Student Blog

Somewhere Between “Surprising” and “Commonplace”

Geo spoke to me with a subtle smile. During our casual conversation, he suddenly asked me if I’d like to go to Thailand with him sometime.
Upon arriving in Thailand, he took me to a restaurant that he has being going to since he was in high school.
A bowl of ramen appeared in front of me that did not appear to be anything special. In Thailand, these noodles are called kuaitiao. It was delicious, but looking back now, I regret not trying something more “authentically Thai.”

But one of the ingredients in the bowl caught my attention. After we finished eating, I asked Geo what the squishy red thing was, and he said, “That’s a jelly made from pig’s blood.” Although it was tasteless and odorless, my heart skipped a beat because I had never tried it before.

Just as the Japanese take for granted that they can choose their own ramen toppings, Thai people go to restaurants and eat kuaitiao with a serving of pig's blood jelly in it.

We Japanese are sometimes bewildered by what is considered “commonplace” in other parts of the world that would be unimaginable in Japan. But the same can be said of people who come to Japan. I can only imagine that they spend their daily lives living somewhere between “surprising” and “commonplace.” This experience made me feel strongly that I want to educate myself more about Japan and share the depth of our culture with the world.