マイ箸[はし]って知[し]っていますか。Do you know “MAI HASHI”?
マイはmy、箸[はし]は chopsticksです。日本人[にほんじん]は食[た]べる時[とき]にお箸[はし]を使[つか]います。家[いえ]の外[そと]で食[た]べる時[とき]にはよく割[わ]り箸[ばし] (waribashi is disposable chopsticks)を使[つか]います。これは、使[つか]い捨[す]て (tsukaisute means disposable) で環境[かんきょう]問題[もんだい] (kankyo mondai is environmental problems)になる!－というわけで、少[すこ]し前[まえ]にマイ箸[はし]ブームが起[お]こりました。これは、どこへ行[い]くにも自分[じぶん]の箸[はし]－つまりマイ箸[はし]を]持[も]って行[い]って何度[なんど]も使[つか]うためです。そして割[わ]り箸[ばし]を使[つか]うのを避[さ]ける(sakeru means to avoid)ためです。
写真[しゃしん]の箸[はし]は、先日[せんじつ]日本人[にほんじん]の友[とも]だちが送[おく]ってくれました。持[も]って歩[ある]けるように、包[つつ] む(tsutsumu means to wrap up)ための布[ぬの] (nuno means cloth)がついています。2つ目の写真[しゃしん]の中[なか]に箸[はし]が写[うつ]っています。その箸[はし]の先[さき]に黒[くろ]いケースがついていますね。これは、食[た]べたあと、箸[はし]の汚[よご]れ(yogore literally means dirt; in this case, some residue from food you just ate with the chopsticks)が布[ぬの]についてしみ(shimi is stain)を作[つく]らないためです。よく工夫[くふう]されていますね!
このマイ箸[はし]の習慣[しゅうかん]は、今[いま]とても人気[にんき]になっています。マイ箸[はし]を売[う]るウェブサイトもあるようです。すごいですね。
“MAI” is my and “HASHI” is chopsticks. As you know, Japanese people use chopsticks to eat. When they dine out, they often use disposable chopsticks. People lately have started thinking that this would contribute environmental problems. Tadaa, “my chopsticks” boom was born! People have started taking their own chopsticks everywhere and trying to avoid disposable chopsticks.
The photos show “my chopsticks” that my Japanese friend sent me the other day. What is the difference from normal chopsticks? As you can see, there is a wrapping cloth and it makes your life easier to carry chopsticks around. One of the photos show chopsticks with a sort of black case. Can you guess what it is? – if you use this, you would not make stains on your wrapping cloth from the residue attached to the chopsticks after meals. Don’t you think it is well-designed?
This “my chopsticks” boom has become quite prevalent in Japan and you can even find a website thoroughly devoted to sell only “my chopstick” products. Amazing!
pip wallace says:
Hello Fumiko,
Fellow blogger, what a great subject to meet over!
Mai Hashi and I are about to get acquainted.
Thanks!
Pip