites:
You cut all your carrots and hot dogs at an angle.
When you're sick, you eat okayu.
Milk makes you queasy and alcohol turns your face red.
As much as you want it, never ever take the last anything. Enryo, enryo, enryo.
Your parents watch "Kohaku Utagassen" on TV on New Year's eve.
Your mom saves all those wooden kamaboko things "just in case."
You compliment a person from Japan on how well they speak English, and they compliment you on how well you speak Japanese, and you both know you're kind of stretching things.
You say "itadakimasu" before you eat.
Chris --
I am as whitebread American as it gets (my middle name is "Southworth" and I have a suffix, thankfully not "III"), but I still appreciate many of your list.
We called not taking the last anything "FHB" (family hold back).
Chicken soup for unspecified maladies (although today, my top choice would be miso or udon).
And my face turns red when I drink, too.
Hope all's well!
Tom H
Posted by: Tom Harrison | August 03, 2008 at 05:46 PM