Made In America? Part 1

Sometimes – okay, 99% of the time – I feel like I have ‘AMERICAN’ stamped on my forehead. It is, of course, nothing that I am embarrassed about. I just never realized such a label could come with a breathtaking scope of implications. I was warned by my agents at OWLS that whatever I say or do will be construed by my students as indicative of what all Americans say and do. And though that advice is certainly sound: it is slightly misleading, in my observations. More than presenting a model of a typical American, I find myself fighting against the Japanese mental image of all Americans.

I thought I understood and experienced the concept of ‘stereotyping.’ However, living in one of the last nation states in the world – the population is 98.5% Japanese ethnicity – I have gained a whole new understanding of the term. Despite having never been acquainted with an American, most Japanese have this image of what an American is. And it is an image that is difficult to shake…

I am often given coffee by my co-workers. They don’t ask if I would like any coffee – this is a Japanese politeness: by not asking, they are protecting me from having to make a decision – they simply place a cup of coffee on my desk. Unfortunately, I don’t like coffee. I would much prefer tea. This doesn’t occur to my co-workers, though. I am American, so of course I drink coffee. The few times I have been asked and I expressed my preference of tea over coffee, they seem genuinely shocked. To discover that not only have I heard of green tea, but that I actually like it is simply stunning.

Stewart says that though the Japanese would not admit it, they often believe that things they consider to be quintessentially Japanese - like green tea, sushi, karaoke, etc. – if even known by the outside world, which they sincerely doubt, certainly cannot be liked or appreciated by outsiders. An American that comes to Japan already knowing of and enjoying tekka maki, well, that is just beyond belief.

To this end, I have little difficulty saying ‘no’ to foods like watermelon or hamburgers. However, I have never declined any traditional Japanese food. About a week ago, I was eating lunch with a 4th grade class when they offered me some umeboshi – a pickled fruit similar to a plum. I tried one and amused the class with my facial expressions while eating it; umeboshi are amazingly tart. I wasn’t especially fond of it, but preceded to eat three more just to prove to them that I could.

Even to Japanese that I have not met, but just pass on the street, I am assumed to be American. But I’m not quite sure why that is. Most westerners in Japan, especially of my age, are British, Canadian, Australian, etc. as these cultures embrace the concept of ‘gap year’ or ‘working holiday’– a period of time, usually about a year, taken between major stages of life such as between high school and college or undergraduate program and graduate school. There are many programs between Japan and these countries which allow expedited visa approval and employment opportunities to such applicants.

Anyway, the upshot of it is: if I do something impolite or a cultural faux pas, I would probably be disregarded as an ‘ignorant American.’ If an Australian did the same thing, they would probably be disregarded as an ‘ignorant American.’ I’m swimming against the tide here. And most of you know me well enough that perhaps the only thing I am more afraid of than appearing as if I do not have a sense of humor is appearing ignorant. When it all comes down to it, that really is the main reason I came to Japan, to experience all of these things that I haven’t before, so that in the future, when someone starts to talk of takoyaki – commonly referred to as octopus balls in English, but I’ll call them octopus beignets to give you a better idea – I can say that not only do I know what they are talking about, but that I have eaten them before and liked them tremendously. I want to be cultured dammit!

Part 2 coming soon…..