Local Ginger Is Not Hot

According to a Chinese friend I worked with many years ago, this is a saying from Shanghai. It explains why we are often attracted to places, cultures and even people who are very different from us. I love this saying and its succinctness. I also happen to love ginger too, heh.)

I am often asked how I got interested in Asian culture and what led me to my academic specialty in Asian (especially Japanese) studies. In fact, back when I was a student at Jochi (Sophia) University it Tokyo nearly everyday someone would ask me with the tilt of the head that conveys curiosity in Japanese body language “Why do you like Japan?”

At the time I thought this bafflement was very odd (to say nothing of tiresome after the umpteenth time) … that is, until I moved to Israel years later and met Japanese friends of whom I’d ask, with both curiosity and a certain amount of gleeful vindictiveness, “Why are you interested in (choose one) Israel/Hebrew/Judaism/ancient biblical history?” I guess when you are inside a culture you don’t always see what others find intriguing about it. Plus it was fun turning the tables on them.

Anyway I don’t know why.  Sure, I could babble about culture and art and spatial relationships and the zen of pokemon and yadayadayada, but it’s not quite right and besides, it started with Chinese culture, which is what I saw a lot more of in NY way back then, and specifically the writing,

When I was a kid, my dad once brought home a Chinese newspaper and I was enthralled. “One day.” I thought to myself, “I am going to be able to read this.”  Yes, I really did — I remember thinking that.

When I was around eight, I found a book in the library called “You Can Write Chinese.” “Oh yeeeeaaaah!” I thought. “I am going to each myself Chinese.” Believe it or not, I got as far as several numerals and words, and remembered them. I wouldn’t call it significant studying but I do remembering taking that book out a few times.

At that age I couldn’t tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese language but I do recall being so intrigued by the characters that I once peeled apart the leg of a Japanese doll I had, when I discovered that underneath it was made of rolled up, kanji-rich newspaper! Score! Unfortunately, the doll never recovered.

Years later, in high school, we had an optional innovative course in Chinese philosophy, where we read the Analects of Confucius, Lao-tsu, Chuang-tsu (Zhuangzi ), Mo-tsu (Mozi) and  something on Buddhism that I don’t remember. It was all way cool– just don’t ask me now what Chuang-tsu was about.

So I was all ready to study Chinese and anthropology when I went to college and selected a state university that offered both (SUNY New Paltz, in case you were wondering.)

And then…

I spent the summer before college on an Israeli kibbutz.  Wouldn’t you know it––Kfar Masaryk was one of three kibbutzim with a core group of Japanese volunteers who had been working there for several months. At some point the Americans and Japanese got thrown together, taken on trips around the country, and speaking a mishmash of English and Hebrew, and the next thing I knew,  I was taking Japanese as well as Chinese AND advanced Hebrew once I got to New Paltz.

Which brings me back to why.  I could give a good Jewish answer-with-a-question and say “why not?” but you know, sometimes it’s just good to taste non-local ginger.

OK, go ahead. Laugh. I’m not even going to tell you which one is me.