in-japan Racial biology (Was: foreigner hate messages)
worth...@my-dejanews.com
> > gaijin don't suffer this affliction because they don't work as hard
> >as Japanese.
I don't mean to offend, but the average English teacher in Japan
doesn't come close to the hours of the average salaryman; there are
foreigners (like myself) who work in Japanese companies or other
vocations that require an incredibly intense work effort, but when I
was an English teacher I was proud to only work 30 hours or so a week.
This doesn't excuse the belief that Westerners don't get stiff necks,
but I've never heard a Japanese person express this in my life.
> And while we are on the subject, can anyone confirm whether Japanese
> intestines are so different from everyone else's? I've been "reliably"
> informed by Japanese people that their intestines are longer/shorter
> (depending on the source) than those of westerners. This supposedly
> "explains" why Japanese "don't eat much meat" or "can't drink
alcohol".
> Are there any medical experts out there who can clear up this urban
myth
There is an enzyme in the body that helps process (so to speak)
alcohol. This enzyme is less common in people of Asian decent (I don't
now how narrow or broad "Asian" should be defined here). It isn't
universal; there are many Westerners who can't hold their alcohol and
many Asians who can. I don't think it is related to meat consumption;
my wife (Japanese) is a microbiologist and explained this all to me
once; I'll ask her when she gets home if there is a connection with
eating meat, though I think the reason Japanese don't eat much meat is
because it historically has not been as easilly obtainable nor as cheap
as fish.
John
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Ryan Ginstrom
worth...@my-dejanews.com wrote in message <7h7utm$tii$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>This doesn't excuse the belief that Westerners don't get stiff necks,
>but I've never heard a Japanese person express this in my life.
I think this "belief" is half-joke, half-ignorance. The joke is that
since there is no one English word which maps directly to the Japanese word
"kata," obviously our kata's can't koru: even if we have the same condition,
we'd call it a stiff neck or tight shoulders or something. The ignorance is
the step of generalizing this fact of English to all of the other thousands
of languages out there. I have no evidence to support this, but I'd venture
to bet that at least one language other than Japanese has a word which
exactly means "kata."
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Waku
」> > gaijin don't suffer this affliction because they don't work as hard
」> >as Japanese.
」
」I don't mean to offend, but the average English teacher in Japan
」doesn't come close to the hours of the average salaryman; there are
」foreigners (like myself) who work in Japanese companies or other
」vocations that require an incredibly intense work effort, but when I
」was an English teacher I was proud to only work 30 hours or so a week.
」but I've never heard a Japanese person express this in my life.
Where have you been?
This comes right after 'can you eat natto?'..
Since there is no one-word for katakori in English the simplistic assumption
is the is no such ailment.
」
」> And while we are on the subject, can anyone confirm whether Japanese
」> intestines are so different from everyone else's? I've been "reliably"
」> informed by Japanese people that their intestines are longer/shorter
」> (depending on the source) than those of westerners. This supposedly
This comes from TT's onshi, Nakasone.
You know, the nihonjinron school of thought that is equivalent to that
'bell curve' thing by that nazi a couple of years back..
」> "explains" why Japanese "don't eat much meat" or "can't drink
」alcohol".
」> Are there any medical experts out there who can clear up this urban
」myth
Mr. Matsuda???
Honey?
Another love call you can't afford to pass up...
waku
worth...@my-dejanews.com
> Where have you been?
> This comes right after 'can you eat natto?'..
> Since there is no one-word for katakori in English the simplistic
assumption
> is the is no such ailment.
I have been either in Japan or in a Japanese company for several years
and I have never heard that foreigners don't get stiff necks. Maybe in
Kansai people just don't complain as much....
The low down from my wife, for those who want a scientific explanation:
Drinking and eating meat has nothing to do as far as I know. The reason
Japanese can not drink much is due to genetic difference. Many of us
but not all do not have an active enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase.
This is how alcohol is metabolized.
alcohol------------> acetaldehyde --------> acetic acid
Alcohol is metabolised to aldehyde form by alcohol dyhydrogenase and
the aldehyde is converted to acetic acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase.
Acetic acid is useful to produce energy, and we make acetic acid by
breaking down fat, CHO, and protein. When people lack the aldehyde
dehydrogenase, they can not get rid of aldehyde and build up them in
the body. Aldehyde is toxic and cause red flush and other uncomfortable
symptoms. So, when you see people turn red after drinking a little,
they don't have the enzyme.
I have to listen to this stuff all the time; feel pity.
worth...@my-dejanews.com
gary
worth...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
>
> > > gaijin don't suffer this affliction because they don't work as hard
> > >as Japanese.
>
> I don't mean to offend, but the average English teacher in Japan
> doesn't come close to the hours of the average salaryman; there are
> foreigners (like myself) who work in Japanese companies or other
> vocations that require an incredibly intense work effort, but when I
> was an English teacher I was proud to only work 30 hours or so a week.
Well, if you're presuming I'm an English teacher in Japan, I sure am
offended. Never done it in all the nine years I've lived in Japan.
> This doesn't excuse the belief that Westerners don't get stiff necks,
> but I've never heard a Japanese person express this in my life.
I work 60 hours a week together with my Japanese wife managing her
family's business. Occasionally she rubs my shoulders when they get
sore. When the Japanese here have witnessed this sight, they reacted
with surprise and disbelief: "Gaijin don't get katakori, do they? You
seem to be becoming like a real Japanese, gary-san."
Have you ever had your wife rub your shoulders in front of other
Japanese, John? Could you without worrying that others might think
you're Japanese wife is being subservient?
--gary
gary
Dave Fossett wrote:
>
> And while we are on the subject, can anyone confirm whether Japanese
> intestines are so different from everyone else's? I've been "reliably"
> informed by Japanese people that their intestines are longer/shorter
> (depending on the source) than those of westerners. This supposedly
> "explains" why Japanese "don't eat much meat" or "can't drink alcohol".
> Are there any medical experts out there who can clear up this urban myth
> once and for all?
Just a couple months ago on NHK there was a show celebrating the glory
of Japanese koshihikari rice. In it they discussed this "long
intestine" physiological difference between Japanese and gaijin, using
actual live gaijin to demonstrate the measurable difference. But I've
completely forgotten how this difference relates to the topic of rice
digestion. Anyone recall this show, or know the connection?
I tried asking a few Japanese co-workers, but all I got was:
"Intestines are long, so Japanese get constipated easily."
and
"Intestines are long because we evolved with little meat in our diet."
--gary
michAEL CAsh
>
>
>> Where have you been?
>> This comes right after 'can you eat natto?'..
>> Since there is no one-word for katakori in English the simplistic
>assumption
>> is the is no such ailment.
>
>I have been either in Japan or in a Japanese company for several years
>and I have never heard that foreigners don't get stiff necks. Maybe in
>Kansai people just don't complain as much....
People usually don't declare that only Japanese get katakori. Instead,
they ask foreigners if they get katakori. Usually they ask in such a
tone as to indicate that they would be surprised if anyone other than
a Japanese suffered from the condition.
>
>The low down from my wife, for those who want a scientific explanation:
>
>Drinking and eating meat has nothing to do as far as I know. The reason
>Japanese can not drink much is due to genetic difference. Many of us
>but not all do not have an active enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase.
>This is how alcohol is metabolized.
>
>alcohol------------> acetaldehyde --------> acetic acid
>
>Alcohol is metabolised to aldehyde form by alcohol dyhydrogenase and
>the aldehyde is converted to acetic acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase.
>Acetic acid is useful to produce energy, and we make acetic acid by
>breaking down fat, CHO, and protein. When people lack the aldehyde
>dehydrogenase, they can not get rid of aldehyde and build up them in
>the body. Aldehyde is toxic and cause red flush and other uncomfortable
>symptoms. So, when you see people turn red after drinking a little,
>they don't have the enzyme.
>
>I have to listen to this stuff all the time; feel pity.
>
>
>--== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==--
>---Share what you know. Learn what you don't.---
FAQ FAQ FAQ FAQ
_______________
Are you gaijin?
Are you Korean?
_______________
FAQ FAQ FAQ FAQ
worth...@my-dejanews.com
> _______________
> Are you gaijin?
Don't exactly see the relevance either way here, but since there can't
be any harm, in the US I am not a gaijin, but here in Japan I am, which
means I'm not Korean but American.
> Are you Korean?
> _______________
> FAQ FAQ FAQ FAQ
>