a-ha moment

I think every once in awhile, we all have an a-ha moment.

Recently while Satoshi and I were talking about ika (squid), he was saying that there were activists against the way that squid was killed the minute it was caught so that it could maintain the freshness of the squid.

Which got us to talking about how veggies may even have "life", so would it be wrong to "kill" them too?

And then I mentioned how when we say "itadakimasu" before eating, it is to let the food know that we are receiving their lives.

That is when the a-ha moment hit Satoshi, you should've seen his face light up.

All his life he thought that "itadakimasu" just meant, "thank you for the meal", and "thank you to the person who made it".

Afterwards, I let him read my post about itadakimasu & gochisoosama.

He was quite impressed that I knew this, and now I'm glad he knows this too...

itadakimasu & gochisoosama

Yesterday as I was watching a lunchtime soap opera, I learned something new.

The soap opera was talking about saying "grace" before eating. Do you say something before taking part of food? How about when you are done?

In Japan, we put our hands together (palm to palm) and say "itadakimasu". (Apparently, many children and adults in Japan do not say this nowadays. In fact, when Satoshi said "itadakimasu" and "gochisoosama" at a restaurant he was eating lunch at, the owner was impressed and mentioned to him that not many people say "itadakimasu" or "gochisoosama" any more.)

Saying "itadakimasu" is a way to thank the person who made the food you are about to partake in (which I knew) and also it is a way to tell the food that you are about to partake in "I am receiving your life and am grateful for the nutrients and energy you will give me" (which I didn't know).

I guess it is similar to what we said in pre-school before eating our lunch---"God is great, god is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen"

Also, at the end of the meal, we again put our hands together and say "gochisoosama"--thank you for the delicious meal.

So, if you don't say anything, try "itadakimasu" and "gochisoosama". It is a nice way to thank the person who cooked the delicious meal and also a way to show your appreciation for the food itself.