Attack of the new housewife!

Survey: Japanese meal traditions declining

A survey by a Japanese company suggests only 20 percent of married women in Japanese cities lay out eating utensils using traditional etiquette standards.  The survey found women often place bowls in the wrong position or line chopsticks incorrectly, the Mainichi Daily News reported Tuesday.  The condiment maker Ajinomoto also said soup is losing popularity, with Japanese city-dwellers drinking beverages with their food, instead of following the traditional custom of waiting until after the meal.  "As main meals move to becoming more substantial instead of centering around white rice, people feel it is necessary to take a mouthful of a drink to serve as a link between different food tastes," an Ajinomoto spokesman said. Additionally, more than 50 percent of surveyed families did not have condiments on the dining table at all times. "For foods like grilled fish or sashimi, where the taste of the food is important, flavorings are left on the table, but not having condiments readily available is probably because of a recent increase in dishes like stir  
fries, in which flavorings are added during cooking," the spokesman said.  

Oooooh, they line their chopsticks incorrectly. Imagine if these people found out I sometimes put the fork on the right side with the knife...and no spoon!

Scandal!

(Article from Coffee Break.)