And just because I'm not a cultural fan of Japan doesn't mean I don't have my own obsessions--I'm a classicist. Going to Italy and Greece was like going to Mecca for me. I understand the impulse, I know it well. But there are a lot of japanophiles who take it too far--you have to at least admit that--and that's who I was talking about. There are also a lot of Westerners here who only want to /consume/ the culture, not experience it. This also bothers me, not in the least because, no matter what my opinion of it, living in a place for so long makes you feel a little proprietary about it.
There is a very weird and negative side to fandom. There is a positive side. The negative side makes a lot of noise--and that's true in any group. I get beaten down pretty much everytime I don't refer to Japan as the Greatest Place on Earth, so I'm very aware that everyone else thinks it's fabulous and I'm the sore thumb. Thus I can be a little sensitive, because this culture everyone adores has actually heaped a great deal of abuse on me.
As for the sperm sac--I'm actually a very adventurous eater. I ate eel without a second thought, and I've tried a lot of weird stuff since moving here, not to mention the Greek food I happily munched on. But since I'm not fond of the taste of human sperm, I can't imagine fish sperm would suddenly me a taste sensation. ;)
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And just because I'm not a cultural fan of Japan doesn't mean I don't have my own obsessions--I'm a classicist. Going to Italy and Greece was like going to Mecca for me. I understand the impulse, I know it well. But there are a lot of japanophiles who take it too far--you have to at least admit that--and that's who I was talking about. There are also a lot of Westerners here who only want to /consume/ the culture, not experience it. This also bothers me, not in the least because, no matter what my opinion of it, living in a place for so long makes you feel a little proprietary about it.
There is a very weird and negative side to fandom. There is a positive side. The negative side makes a lot of noise--and that's true in any group. I get beaten down pretty much everytime I don't refer to Japan as the Greatest Place on Earth, so I'm very aware that everyone else thinks it's fabulous and I'm the sore thumb. Thus I can be a little sensitive, because this culture everyone adores has actually heaped a great deal of abuse on me.
As for the sperm sac--I'm actually a very adventurous eater. I ate eel without a second thought, and I've tried a lot of weird stuff since moving here, not to mention the Greek food I happily munched on. But since I'm not fond of the taste of human sperm, I can't imagine fish sperm would suddenly me a taste sensation. ;)