"All for one, one for all"

read the sign above the chalkboard in one of my ichinensei (first year) classes today. This sentiment is echoed in many aspects of Japanese society, and today I noticed it in the lunch culture.

The process begins with everyone moving their desks into lunch groups. None of my schools have a cafeteria. Instead, lunch is brought on a cart into each classroom. Students each know their role in the most efficient process of lunch distribution. Industrious female students become food servers and males distribute trays, cartons of milk, chopsticks, soup, rice, and food plates to each student desk.

Then, when everyone is prepared, a student takes the lead in uttering some Japanese words that result in the group saying, "itadakimasu." It can be loosely translated into English as such: "I humbly receive this food."

I guess you could say that I'm usually a "line item" eater - I finish one thing before starting another. I suppose that is how I undertake tasks besides eating as well. However, in my keen observations I have noticed that not only the overall structure of lunch time is group-oriented, but the consumption also works in this fashion. You eat a little rice, then a little miso, then a little of the main course, sip a little milk, and repeat. No item is left by its lonesome.

And zoom in a bit more to the rice bowl. The boy next to me ate it chunk by chunk, pushing the straggling grains back to the bunch. When I eat rice, I often fumble my chopsticks around, flicking rice here and there around the bowl, and by the end have about 50 pieces of rice broken up individually around the bowl that I have to pinch at desperately. A single grain of rice left in the bowl could symbolize a lack of appreciation for the meal, or wastefulness. In the words of Tetsuya Shimano, my Japanese teacher in the US, "We eat them all."

The meal concludes when every last person is finished eating. Together, we utter, "gochisosamadeshita," my personal translation is: "This meal was super awesome." Plates and bowls are neatly stacked. There is even a certain way to fold milk cartons. The top of one is opened to hold 4 or 5 folded up ones. It's genius. As an environmental studies major, I intend to write an entire other post about the widespread ecological, sustainable practices in Japan.

Another Japanese saying, and the flip-side of this optimistically appreciative metaphorical coin is, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." As someone who is very clearly not part of the group, or a "gaijin" - outsider - I feel constant pressure to fit in. Part of me thinks, "You're clearly an American, and you are here to share your culture, so don't worry if you don't do everything right, that is, the Japanese way." Another part of me thinks, "If you try your best to fit in, you will be able to represent your country in a positive light and make bicultural breakthroughs." Yet another part of me wants to be transformed into a Japanese person so that when I go grocery shopping or simply walk down the street I won't draw stares.

I appreciate the way things are done in Japan. I hope sometimes they can appreciate the differences I bring too. And then we can be like...(let's see, some kind of metaphor)...like lunch. Many flavors, enjoyed together and not alone. <3 ^_^ <3