Today we got up obnoxiously early again to watch a Sumo practice. My first sight inside the practice facility was the pimpliest hugest ass I have ever seen. At 6 am, such an image can be a bit jarring. We sat Indian Style (so sick) behind the chain-smoking sumo coaches to watch practice. I sat there freezing, uncomfortable and could barely see through the haze of menthols the coaches kept lit constantly. Finally Takagi mercifully got us out of there and took us to breakfast. I got to go home and sleep the rest of the day while everyone else went to a museum because I had already been there with my homestay family.
After enjoying my personal day, I met back up with the group for a sumo tournament. This was my first solo experience and it went ok. I took the rapid train the wrong way though, and while it is much faster than the local train when traveling in the right direction, but in the wrong direction, it ‘rapidly’ takes you far away from where you need to be. In 5 minutes I was 15 local stops away from my starting point, sick. Thanks to the help of a small black child, I got back in the right direction and met up with the group on time. (This was kind of ironic to me that in my frantically lost mindset as I looked around the subway for someone to talk to, the small afro-ed black kid was the one I looked at and thought to myself, “ah, another person like me.”) The group was scattered around the arena, and Brett and I decided to treat the opportunity like we would at an American professional sporting event: eat snacks, get tanked and yell inappropriate things like a maniac. Takagi was right next to me but I figured just being there was bonus money as most of the group hadn’t even met up with her. I even got more beer on the subway home and she didn’t seem to mind. Maybe I’m winning her back.
Anyways, 5 tall cans of Kirin, two Sapporo’s, a box of caramels and a bag of potato chips later, we left to go get dinner. Dinner was at a curry restaurant. As a general rule there is nothing India has to positively offer me, and I assumed dinner would fall in line with that assumption. I was sure to be disgusted, but more than pleasantly surprised. The curry was good, (I got the hot chili chicken) but nan….oh my god…nan. For those unaware of nan, it is absolutely the best kind of bread product known to man, and I am bread connoisseur. I have tried breads from all over the world, and of all types of flavors, textures, and toppings or seasonings. But nothing comes close to nan. I chose the garlic nan. Garlic bread isn’t even in the same conversation. I tried the stuffed cheese nan, it was better than any cheese quesadilla I have ever had. I tried the potato nan, I cannot even describe this one…it was like a cross between a slice of cheese pizza and a potato pancake, and the best of each of those. Unbelievable. Forget the horrible mistreatment of women, the sandstorms, the smell, the extreme poverty, and the fact that Indians are dominating the practice of medicine in America, India has saved face in my book thanks to Nan. (Forgive my middle eastern generalizations) After dinner we went home, all drunk at this point, and took turns exchanging the urban hits of the 90’s. The playlist went something like this, to name a few:
- Joe-Stutter
- Next – Too Close
- Jagged Edge – Where the Party At
- White Town – Be Your Woman
- Quad City DJs – Ride the Train
- Mario Winans – I Don’t Wanna Know
- All 4 One – I Swear
- Jay Z feat. Jermaine Dupri – Money Ain’t a Thang
- Monica – Angel of Mine
- Ja Rule – Put it on Me
- K-Ci & Jojo – All my Life
- Soul 4 Real – Candy Rain
- Brian McKnight – Back at One
- R Kelly and P Diddy – Satisfy You
And this was just the tip of the iceberg. So many songs are eluding me now, but last night, we spent a minimum of two hours remembering every junior high dance party hit we could. None of us will rest unless our next event’s theme is “Urban Hits of the 90’s.” Get excited.
And now for the latest installment of Japanese Cultural Aspect that I Have Either Ignorantly, Willfully, or Both Disrespected: Engrish.com. As you well know by now, Japanese broken English is among the best thing I have experienced here. This site is amazing; please check it out so you can understand my joy.
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