I posted questions asked by my students

Dear Vietnamese students,
Thank you for your reading our blog and commenting on my students' essays.  I hope you are learning a little about us as much as we are learning from you. 

My students are now collecting information to create a presentation about different aspects of Vietnamese culture.  I really appreciate if you could read their questions below and respond to them.  Thank you.

Questions about food

1. Have you eaten Balut ( an egg with a baby chicken)? When do people eat it?
2. What kind of dish do people make out of rice?

Questions about honeymoon

1. Where is the popular destination for honeymoon in your country?

2. How about Nha Trang or Dalat?  What kind of places are they?

Questions about Bánh mì

1. What type of Bánh mì is popular among young people?

2. When do you eat it? (breakfast or lunch)

3. Do people make it at home?

Japanese table manner

I would like to introduce Japanese table manner. We also use chopsticks but there are many rules way to eat different from Vietnam. There are three parts. At first, I will tell you how to eat rice. Second, I will tell you how to use chopsticks. Finally, I will tell you my memories in childhood.

Almost of all the Japanese eat rice. However, people which eat only bread or other food not rice are increasing. We empty our dishes to the last grain of rice. “The eyes of us who are careless with rice (or left rice) are crushed”. This tradition means such as the children lose their mind which consider important all things. So, I always eat all a grin of rice. If you can’t eat a lot amount of rice, choice only your portion which you can eat.

     In Japan, there are a number of manner of chopsticks. Sashibashi means that way to eat by sticking my chopsticks into food. The other manner is Watashibashi. This is placing my chopsticks across the rim of dish before finishing a meal so we use a chopstick rest or use fold a chopstick envelop like real. It’s a signal that you finish dishes.

     I was often warned about manner during dinner by my mother when I was child. “You don’t rest you elbows on the table, don’t sit with your knee drawn up, eat having a bowl and don’t eat foods with your mouth open, my mother said to me.” Vietnamese also use chopsticks, don’t you? Therefore Japanese manner may be alike with Vietnamese manner but there are the opposite manners too. When you come to Japan, you would better to search about Japanese manner. You will be able to enjoy a trip to Japan.

Japanese honeymoon

Most of the Japanese newly married couples go to honeymoon. After wedding, they go to honeymoon for several days. I looked at HIS’s homepage and learned that where couples went on honeymoon and how much couples spent money for honeymoon. I realized the most of the couples had chosen Hawaii and Tahiti. I think that they would like to spend slow time on honeymoon, and they would like to relax there. Therefore, many couples spend a lot of money for honeymoon. The Average money for Japanese honeymoon is about 560,000 yen. They also spend about 100,000 yen for souvenir. Most of couples buy souvenirs for people who gave money at wedding. They have sweet time on honeymoon!! If I go to honeymoon, I will take a round-the-world trip. I can’t choose one place! I want to go to Europe, Australia, Hawaii and Canada. When I go to honeymoon, I want to see world heritage sites in the world and I want to eat traditional foods in the world. Therefore, I must earn a lot of money in the future. Do you want to go honeymoon?

Udon

Udon

Udon is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle. It is eaten with noodle soup. The soup is seasoned with seaweed and bonito’s soup. The taste is salty. Udon has various kinds each region. Udon can be eaten hot or cold and can be cooked in many ways.　Tempura Udon, Curry Udon and Kamaage Udon are popular.

Tempura Udon is the most popular Udon dish with lightly deep-fried shrimp tempura. Regardless of the season, this Udon is highly popular and is available in a number of variations, including vegetable tempura Udon.
Curry Udon is prepared by placing warm Udon in a bowl and covering it with hot curry sauce. Some restaurants try to create unique flavors by blending the curry sauce and the broth
Kamaage Udon’s way of eat is that place hot Udon in a bowl and pour some of the boiled water from the cook pot. Simply dip Udon in spiced dipping sauce before eating.

Noodle shops can be found everywhere in Japan.

Osechi

Osechi is a Japanese traditional food. It is eaten on New Year Day. This tradition started in Heian Period. Foods are packed into jubako, like lunch boxes. Eating Osechi has a meaning to celebrate the New Year Day.
The dishes that make up osechi have a special meaning to celebrate the New Year Day, for example, Daidai, Japanese bitter orange. Daidai means “from generation to generation” when written in another kanji. Konbu, a kind of seaweed, it is associated with the word “yorokobu” meaning joy.
This custom of celebrating the New Year Day was produced from China long years ago, but recently, there are not so many people who make Osechi. Many people buy Osechi at super market, even at convenience store. Although many of young people do not make Osechi at house, my grandmother and I make Osechi every year because I think homemade is the best.
Japanese people have been celebrating the New Year Day with eating Osechi. Then, how about your country? Do you celebrate with some special foods?

Japanese wedding reception

I introduced about Japanese wedding reception. My essay is organized this way: first, the hall; second, the expense; third, the monetary gift; forth, the present given to guests at a wedding reception.
In the first area, I introduced about the hall. Japanese often hold in a hotel or wedding hall. We invite our relatives and our friends. The number is about 80 people. In rural area, a bride and groom invite many people, about 100 people. At the area, they tend to hold by many people. Recently, modern reception halls for young people are theme parks or popular restaurants.
In the second area, I introduced about the expense. It costs great expense to a reception in Japan, about 2,800,000 yen. The total of their expenses come to about 25,000 yen apiece.
In the third area, I introduced about the monetary gift. An invitee brings about 30,000 yen. The participants hand over these monetary gifts to a front desk clerk before start a wedding reception.
In the forth area, I introduced about the present given to guests at a wedding reception. A bride and groom give gorgeously dishes and catalogue gifts (the guests can chose at the catalogue gifts). Recently they give sweets on which their photograph or illustration are printed once in a while!
In my essay, I introduced about Japanese wedding reception. What do you think of this reception style?

Self-introduction

Hi. My name is Naruyuki Kimura, and I'm a student of Nagoya university of foreign studies. My hobby is playing guitar, and I have my band. We play our song. Do you know myspace? If it's so, please check "Heatstrokes" on it. There is my photo and my song. I'm looking forward to your comments.

Japanese breakfast

Traditional Japanese breakfast is a well-balanced diet that consists of rice, miso soup, grilled fish, natto, nori, tamagoyaki and so on. Natto is fermented soy beans. Place the natto on top of steamed rice and eat with rice. Nori is edible seaweed, sometimes called laver.
Japanese breakfast is changing and people who eat traditional Japanese breakfast are decreasing. Some Japanese people eat bread, cereal, yoghurt, milk and soup. In my case, I eat bread every morning.
Traditional Japanese breakfast is a healthy desh, but it takes long time to make it. We can eat bread faster than rice. Therefore, many Japanese people eat bread, cereal and so on.
Recently, young Japanese people that do not have breakfast are increasing. That is a serious problem. If you do not have a breakfast, your brain does not work. It is good for your body to have a breakfast.
Breakfast is important to us. What do Vietnamese eat for breakfast?

About japanese tea, Matcha

ABOUT JAPANESE TEA, MATCHA

Matcha refers to finely-milled Japanese green tea. In modern times, matcha has also come to be used to flavor and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of wagashi.

About differences: between GREEN TEA and MATCHA. Matcha is powder of bud of tea. On the other hand, green tea is steamed and dried, and shape of tea’s leafs are kept.

It is very tasty and healthy, so it is drunk by many people in Japan. Matcha is very traditional drink in of Japan, and it is often eaten with Japanese- style cakes.

When we make Matcha, we use a sieve and a special wooden spatula. A sieve is used in order to break up clumps. There are special sieves available for this purpose, which are usually stainless steel and combine a fine wire mesh sieve and a temporary storage container. A special wooden spatula is used to force the tea through the sieve, or a small, smooth stone may be placed on top of the sieve and the device shaken gently.

Matcha is now a common ingredient in sweets. It is also used as flavoring in many Western-style chocolates, candy, and desserts, such as cakes and pastries including Swiss rolls and cheesecake, cookies, pudding, mousse, and green tea ice cream. I really like sweets that are tasted with Matcha, so I often eat many sweets of Matcha taste.

Japanese marriage

There are an engagement ring and a wedding ring in Japan. People say that the price of the engagement ring is estimated to be three months of the salary. Actually, the amount of the average purchase of the ring is about 374,000 yen. In other words, an average price of the ring is from 300,000 to 400,000 yen in present Japan. On the other hand, the price of the wedding ring is about 228,000 yen. In short, an average price of the ring is from 150,000 to 250,000 yen in general. I think that people who get married need not choose the ring by a general price. The important thing is the person's feelings. In Vietnam, are there an engagement ring and a wedding ring? If there are the rings, how much do people who get married pay to them?

Japanese noodle
I am going to introduce about Japanese noodle. When Japanese eat noodle, Japanese use chopsticks. When Japanese eat noodle, some Japanese add some seasonings in the soup, for example, pepper, spicy oil used to season Chinese food, and so on. It is a bad manner to eat it making a sound.
There are two types of noodle in Japan. One is hand making, another is instant. In case of all hand making, at first, cooks boils noodle, and then they make a soup. After making a soup, pour the soup.
Japanese usually eat at Ramen restaurants because they can eat it hot, but there are lots kinds of instant noodles in Japan, and their tastes are really good, so recently they tend to eat at their house.
Noodle came from China to Japan in 1870, but they did not be familiar in Japan then, because tastes were not like now. After soon, tastes have changed the kind of tastes Japanese like. I have just finished introducing about Japanese noodle. How about Vietnam’s Noodle? Could you tell me about it?

Hitsumabushi

In this article, I want to write about Hitumabusi, a specialty food of my hometown, Aichi prefecture. It is in “ohitsu” which is Japanese container and we eat it mix rice and grilles eel. “Hitumabushi” means “ohitsu” and Japanese “mabusu” in English is “mix”. It is also called “Hitumamushi” because “Mamushi” means rice of eel in dialect of Kansai. Thus, Hitumabushi is a kind of a bowl of rice and has 3 ways to eat so I wish you could enjoy eating Hitumabushi more with my article.
Skin of broiled eel is savory, and fish is soft because broiled eel is baked without steaming just as it is. In some restaurant, there are resources which eggs like cotton yarn is spread all over under broiled eels. It is also a good. In the beginning, Hitumabushi was in the bowl of “Setomono” which is made of soil kneaded and burned. But after delivery, when young boy just like part time worker collected it, they often broke it, so it is changed “ohitsu” which is soiled and big.
Slice of eel existed in period which had no raising of fish in Hamamatsu (Shizuoka) and Tsu (Mie) and natural eel had unevenness of quality so small eel couldn’t be served. As a result, slices of bad eel were eaten as boiled rice with tea poured over it or board of worker. It is also said that “Hitsumabushi” may be originating that.
Finally, I want to introduce 3 ways to eat. Firstly, you should cut rice crosswise with “Shamoji”which is a tool we use when fill a bowl with rice. After that, you eat with this 3 ways.
1. Firstly, you fill a bowl with rice and eat it just as it is.
2. Next, you fill a bowl with rice again and put spices which are wasabi, laver, mitsuba, and so on. Spices which are long green onion, wasabi, and laver. These are basis and suit eel very well. You taste these changes of flavor with enjoying.
3. You pour soup stock or green tea on rice like 2 and eat like boiled rice with tea poured over it. How to this eat is also said to be designed to eat bad eel deliciously.
4. Finally, you eat your most favorite way.

TV commercial for essential

TV Commercial for Essential of Shampoo

Recently, I have favorite TV commercial. It is TV commercial for essential of shampoo. When I watch this TV commercial, I feel happy.
First, very popular actors appear on this TV commercial. Nozomi Sasaki is very popular star. She has like doll face, perfect style, and cute voice. If anyone saw her once, everyone think “How cute is she!” Yuriko Yoshitaka gradually becomes popular because she appears recently many TV dramas. Her smile face is too cute although her eyes are small and her how to speak makes us calm. She has an atmosphere looks like small animal. Vivian Hsu is unwavering popular star, so this TV commercial uses very popular stars.
Second, this TV commercial makes happy for particular girls. This TV commercial has cute color and atmospheres. It uses pink, orange, and so on cute colors, and each actor’s situations are also cute. For example Nozomi is bath time, and Yuriko is dry her hair. Vivian is choosing her clothes. It is time when all of the girl can feel their girl’s mind.
Third, it is used the popular word “kyun”. Recently, many people say this word. If their heart fluttered in boy, animal, something cute, and so on they say “feel kyun”. So this TV commercial is very attracted.
Thus, I think this TV commercial is very effective because very popular star appear and has cute atmosphere, and trend word is used. It must be attracted. Actually, this shampoo has very good scent, and when I use it my hair becomes smooth. Please watch this TV commercial. Thank you for reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPBD1wxKXLU

Kurikinton

In this article, I want to introduce about Kurikinton, a specialty food of my hometown, Gifu prefecture. “Kuri” means Japanese chestnut with and –“kinton” means a sweetened mixture of boiled. Thus, Kurikinton is a kind of sweets that has short and sweet slightly. I with you become to want eat this.

Kurikinton is autumn food because we can take chestnuts only in autumn. In Japan, Kurikinton is simple sweet because you can make it too at home. You mix the ingredients and wring it after that it will be squeeze tight. It’s a bite size so you wii be able to eat with enjoyment.

There are tree of chestnut so everyone know about it. However, it’s famous as Kurikinton of Nakatsugawa in Gifu near Nagoya. There is surrounded by nature so you can eat unique food from the land. It is made by sugar and chestnut and soft, sweet, easy to eat. I recommend you eat it with Japanese tea.

  I often have eaten it. In autumn, we become to want to eat food of autumn so I eat kurikinton in this season every year. Sometimes I come to have it as souvenir for my friends or relationship. Everyone pare grad of it so you will like Kurikinton. If you came to Nagoya or Gifu, you should eat it.