Japan has a zillion proverbs involving cats, probably because cats are awesome and add flavour and colour to everything in life. One such proverb is “nekojita” which literally means “cat tongue” and describes people who are unable to handle hot drinks and liquids making contact with their precious pink taste buds.

It’s pretty easy to see where the proverb came from – offer anything hot and edible to a cat and watch the look of horror on their face. But did you cat-tongued-people know that there’s a secret method you can use to train yourself to slurp the hottest of liquids with grace and ease?

Apparently, there’s been a lot of discussion online in Japan for a while now about how to train yourself to drink hot stuff without cringing. Since Japanese beverages are often served scalding hot, and noodle slurping involves a certain degree of imperviousness to heat, it’s only natural that those inflicted with Cat Tongue might seek to find ways to correct this debilitating condition.

▼ “It burns, it burns!”

According to the current school of thought on the subject, the problem apparently lies with the ultra-sensitive tongue tip. Keep the tip out of the way, the theory goes, and you can slurp down volcanic ramen as fast as the next person. By simply curling the tip of the tongue back over the teeth, you expose the less sensitive underbelly of the tongue to the hot liquid first, avoiding the rush of agonising, tongue-searing pain that usually accompanies slurping down a steaming beverage or bowl of soup. Because waiting for your hot drink to cool down just a tiny bit would be insane…

  ▼ “Curse you, Cat Tongue!”

We put two of our Japanese reporters to the test with this exclusive video demonstrating the tongue hack in action!

First up, we try having the guys drink some hot water with the regular tip-first method. When that results in tears, we try the tongue-curl method. Then, we up the ante by using freshly boiled kettle water! Ouch! Check out the video below to see the results!

Hmm, we’re still not convinced! Really hot liquid is gonna hurt even if you try to hide your tongue-tip, we reckon. At any rate, none of the rest of us felt like trying this after seeing these guys go through so much tongue-pain. We’re gonna stick to blowing on our food and drinks and accept our Cat Tongues as they are!

If you’re a fellow Cat Tongue and feel like trying this method, then be sure to tell us your impressions in the comments section!

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