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samuelp
Industry Insider
Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 2231
Location: San Antonio, USA
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 Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 2:51 pm
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Not to be all serious in a post on an interest story, but this is an example of one of the remaining majorly patriarchal things in Japanese society: sushi chefs.
Outside of these gimmicky sushi bars where women make sushi, it's basically unheard of for a woman to be a sushi chef in the sushi places in tokyo.
There's a sushi maid-cafe like place in Akihabara, and this place which is more like a sushi/idol group bar fusion thing... But actual normal sushi restaurants and even cheap kaiten sushi places are exclusively male when it comes to the people actually making the sushi (women man the register or act as waitresses but never making the sushi itself).
This has always sort of bothered me since I started living here. Sure I can sort of accept some things which are men only in Japan, like Sumo... but sushi chefs? It's high time a woman who wanted to be a sushi chef doesn't have to move out of Japan to realize her dream.
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Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:19 pm
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| samuelp wrote: | | Not to be all serious in a post on an interest story, but this is an example of one of the remaining majorly patriarchal things in Japanese society: sushi chefs.
Outside of these gimmicky sushi bars where women make sushi, it's basically unheard of for a woman to be a sushi chef in the sushi places in tokyo.
There's a sushi maid-cafe like place in Akihabara, and this place which is more like a sushi/idol group bar fusion thing... But actual normal sushi restaurants and even cheap kaiten sushi places are exclusively male when it comes to the people actually making the sushi (women man the register or act as waitresses but never making the sushi itself).
This has always sort of bothered me since I started living here. Sure I can sort of accept some things which are men only in Japan, like Sumo... but sushi chefs? It's high time a woman who wanted to be a sushi chef doesn't have to move out of Japan to realize her dream. |
There is a few hundred years of this tradition, in early times right up to the early Twentieth Centrury because women would perfume their hands which tainted the hand made food, so only men made sushi. I heard that on one of NHK's cooking shows 
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Leebo
Joined: 14 Nov 2005
Posts: 660
Location: Somerville, MA
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:58 pm
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| Mohawk52 wrote: | There is a few hundred years of this tradition, in early times right up to the early Twentieth Centrury because women would perfume their hands which tainted the hand made food, so only men made sushi. I heard that on one of NHK's cooking shows |
Well, it's not surprising that the historical excuse would be so flimsy.
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Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:05 pm
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| Leebo wrote: |
| Mohawk52 wrote: | There is a few hundred years of this tradition, in early times right up to the early Twentieth Centrury because women would perfume their hands which tainted the hand made food, so only men made sushi. I heard that on one of NHK's cooking shows |
Well, it's not surprising that the historical excuse would be so flimsy. |
Would you eat rice balls that tasted like lilacs, or jasmine, or some other floral scent?
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Leebo
Joined: 14 Nov 2005
Posts: 660
Location: Somerville, MA
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:08 pm
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Are you asking me that question because you don't actually think the justification of "they perfumed their hands" is flimsy?
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Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:13 pm
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| Leebo wrote: | | Are you asking me that question because you don't actually think the justification of "they perfumed their hands" is flimsy? |
Try some and get back to me. 
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Leebo
Joined: 14 Nov 2005
Posts: 660
Location: Somerville, MA
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:14 pm
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Okay, you're just trolling me or whatever?
I'm going to assume you don't think that perfume can't be washed off or is mandatory or something.
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Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
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Location: England, UK
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:20 pm
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| Leebo wrote: | | Okay, you're just trolling me or whatever?
I'm going to assume you don't think that perfume can't be washed off or is mandatory or something. |
I'm going to assume you are a young lad whats never had perfume on his hands to know that. Tell ya what? Try doing that and get back to me first. 
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Leebo
Joined: 14 Nov 2005
Posts: 660
Location: Somerville, MA
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:22 pm
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Sorry, I'm not in a silly mood right now to joke about this.
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
Joined: 02 May 2011
Posts: 2939
Location: Email for assistance only
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:25 pm
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| Mohawk52 wrote: |
| Leebo wrote: | | Okay, you're just trolling me or whatever?
I'm going to assume you don't think that perfume can't be washed off or is mandatory or something. |
I'm going to assume you are a young lad whats never had perfume on his hands to know that. Tell ya what? Try doing that and get back to me first. |
I don't know how you're missing Leebo's really obvious point:
If a woman wanted to BE sushi chef, she obviously wouldn't perfume her hands. We aren't born with our hands permanently smelling of jasmine and tasting like alcohol-based perfumes. It's a stupid excuse.
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Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:27 pm
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| Leebo wrote: | | Sorry, I'm not in a silly mood right now to joke about this. |
I'm not joking laddy. I'm bloody serious. Do it. Go put some perfume on your hands if you can and try to wash it completely off so you can not smell any of it afterwards. let me know how you get on.
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 3904
Location: CO
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:29 pm
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Was it in Old Boy or something where one of the characters said that women can't make sushi because their hands are too warm?
Actually, it's always baffled me that the culinary industry (worldwide) was so male-dominated, especially considering how many men (and male chefs) talk about being influenced/inspired by their mothers and grandmothers. There are plenty of local eateries that have women chefs, as well as many well-respected recipe books written by women, but when it comes to fine cuisine, the list for female head chefs is much shorter than for men.
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 3904
Location: CO
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:30 pm
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| Mohawk52 wrote: |
| Leebo wrote: | | Sorry, I'm not in a silly mood right now to joke about this. |
I'm not joking laddy. I'm bloody serious. Do it. Go put some perfume on your hands if you can and try to wash it completely off so you can not smell any of it afterwards. let me know how you get on. |
You know that there are women who don't put perfume on their hands, right
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
Joined: 02 May 2011
Posts: 2939
Location: Email for assistance only
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:31 pm
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| ANN_Bamboo wrote: | | Was it in Old Boy or something where one of the characters said that women can't make sushi because their hands are too warm?
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I've heard this rumor too, but I'm not sure of its origin. As someone with an average blood pressure of 90/60, I'd like to see what kind of pseudo-science this was based on.
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Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:35 pm
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| octopodpie wrote: |
| Mohawk52 wrote: |
| Leebo wrote: | | Okay, you're just trolling me or whatever?
I'm going to assume you don't think that perfume can't be washed off or is mandatory or something. |
I'm going to assume you are a young lad whats never had perfume on his hands to know that. Tell ya what? Try doing that and get back to me first. |
I don't know how you're missing Leebo's really obvious point:
If a woman wanted to BE sushi chef, she obviously wouldn't perfume her hands. We aren't born with our hands permanently smelling of jasmine and tasting like alcohol-based perfumes. It's a stupid excuse. |
I get his point. What I'm on about is the traditional reason why sushi chefs are male. You have to keep in mind that Japanese are very traditionalist and don't take to changes very well. 'tis reason female sushi chefs there are so news worthy. Something Leebo, and you apparently, seem to be missing looking at this with western eyes.
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