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 somebody is not fully appreciated or utilized, and feeling regret and disappointment about the waste.
To me, it is a beautiful attitude toward life, but when non-Japanese see how the concept of mottainai is actually practiced, they may not always be so thrilled.
During a lunch one day, one of my American friends spoke about her belief that Japanese tempura restaurants use only fresh oil. I explained that that is not the case. In fact, many tempura restaurants add some old oil to new oil so that the flavor of vegetables and shrimp that remained in the old oil will add flavor to the things that they’re going to fry. In other words, perfectly fresh oil doesn’t make good tempura. My friend was disgusted by this, and also added a very good point: what would happen if people with shrimp allergies eat those vegetable tempuras contaminated by shrimp?
But most Japanese would appreciate the information about tempura restaurants for two reasons. First, it’s nice to learn a trade secret from professional chefs who have acquired skills and knowledge through many years of hard work. Their advice, even when advice itself is plain, carries a special aura that makes us bow down to their expertise. And second, this mixed oil method assures that Japanese home cooks have been doing the right thing although we do it for a different reason: oil is mottainai.
When I fry tempura, I also try to save every bit of shrimp. In preparation, I gently pull out the tail of each shrimp from the shell, so that the whole shrimp will be savored. If I’m pressed by time, I’ll fry them with shell on the tail, and then eat the whole shrimp including the shell. My daughter rolls her eyes,
“Can you do that?” I just did. She’s been seeing me doing this for her entire life, but she still questions if the tail of a shrimp is safe to consume, or if it’s considered to be good manners. I may not eat the shrimp tails at a western restaurant because I don’t want to surprise other diners, but I certainly won’t hesitate at a Japanese restaurant.
“Not eating the shell of a tail is mottainai. It contains calcium and is good for you.” I respond to my daughter. She casts a doubtful look. A teenager who doubts her mother’s authenticity will Google it and learn that the mother can still be right about something. However, I understand how she feels.
One of my Chinese friends told me that she grew up eating chicken feet. Chicken feet? Are they edible? My mother didn’t even cook chicken drums since they made my father think about how the chicken walked on earth before it was killed. With that experience growing up, I later needed to learn how to eat chicken drums without freaking out. With chicken feet, you need no imagination.
Even though he was a picky eater as a child, my brother could somehow eat locusts. Cooked with soy sauce and sugar, he claimed that they were just like shrimp. Crunchy and tasty. But I didn’t dare to try. I’m sure they’re rich in calcium. On top of that, the reduced number of locusts would help farmers. The logic makes sense to me. But the sight of them!
Putting aside those extreme cases of mottainai practices though, in Japan where the mottainai practice is prevalent, most families encourage children to eat whatever food is served. Elementary schools also teach the mottainai value through lunch. Elementary school students in public school system take turns serving lunch to their fellow students. This is to instill a moral lesson of mottainai. When you receive the food from the chefs at school, serve it and then return the empty pots to the kitchen, you don’t want to see the food go to waste. Please see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL5mKE4e4uU, if you’re interested.
My American friends agrees on the point of mottainai and says,
“My mother used to say to me when I was a child that I shouldn’t waste food because children in Africa don’t get enough.” My mother said something similar, but I couldn’t really see how my not finishing my dinner was connected with children in Africa. To be honest, I still have difficulty seeing this. Unless I can beam up the food on my plate to a less fortunate child, my food, whether I finish it or not, can’t help others in need.
How I wish we could transfer water to drought stricken areas, move the rain clouds over the wild fires, but I know we can’t control nature. However, I feel sending food to African countries should be possible. With the advent of the Internet, the world got smaller, and yet we can’t seem to overcome the geographical distance.
My mother-in-law used to say, “Eat it to save it.” That’s the closest English expression to Japanese mottainai I’ve heard. So, the least we can do is not to waste food. That gives us some solace. But mottainai doesn’t mean just to save what you can see. Mottainai can be about saving the food’s potential to be served tomorrow or for another person. If I eat it to save it at each meal, my waist will get bigger and the food won’t serve a better purpose in the future. What a conundrum!
How can I get around this? How can I apply the concept of mottainai in my life and send the saved food to people whom I can’t see? Maybe I can curb my appetite at the supermarket and “save money to send it”. We don’t have the technology to beam up the food yet, but we can surely contribute to funds for disaster stricken areas. I just saw a news report telling that serious food shortage is expected in Africa this year. The reality that there are people who are destined to die because of lack of water or food, is heart-wrenching. Life is precious. Every life deserves a chance.