Sometimes the biggest culture shocks are the ones you have to put in your mouth.
Studying abroad can be one of the most eye-opening and inspiring experiences you can have. You get to immerse yourself in another culture, see how other humans live their daily lives, and be shocked at how certain things you take for granted are completely alien elsewhere.
And, if you’re like the older sister of Japanese Twitter user @0615Midori, you can freak out when you suddenly realize that you can’t eat any of this crazy foreign food:
▼ “I’m a bit worried if my sister is going to come back alive from studying in the UK.”
(Translations below.)
The rice… is so bad… I’m gonna die…
The desserts… are so sugary… I’m gonna die…
The meat… tastes like… monster meat…
Today’s rice… tasted like… detergent…
I thought a KitKat would be okay, since we have them in Japan…
It was sugary…
Oh my god it was so sugary…
I thought I’d try… a fruit… so I bought a strawberry…
It just tasted like pesticides…
The orange juice…
It’s way too sugary too…
The grape juice…
It had no flavor…
The water…
It tasted like rust…
…I’ve lost weight…
When I was…
On the verge of malnutrition…
I went to McDonald’s…
“A fish burger and apple pie please…”
The fish burger…
It was sour…
The apple pie…
It too… was nothing but sugar…
What is wrong with this country…
I feel hopeless…
How did One Direction survive growing up in this country…?
I’ve come to appreciate Japanese food now…
And…
In the five days since I’ve been here…
I finally found…
Something I can eat…
Oranges…
They’ve very sour…
And everybody says they’re bad, but…
They’re perfect for me…
I mean…
They’re the only thing keeping me alive…
…the end…
While the sister’s reaction is obviously over the top, in all honesty the first time I went to Japan, I was shocked by how flavorful the produce was. Pretty much every apple, banana, plum and carrot I’d had before in the U.S. was utterly bland in comparison. Not saying that’s true everywhere, but it certainly was for me.
Although when she asks “How did One Direction survive growing up in this country…?” it’s just a little bit hard to not laugh out loud and forget all about taking her seriously.
Either way though, here’s what Japanese netizens had to say, which mostly consisted of an outpouring of sympathy from her homeland:
“Stay strong, sister.”
“You only have, uh, a few hundred days to go, right?”
“Get to the nearest Chinatown, stat!”
“Sometimes, I’m really glad to live in Japan….”
“This is the perfect opportunity to learn to cook for yourself.”
Agreed on that last thought! Studying abroad is not only a great way to see other countries, and see your own country from the outside, but also to learn how to be independent. If she wants to eat some delicious Japanese food, then it’s time to get cooking!
So fear not, little sister @0615Midori! Your older sister will come back a stronger, wiser woman… with possibly an occasional hankering for some fish and chips.
Do you have a food-related culture shock story of your own to share? I know that when I lived in Okinawa, pig-foot soup, bitter-gourd stir-fry, and most shocking of all, SPAM, had never been on my menu before, but it was kind of cool to actually taste another culture. Tell us your experiences in the comments section, and let us know if you came out of it alive!
Source: Twitter/0615Midori via Hamusoku
Featured/top image via QuotesGram
Insert images: Twitter/0615Midori
Foreign driver’s license conversion test passes plummet from over 90% to 33% in Japan
Uniqlo Ukiyo-e Blue T-shirts: A cool-hued reinterpretation of some of Japan’s greatest paintings
Tiny Buddhist statues: These new gachapon figures are more pious than adorable!
This beautiful Nara inn was once home to a Living National Treasure
Studio Ghibli releases new anime tea and mugs in Japan
Foreign driver’s license conversion test passes plummet from over 90% to 33% in Japan
Uniqlo Ukiyo-e Blue T-shirts: A cool-hued reinterpretation of some of Japan’s greatest paintings
Tiny Buddhist statues: These new gachapon figures are more pious than adorable!
This beautiful Nara inn was once home to a Living National Treasure
Studio Ghibli releases new anime tea and mugs in Japan
The best Japanese curry in Japan isn’t eaten at a restaurant
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Duolingo to open first pop-up store Duomart in Japan for a very limited time next month
Viral 3D ice creams land in Japan… but are they worth the hype?
How should you use the small hiroen in a Japanese ryokan hotel room?
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Japan considering raising international traveler departure tax even more than previously reported
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Shibuya’s Don Quijote?
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowd sizes in Nara?
Studio Ghibli stamps lift your spirits with motivational phrases from Totoro
Japanese town suing resident for being a jerk
Is Kyoto less crowded with tourists after China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning?【Photos】
You can now buy a Japanese train station clock in Japan
Japanese police attempting to clamp down on “zombie cigarettes”
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods and a rhinestone tumbler that costs 19,500 yen
Real-world Nausicaa Ghibli anime glider completes its final flight in Japan【Video】
Brand-new Pokémon park opens in Japan with larger-than-life-size Lapras【Photos】
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood?
The 10 best day trips from downtown Tokyo【Survey】
Naturally brown-haired Osaka student sues government for forcing her to dye her hair black
Japanese government considering tripling departure taxes to combat overtourism
Unique inclined elevator in Japan leads to a town that inspired Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
The best Japanese curry in Japan isn’t eaten at a restaurant
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Duolingo to open first pop-up store Duomart in Japan for a very limited time next month
Viral 3D ice creams land in Japan… but are they worth the hype?
How should you use the small hiroen in a Japanese ryokan hotel room?
Family Mart makes new anti-food-waste stickers, free for other stores and restaurants to use too
This Osaka laundromat wants to clean more than your clothes; it also wants to clean you
Toyota City civil servant arrested for using government access to run a detective agency
TRANSFORM! And write while you’re at it, too — with these cool shape-shifting Transformers pens!
Anime and video game backgrounds now free to download for video conference calls
Why does Japanese writing need three different sets of characters? (Part 2)
A guide to visiting Sagamiko Illumination, one of the three biggest light-ups in Kanto
Leave a Reply