I once read that there isn’t a good translation for the Japanese word “mottainai.” Mottainai has some elegant uses, however, it’s commonly used to express the desire for no waste. Time is precious; time is mottainai. Don’t waste paper; paper is mottainai. According to Japanese dictionaries, mottainai is seeing that the value of something or … More Eat it to save it
When I worked in Japan a long time ago, everyone in the office who came back from trips to the U.S. said unequivocally, “American food is awful. They put salt and pepper on everything.” And I thought, “but I use soy sauce and mirin all the time. My cooking isn’t any better than American cooking.” … More Crossing the emotional border
I played tennis in college. Everybody else in the club was more serious about it; I only played for pleasure. I was also not that good at it. Much later, I learned that my poor eyesight meant that I couldn’t measure a distance well: my right eye was near-sighted, and the left far-sighted, both with … More An alternative to a passionate life