veronica 2 Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Does your family talk when you are eating a meal? It may sound like a strange question, but I know a few here in Japan that don't. It's like a silent feeding time. Not just a Japan thing of course. I just feel uncomfortable with all that. I'd rather relax, take it slow and talk. Link to post Share on other sites
ncorrenti 0 Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Yep definitely. Our family dinners involve lots of talking and usually an argument thrown in for good measure. At home though, my boyfriend and I usually talk while we cook and then watch the news while we eat. Link to post Share on other sites
fjef 0 Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 I think it is a Japan thing - when I sit down to eat with my wife and kids, I expect (from my upbringing) that it is the time of day to get caught up with each other and talk. In Japanese families I have been with, meal time is all about the eating unless its a special occasion. My wife often tells the kids (and me) to shut up and eat and I have to remind her that it is the only time we have to talk to each other. This comes up often. Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 The eating and drinking noises more than make up for lack of talking. I enjoy eating slow and chatting. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Esa-jikan is very important. Got to scoff it down asap. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 My dad used to seem to forget how to speak when it's dinner time. And he always claimed to "win" when he finishes first. Hilarious it was*. Got better recently. * well actually it wasn't, believe it or not. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 TV on whilst eating is... IYHNNTSTSNAA (that applies to TV in general). I don't remember much of eating as a family, it was a long time ago. I reckon we would have spoken a lot and I am also pretty sure my dad would have busted out his half serious line "children should be seen but not heard" when we got noisy. . I do remember that we had to ask if we may be excused from the table. In fact, table manners were taken extremely seriously in my upbringing. It must have worked as even now on a daily basis I notice and dislike on poor table deportment (eating with mouth open, mushing noises, cant hold knife and fork correctly, wearing hats at the table). Link to post Share on other sites
AET 0 Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 IYHNNTSTSNAA - help! what is that? tried to work it out but without luck. My father was often the same 2pints. It used to annoy me so much. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 If You HNNTSTSN At All Link to post Share on other sites
AET 0 Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Hmmm. I'm going to need a bit more than that. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 If You Have NNTSTS Nothing At All Link to post Share on other sites
ncorrenti 0 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 If you have nothing nice to say then say nothing at all? Link to post Share on other sites
dizzy 0 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 have you ever noticed that a lot of japanese people eat quickly? maybe it's a generation thing, but a lot of the 60+-year olds tend to eat fast, especially (temperature) hot food... Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Yes dizzy. My father in law says it's from the Edo period. People from the older generation do tend to eat quickly. In his and all of his friends case (they are all presidents of their co's) I think they feel like eating too long looks (feels) lazy. Link to post Share on other sites
Kumapix 0 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 my grandmother-in-law eats fast because during and after the war when she was young they didn't have enough food so it was a grab all-you-can-get Link to post Share on other sites
kkk 7 Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 I have heard a few stories like that as well. Here's another. People much fatter now because there was not much choice back in the war. Not that there is a lot of choice people eat much more and get much fatter. Link to post Share on other sites
dale#1 1 Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Our family when we were all together took forever to get through a meal. It was more about talking, relaxing and enjoying the experience than stuffing food into our stomachs. A good meal should be enjoyed not rushed. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 When I was a grom dinner time usually around news time which meant we had to STFU. We could talk in the ads! Now, we don't usually watch TV when eating but sometimes I watch the news and see shades of my old man sneaking in! J family, TV is on but everyone chats away. Annoys me sometimes when I want to hear something, they can all read the subtitles but I have to listen. Link to post Share on other sites
zebedee 1 Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 We all knew that at NEWS time it was no talking time. Dad was quite clear about that. Link to post Share on other sites
Davo 1 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Dad would lose the rag if we spoke during "The Weather!" I have a bad habit of wolfing my food down and generally don't have much time for pleasentries as I do so; must come from boarding school where it was a case of chow down or go without. Link to post Share on other sites
nagoid 4 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 What is it with Dads and News/Weather? Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 I don't know but it seems as though I wasn't the only one! It's much worse these days, My old man watches the 6:00 news, A Current Affair, probably some crap on ABC then watches the same stuff again on the late night news and sports tonight! Good news is that we are allowed to chat during the late night news! Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 The TV was banned during meal times in my family. Link to post Share on other sites
igloo 3 Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 TV was totally banned during our mealtimes. Thats a good thing I think. My sister still does not even own a tv. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 There was a ban in the scouser household as well. Then there was the "Shh, it's the News" ban as well. Quite a few bans like that. Link to post Share on other sites
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