#it’s pronounced “ee-tah-dah-kee-mah-s” by the way | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

john-smiths-jawline · 5 months

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growing up nonwhite in america is just like *your white friends don’t do this* *your white friends have never heard of your favorite food* *your white friends think the way you celebrate this holiday is weird* *your white friends still don’t pronounce your last name right even though it’s been literal years* *your white friends

#psychic damage #look i love being japanese i wouldn’t change that #but it’s isolating sometimes #i remember so clearly being like six and going over to my white friend’s house #and her mom gave us snacks and we were sitting down at the table #and like i always do before eating with someone else i said itadakimasu #and she looked at me like i was having a stroke #and i was like “i was just saying itadakimasu”#because i thought it was a thing everyone did #and she was like “what’s an itadakimasu”#and i just felt very different #i think that was the first time i realized that none of my friends are like me #and that there’ll always be that difference #like it’s cool but still ya know #i wish i knew like one other japanese person that would be really cool #for those of you who don’t know what itadakimasu is— it’s something you say before a meal #it doesn’t really have a direct english translation #but roughly it’s like “hey thanks for making this it looks cool. i’m gonna eat it now :)”#not exactly but that’s the closest i can get because the food culture doesn’t transfer over very well #it’s pronounced “ee-tah-dah-kee-mah-s” by the way #the “u” at the end is silent because japanese is a syllable-based language and it’s using the character for “su” (like in sushi)#even though the sound is just a “s”

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