TACO! TACO! TACO!
I just said three different words in two different languages, spelled three different ways... allow me to explain.
A TACO to most of you is a crunchy or soft shell, inside of which is meat, lettuce, cheese, salsa, and what have you. Sounds delish. I could go for some serious Taco Bell right now... But in Japan, a TACO is certainly NOT a taco, for several reasons. First of all, Mexican restaurants are seriously lacking in this country- which is surprising because of the surplus of rice and veggies we grow.
Secondly, in Japanese the word TACO takes on two other meanings than that delightful Mexican wrap.
In Japanese TACO, spelled with this kanji-蛸- means OCTOPUS. If you want TACO sushi, you don't want a taco on top of sushi rice, you want OCTOPUS sushi- not my favorite.
In Japanese, TACO, spelled with this kanji- 凧- also means "kite," as in "let's go fly a kite" with Mary Poppins.
This week I've had run-ins with both of the Japanese TACOs, as I'm teaching a sushi lesson to the 5th graders, and the 2nd graders are flying kites! Kite flying after the new year is a Japanese tradition. Eating sushi is just Japanese. I'm in the right place for TACOs... but I could still go for a Taco Bell run...
So there you have it:
TACO=Mexican cuisine
TACO=Octopus, 蛸
TACO= Kite, 凧
TACO! TACO! TACO!
An American girl felt God calling her to Asia. Japan opened its doors, and she followed God there. A life changing, unregrettable move, and a future which only God knows and has control over!
