At the Portland Japanese garden a few years back, there was an event where several prominent sushi chefs came to do a presentation. My wife asked "Why aren't there any women on the panel?" They responded that women's hands were hotter than men's and that affected the flesh of the fish, so women weren't great as sushi chefs. The entire audience laughed. A pall quickly settled over the faces of the men on the panel when they realized they had said something really stupid.
I've heard there are some really innovative women sushi chefs these days in Japan, which I'm excited to try to find in a week.
They were entirely serious about it. Japanese also cannot digest foreign rice because their intestines are longer, or use foreign ski gear because Japanese snow is different.
I wonder if they just felt upset that they were the subject of laughter, or if they realized having actually said it out loud, that it was easily one of the silliest beliefs out there.
What I like about it is that it flies in the face of the history of European dairy-making, and present research about coldness of extremities by gender.
Sorry I'm probably misinterpreting, did they laugh because the temperature is actually colder, or because of the possible joke "women's hands are hotter" as in, more good looking
As opposed to every year before, where ramen eating was highly inaccessible & sexist. The article covers how difficult it's been & why this thing that started in 2015 is important, which you seem to scoff at.
You know it's 2024 when someone will show up & grumble about wokeness.
I'd really love it oh so very badly if the few Japanese HN commentators would chime in here. Baka!
In Japan, though, ramen is a dish with largely masculine connotations -- traditionally it is men who get misty-eyed about their favorite ramen restaurants, not women. Now that is changing as a new culture of "girl ramen" takes hold.
Boys we must occupy salad spaces and Panera bread and not let them get away with this injustice!
P.S. - When I was there was told different regions have different takes on different dishes. Some foodie types go cross country to try a specific bowl of Ramen.
Was told this by a woman who was doing precisely that. She also insisted on paying for mine because it wasn't a touristy place and she was glad I was exploring her country.
Anyway I'm not Japanese and certainly can't speak for her but deeply believe she will laugh at this article. A lot. Hence I'd rather a Japanese reader chime in.
It is incredibly easy to read such a thing and just unthinkingly let it contort reality. Japan is Japan, it is not the US.
@tmtvl in a peer comment recommended Juzo Itami's 1985 Japanese film Tampopo which is well worth watching.
It's literally includes mascaline Japanese "truck driving" culture with a heavy dash of western cowboy overlay and a women determined to be the best Ramen Chef possible - with a whole lot more thrown in.
But yes, local film, many years ago, already juxtaposing a lone woman in a blokey bloke male heavy culture for comedy and other angles.
I've heard there are some really innovative women sushi chefs these days in Japan, which I'm excited to try to find in a week.