“Itadakimas”

My family says “Itadakimasu” before we eat every meal.  The literal translation is “I gratefully receive.”  My grandmother brought this tradition to us from Japan, her native country.  It is common Japanese etiquette to say “Itadakimasu” before you begin eating your meal.  My grandmother believes it is very important to show appreciation for everything and to demonstrate through this word how grateful you are for the food that is on the table in front of you.  However, when she came to the United States in 1953 she did everything she could to Americanize herself.  She abandoned all of her Japanese traditions, in hopes of being accepted as an American citizen, so my mother did not learn about “Itadakimasu” during her early childhood.  However, after about 10 years my grandmother became comfortable enough in the country and gained enough confidence to where she felt as if she could identify with and represent her Japanese heritage again.  Among other things, saying “Itadakimasu” before every meal was one of the first traditions she implemented into her families life in America.

My mother sees this saying as more than just Japanese etiquette.  It is important to her and she is adamant about her family saying it because it represents the time when her mother gained a sense of pride and began identifying with her heritage.  She knows that Susie had a very difficult time in the US upon arrival and it was an enormous step for her to share part of the Japanese culture with her children.  My mother takes pride in her descent so she has always been persistent in implementing not only “Itadakimasu,” but other Japanese traditions.

I also take pride in being of Japanese descent, so I frequently use this item of folklore, and will pass it on to my family in the future.  I find this item to be interesting because it represents the etiquette of many different cultures.  Some families say “grace,” some have no traditions at all, some have to hold hands while they pray, etc.  There are so many different items of folklore that revolve around food etiquette and they vary all over the world.

Annotation:  “Helping Americans adapt to the Japanese cultural system.”  Barbara Sagara, Brian H Kleiner. Management Research News. Parington: 2001.Vol.24, Iss. ¾; pg. 137.

The “Siesta” in Madrid, Spain

My informant visited Madrid, Spain in 2003.  He knew that the lifestyle in Madrid is focused primarily on the nightlife, but was shocked to see how well the citizens and government of Spain had catered toward this night-owl lifestyle.  Gareth never understood how families would eat dinner at midnight and still be able to show up for work in the morning.  He assumed they had adapted to some sort of sleepless life.  When Gareth arrived, he very quickly found out about the “Siesta.”  All of Madrid, the restaurants, shops, offices, etc., close at around 1:30 in the afternoon.  All of the workers go home for their lunch break, which to my informants surprise lasted usually until 5.  The workers take this three-hour lunch break and sleep so they are rejuvenated for the next couple hours of work and the full night that lay before them.  The Spanish people take the siesta very seriously as well.  They advise you to disconnect all telephones, find a comfortable bed or couch, and not let anything disturb you.

Gareth quickly adapted to this lifestyle, and informed me that the nightlife in Madrid completely surpasses its reputation.  Families are seen out eating dinner past midnight, all of the teenagers go to bars and clubs, and everyone is friendly and fun to be around.  Gareth said, “I went out every single night I was in Madrid.  Usually I got home around 3 or 4 in the morning.  On an early night, you might make it home by 2.  Let me just say, you are so relieved to sleep when siesta rolls around the next day.”

This custom is a remarkable item of folklore because the people of Spain have successfully molded their lifestyles, sleeping patterns, eating habits, and careers to adapt to the lifestyle they prefer.  Their entire culture has adapted to the crazy nightlife, which I find unbelievable.  This also emphasizes how much one can learn from traveling.  Tourism today is easy and prevalent because it is cheaper and more convenient than ever.  Many cultures have begun catering to tourism, but I am glad that Madrid does not change its culture to adapt to those visiting.  In fact, it is the tourist that must adapt to Madrid and encompass the siesta custom.

Feng Shui

My informant studied feng shui, which literally means “wind-water.”  Nance says, “it is an ancient practice in China that revolves around the placement and arrangement of space in order to achieve harmony with the environment.  Geographical, psychological, mathematical, and aesthetic concepts are some of the elements relating to feng shui.  It is thought that Gui Pu coined the term back in the Jin Dynasty.  Qi, which is the energy of the universe, is carried in the wing and retained within the water, hence the meaning behind feng shui.  Nancy told me that there are many internal and external guidelines.  For instance, some internal guidelines are to avoid clutter, keep tops of tables simple, do not aline the end of the bed with the door, and your stairs should never face the front door.  Some external guidelines that Nance told me are to avoid building houses in front of cemeteries, hospitals, and mortuaries, and that square-shaped lots are optimal for chi flow. feng shui is particularly interesting to Nancy because she believes that Chinese customs are very spiritually based and always very interesting.  She claims that her office and house both follow as many feng shui guidelines as possible,

I have heard of feng shui before from my mother.  She does not take the custom very seriously, but has just mentioned a few of the very basic guidelines.  I think it is really interesting that the Chinese have such a strong spiritual basis, however I do not believe that my energy is influenced very much by the positioning of my furniture.  I do not feel as if my luck, health, and prosperity are going to be determined or influenced by space.  Feng shui has spread rapidly throughout our culture however.  There are feng shui experts that will come to your home or office and decorate it in a spiritually sound manner.  This custom represents how easily an item of folklore can spread internationally and become part of popular culture and everyday life.