Different Culture, Different Tastes M.M. 7th grade, Tamagawa Gakuen junior high school division

There is a famous proverb, which says, "When in Rome, do as Romans do." I like this proverb very much and I lived with this in mind for the past seven years in the United States. I really enjoyed the American culture. My house was always filled with the atmosphere of the two countries. For example, next to the American flag's ornament, you could see things like Japanese fans and wooden clogs. We held a lot of parties for both Japanese and Americans. When we were invited to an American family's house as guests, they showed us their culture, like the tradition of cooking a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. In exchange, when they came to our house, we showed them the Japanese culture. For example, on New Year's Day we celebrate by making and eating special food known as "Osechi." The food includes things like mochi, a soft rice cake, and soup with vegetables. We also celebrate a holiday specific to Japan called "Hinamatsuri," or festival of the dolls as it is known in English. It is a festival to wish health and happiness mostly for girls.

The most memorable culture exchange for me was when my mom and I went to exchange a Japanese sake cup and a handicrafted origami-ball for a bamboo stick that we decorate with a neighbor we've never met before on Tanabata's Day. This neighbor was very happy to make the deal. He said that the cup and the ball were beautiful. But most of all, he seemed to love the yukata (kimono for summer) I was wearing at that time. I was very proud of my country's idea of beauty. I think that Japanese ornaments are simple and everyday items. But I dare to say that they are the best when it comes to beauty.

For me, not only the ceremony of cooking the turkey surprised me. The biggest surprise for me was the food in general. Even if you compare a Japanese breakfast to an American breakfast, I think you would be very surprised. In America, most people eat cereal and fruit that can be prepared in a snap. On the other hand, Japanese people spend so much time on cooking breakfast, such as miso-soup, egg, salmon and rice. Even though I lived in America for seven years I never got used to eating sandwiches.

There is one experience I had that I will never forget. It happened when I was in kindergarten. I went to a summer school that prepared lunch for us. One day we were served hot dogs, so we got in a line to get all the toppings on the bread. At that time, I didn't know words like "pickles" and "mustard". So I listened to the American boy in front of me. I thought that everyone had the same taste because everyone around me was getting every topping to put on their hotdogs. My turn came and a lady asked me, "Do you want some pickles?" I answered, "Yes." Again, an another lady asked me if I wanted onions. Of course I answered "yes" because the boy did so. When I came to the end of the line, my hotdog had a mountain of toppings. I wanted to be sure that this would taste okay, so I watched the boy biting his hotdog first, then I saw he smiled. So, I bit my hotdog. And Oh! How it tasted? It was the nastiest food I've ever eaten.

From this experience, I learned that different countries have different tastes. All the different countries, all the different tastes. I would say it is worth to " when you in Rome, do as Romans do", then we will realize that we have different tastes and culture.

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