October 28, 2007

Halloween

Halloween becomes popular in Japan. This year I can get the pumpkin in our local town.When I bought the pumpkin, I asked a staff, "After Halloween, can I eat it??"He answered "No, it is pigs feed. "This picture was taken last year.

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By the way, when I was young, I don't know about Halloween. But I was known by a incident in the USA. A Japanese exchange student was on his way to a Halloween party when he mistook the address with his American friend.And the Japanese student was shot, who was just 16 years old. So he couldn't understand one word "Freeze." His American friend stopped. But he didn't stop.
I'm sorry it is the sad story today. But this time reminds me of this story.


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14 Comments:

At 1:54 AM , Blogger SzélsőFa said...

Oh, Lucy I've just read your fellow Japanese's story in Wikipedia. What a horrible mistake it was! I can't find words. I'm sorry.

Halloween was not part of Hungary, either, but America made it coming over here as well.

 
At 2:40 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Halloween pumpkins are grown to be big and thin-skinned so they are easy to carve. You CAN eat them, but they do not have good flavor. Kobacha squash is much more tasty.

Many schools in the U.S. no longer celebrate Halloween. It might be a conflict of Christian fundamentalists. Kids still wear costumes, but mostly go to private parties at home. Some stores in shopping malls now give out treats. They used to go door to door in neighborhoods getting candy treats. But people are afraid of strangers.

Halloween is big business. Many adults have costume parties and drink a lot. Many people decorate their yards with ugly decorations. It is not my favorite holiday anymore.

Tess

 
At 10:00 AM , Blogger -LGirl- said...

We still go door to door to trick or treat here. It use to be so cold we had to put the costume over a snow suit. not any more.

So how much does a pumpkin cost in Japan? I paid $1 Canadian Dollar each for ours at a farm. That' was a bargain the grocery stores charge about $4.
We have Pumpkin pie here at Thanksgiving. It's not my Favorite I prefer Blueberry. Oh and Toasted Pumpkin seeds are nice too!

 
At 5:53 PM , Blogger Cazzie!!! said...

Very sad what happened to the student. Tragic!
Halloweeen, what fun,.I look forward to pictres from this years Halloween.

 
At 12:37 AM , Blogger Lucy said...

SzélsőFa,
I thought you did Halloween a party. But your culture is sometimes similar our culture.
I heard there are some Mongoloids in your country.

Tess
Do you know Japanese pumpkin? We cook it with sugar, Soy sauce and soup. When it is Halloween, I try to cook pumpkins.
In Dongzhi we eat pumpkin. (It is Japanese way.)
Our pumpkin’s skin is green.

-Girl-,
It was 200 yen. (very small size.) Big size was over 2000yen. I can't buy big one.You like Toasted Pumpkin Seeds! I have never buy seeds. But I eat with cakes and cream.
Now in Japan chestnuts are very nice taste. I like Chestnuts cakes!

Cazzie!!!,
Yes, it is a sad story. Your country doesn’t have guns. It is better.   
By the way, I am looking forward to your pictures.

 
At 12:23 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am looking for kobacha this year because I bought some a few years ago before I started to learn about Japanese cooking and liked it ! Very sweet and tender. Now, this year I am studying Japanese cooking from a book. But I can't find kobacha yet.

But I have found Japanese sweet potatoes! Satsuma imo. Tonight I made a dinner with statsuma imo and pork. Japanese sweet potato tastes like chestnuts! Very pretty with purple/red skin and pale yellow flesh.

I know You did not know Hiroko Shimbo, but maybe you have heard of Shizuo Tsuji? He has a cooking school in Tokyo?

I don't know Dongzhi?

 
At 8:20 PM , Blogger SzélsőFa said...

Halloween is coming to Hungary, but this is an all-American habit. I don't really like it. I mean...I'm not doing it, but other people can do it if they want to.
Hungarian culture has nothing to do with it.

In Hungary we use the holiday to remember those relatives, family members and friends who are not living anymore.
Hungarian people visit cemeteries, churches and light candles in rememberance.
It is a sad day, not for fun costumes. We feel love toward the deceased and don't wish to dress up like fools.
I hope you feel the difference.

 
At 8:22 PM , Blogger SzélsőFa said...

Mongolians?
Well, perhaps, I don't know.
My husband has a Mongolian friend, who was his colleague....

Some part of magyars (Hungarians) are said to have a common origin with mongolians, though...
There is a relationship, a very very old one.

 
At 11:32 PM , Blogger Lucy said...

Tess,
We say“Toji” You might say midwinter”.
I'm sorry. I found Wikipedia. Wikipedia said “donghi” which might be Chinease.
Old pepople said If we eat Kabocha in midwinter, we don't have a cold.
I know Shizuo Tsuji who is very famous in Japan. He runs a lot of cooking schools in Japan.
You know Satusmaimo!! I was surprised. My sons like "Tenpura" of Satsumaimo.

SzélsőFa,
I heard when you write names, you write from your last name.
Therefore I think sometimes your culture similar ours.

EX. Tess write the name
“Shizuo Tsuji”.
I write the name
“Tsuji Shizuo”.

 
At 1:53 AM , Blogger SzélsőFa said...

Oh yes Lucy, that is true.
We place family name first and Christian name second (and third, if there is one.)

Where the English say 'I'm Joe Smith' (Christian name first, Family name second), the Hungarian would say 'I'm Smith Joe'

Well, of course our names are quite different from English names. That was just an example.

 
At 1:54 AM , Blogger SzélsőFa said...

And the reason to putting family name first?
I think it is because families are more important than individuals.

 
At 12:21 AM , Blogger Lucy said...

SzélsőFa,
It is very intersting.
We use family names on business.
When teachers call students in the calss, they use family names.
But if students have same family name in the class, teacher uses first names.

 
At 8:29 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

In France, when you send mail, you write the family name first, then the name of the family member. My husband and I have some friends who are French. We were confused at first, because in the US we write first name, last name.

It might be family name first in Spain also? But my daughter in Madrid had room-mates, not family so I'm not sure the usual Spanish protocol.

Tess

 
At 8:36 PM , Blogger Lucy said...

Tess,
I didn't know France was same way of Japan!
Thank you for comments. Someday I want to research about tihs task in the world.

 

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