Written by Alexandria Hilton
Japan has been on our minds recently and we are not alone. The destination has been on the minds of many, for good reason, one among them being the Netflix documentary series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, that highlights Okinawa as a place full of people who know, intuitively, how to live a long, healthy, purposeful life.
Some days, I consider myself somewhat of a logophile and my interests in Japanese culture clearly intersect with my interest in language. In alignment with our December theme of abundance here in the Admiral Travel Office and with fond memories of our GCCC ATInsiders who recently returned from Japan, I’d like to introduce to you the Japanese word.
Itadakimasu
Some variation of “I humbly receive,” this phrase is often said aloud before a meal. I came across some sources that equated Itadakimasu to the French “bon apetit.” At the table when I was growing up, someone usually grinned, leaned back in their chair, put two hands on their belly and exclaimed, “We eat!” while their shoulders swayed up and down and they chuckled lightly, if only to keep from salivating!
And so my understanding of this phrase at a shallow level sits somewhere here.
But when I imagine what may be meant by Itadakimasu, I am reminded of a class I took at university — one that others told me wasn’t worth the time and wasn’t all that interesting. I am learning that other people’s advice is sometimes quite useful and other times, belongs in the garbage; discernment, here, is maybe the marker of real growth, real becoming.
The class’s title, Global Food Controversy, scared me a little bit. What would you expect from a class like that? Taught by a chef? Would we be arguing about which county produced the tastiest foods?
Over the course of one semester, my mind opened in ways I didn’t know it could. For example, I consider myself a pacificist — I don’t like to argue or fight, let alone hunt and kill. I have never gone full veggo but I don’t cook meat in the house. This professor and the information he presented and the ways in which he presented it turned my mind completely on its head and made me believe that hunting and killing and eating animals is not altogether a bad thing. He made me question where morals even belong in the conversation (controversy) around food and where it comes from and who is entitled to it.
There are many layers to this idea and the others we covered in in our course load. Because I am no expert and have no real qualifications to educate anyone very much of anything, I’d just like to leave you with the idea that the “humbly” part of “I humbly receive” is an acknowledgement that none of us is ever entitled to another’s life. With roots in Buddhist thought, this idea promotes nonviolence, gratitude, and love without reserving such virtues for those with food restrictions.
From land acknowledgements to mealtime prayers, what is the importance of giving a name to a practice? Further, how does it feel to pay your respect to the people who cooked your food, the lives sacrificed and the natural elements harnessed to produce your meal?
As this season of giving and gifting (finally) comes to a close, notice what it might feel and sound and look like to humbly receive. As you pause to reflect on 2024, deepen not only into your memories of the good, the bad and the ugly but also into your imagination of where it all came from.
ATInsiders recently in Japan with Admiral Travel x Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club
