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ALC Newsletter No. 077 2/14/08
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By the International Marketing Team at ALC Press http://www.alc.co.jp/international
Contents:
1) The "Dear Readers" Column: Messages from the International
Marketing Team at ALC Press
2) Trendy Japanese #33: "Nabe Bugyo"
(a person who gives precise instructions on how to cook "nabe" dishes)
3) Quiz on Japan #16: "Which one is true about Japan's smoking
situation?
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Dear Readers,
Happy Valentine's Day!
We launched the website focusing on the transfer system from 2-year colleges to 4-year colleges/universities in the USA and Canada last month. <http://www.gogaku-ryugaku.net/uc/index.html>
The website targets those high school students in Japan who wish to go on to colleges/universities in the USA and Canada but wonder if they can pursue their dream because they worry about their English skills, high school grades, finances, lack of experience studying abroad, or some other reason. This website will provide them with much-needed information. They can find not just basic information about the transfer system but also a lot of testimonials from other Japanese students who have successfully transferred from 2-year colleges into 4-year colleges/universities in the USA and Canada. Through the website, they will realize that they can make their dreams come true by using the transfer system.
We will continue to develop a website focusing on Australia (TAFE/Foundation programs→Universities) and the UK (Colleges/Foundation programs→Universities).
Best wishes from the International Marketing Team at ALC Press.
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Trendy Japanese #33: "Nabe Bugyo"
(a person who gives precise instructions on how to cook "nabe" dishes) =================================================
This winter has felt a bit colder than the last year. Even in Tokyo, where we seldom see snow, there has been enough snowfall to cover the ground on several occasions. Cold weather is not everyone's favorite, but there's a special winter dish in Japan that brings much more delight to people when it's cold outside ── it's called "Nabe"
(pronounced as "nah-bay").
"Nabe" means a cooking pot, and is also a general term for all kinds of dishes cooked in pots. "Nabe" is usually eaten by two or more people, with the pot placed in the center of the table. To cook a typical "nabe" dish, pour some broth in the pot and boil some vegetables, fish, or meat. When this stew is cooked, each person helps him/herself from the communal pot.
By the way, there's a funny term related to nabe: "nabe bugyo."
"Bugyo" was a magistrate back in the samurai era, and "nabe bugyo" means a person who gives precise instructions on how to cook "nabe" dishes --- how thick the broth should be, how strong the fire should be, the timing of adding ingredients, how long they should be boiled, etc. We usually use the term "nabe bugyo" to tease someone during "nabe" meals by saying, "Gee, you're really a nabe bugyo!"
"Nabe" is special in winter because it warms not only your body but also your heart, with the warm and cozy atmosphere it creates.
Talking about the weather, it'll get warmer soon and we'll enjoy beautiful cherry blossoms in spring. However, we'll miss the cold weather and the warm, delicious dishes like "nabe."
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Quiz on Japan #16:"Which one is true about Japan's smoking situation?
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How much do you know about Japan? We'll give you a quiz in each issue, so try to find the right answer!
［Answer to last week's quiz］
Last week's quiz question was "Which superstition does not exist in Japan?" The answer is: (b) If your chopstick breaks, someone is falling in love with you. The other three ( If you whistle late at night, you will attract snakes / If you respond to someone talking in their sleep, the person will die / If you clip your nails at night, your parents'
lives will be shortened) all exist as superstitions, though people don't believe them anymore.
Quiz for this week: Some people used to say that Japan was a smoker's heaven, because it was so easy to get cigarettes, and you could smoke almost anytime, anywhere. But the situation has been changing rapidly in the last few years. Among the four alternatives below, which one is still true in Japan (as of February 2008)?
(a) You can buy cigarettes anytime, even after midnight, from vending machines.
(b) Even children can buy cigarettes from vending machines.
(c) You can smoke on every street in Tokyo.
(d) Some Starbucks allow customers to smoke in their stores.
Check out the correct answer in the next issue!
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Thank you for reading!
*Back issues of the ALC Newsletter are available at:
http://www.alc.co.jp/international/Newsletter.html
*If you wish to be removed from this newsletter or change the e-mail address to which it is sent, please let us know by e-mailing us at:
intl-mag@alc.co.jp
Publisher: ALC Press, Inc.
2-54-12 Eifuku, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 168-8611 Japan
Writers: The International Marketing Team at ALC Press / Ayako Ishimoto
Editor: The International Marketing Team at ALC Press
Copyright (c) 2008 ALC Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
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