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July 18th, 2008
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Lebanon: Return of Prisoners - Part 2
Here’s the follow–up to my previous post on the return of prisoners. Although there are some bloggers who criticized the release of Samir Kuntar (like those linked to in the previous post), many others reflected the jubilant atmosphere in Lebanon as a result of the return of the five live Prisoners of War as well as the sense of victory felt because Israel finally handed over the bodies of 197 militants, most of which have been kept since the 1970s.
Following are some more blog links and quotes:
Kadmous posted a drawing in which the father tells the son as they move towards a map of Lebanon with a cross and a crescent depicting the unity of various religious groups in the country: “Come, my son, let's walk, we have ahead of us a victorious Arab country.” His own caption says:
“Words sometimes fail to tell the thoughts, and tears of joy are faster in the expression, after all we have seen.”
Lebanese Tag posted photos and updates of the release of the Lebanese prisoners as it went on.
The Tajaddod Youth blog posted in Arabic the declaration of the secretary general of the Democratic Renewal Movement (Tajaddod Movement) Antoine Hadad, in which he considered that the return of the prisoners as a proud moment for Lebanon and a bright spot in the lives of the Lebanese.
Meanwhile, For a Better Lebanon expressed anger and disappointment at the president, the ministers and the political leaders because they welcomed Samir Kuntar.
Tears for Lebanon also considered that Hezbollah emerged as the main beneficiary from the swap of prisoners between Hezbollah and Israel.
The Lebanese Inner Circle, who considered the swap as a great leap for Lebanon, reminded us of the Lebanese detained in Syrian prisons:
This is an immense leap for Lebanon, as Lebanese from all sects and political camps lauded Hezbollah’s achievement in the swap deal, making Lebanon the only country to regain all its detainees from Israel. This blog should note, there still remain Lebanese detained in the most harsh Syrian jails.
Green Resistance spoke of her feelings while taking part in the welcoming of the returning PoWs:
we awaited this day - and many of us did not believe it would ever come to fruition. even until this morning, when the Israelis wanted to conduct additional DNA testing of the two bodies they had received, some of us thought that the Israelis would then backtrack and not release Samir Kuntar. for hours, we awaited their arrival at Naqoura. The moment they were released and liberated on Lebanese soil, a few friends and I jumped in our car and drove (a bit lost) to el Dahyieh to celebrate.
Bob spoke of his feelings when he saw the political leaders line up to welcome Samir Kuntar:
As most of the Lebanese politicians lined up to salute the returned prisoners, my humanity cringed… like it did when innocent children were killed in Qana, the South and even in Israel.
Angry Arab criticized the western media for giving more coverage to the 2 dead Israeli soldiers and forgetting the 197 dead Lebanese and Arabs who were returned to Lebanon:
The two dead Israeli soldiers have received more coverage than those 197 dead Arab bodies. Hell, dead Israeli soldiers receive more coverage than all the Arab living. Such are the racist standards of the White Man.
Independence 05 does not consider Samir Kuntar a hero but writes that what happened was a point gained by Hezbollah:
I have to say that I do not regard Samir Kuntar as a hero. I know saying something like this is regarded by certain Lebanese people as unpatriotic or un-Lebanese, but may I remind you that we are still in a democratic country here,… whether I agree with what they did or not is not the point here, but we have to admit, as a war action, that was a point going to Hezbollah. Hezbollah 1- 0 Israel.
Jnoubieh describes the atmosphere of jubilation and celebration that accompanied the freed prisoners and the personal presence of Nasrallah in the welcoming ceremony:
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah refused but take part in person with hundreds of thousands of people who gathered at the Raya playground in Beirut’s southern suburb to mark the release of Samir Kintar, Maher Kourani, Khodor Zaidan, Mohammed Srour and Hussein Suleiman, who were released Wednesday in the framework of Operation Al-Redwan. […] Political, diplomatic and religious figures attended the ceremony as Lebanese and Hezbollah flags were flying sending cool breezes amidst a very hot weather. Fireworks lighted the sky of Beirut’s southern suburb; the region that was devastated during the 2006 Israeli aggression against Lebanon.
More reflections and opinions, from more Lebanese blogs, about the swap and about Samir Kuntar in the next post, so check back.
Angry Arab: Israel Humiliated in Lebanon
“Israel has been humiliated in Lebanon in the last 2 decades, and its ability to inflict pain on Lebanon and the Lebanese without restraint or punishment (as it has done in 1950s, 1960s, 1970s) has been deterred,” writes The Angry Arab, as he watches news of the return of the Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli prisons to their homes.
Dr As'ad Abu Khalil's reaction is like that of many Arab bloggers and commentators, who view the release of the prisoners in exchange for two captured Israeli army reservists, as a victory for Lebanon.
He further adds:
What Israel has said (racistly) about all Arabs (that the only language they understand is the language of force) paradoxically applies to Israel itself. It also brings to mind–to my mind at least–that Yaser `Arafat was one of the worst people to preside over a revolution–any revolution. He so miserably mismanaged the confrontation with Israel, and did not treat Palestinian prisoners in Israel with the respect that they deserve. Muhammad Dahlan is the legitimate “child” of Arafat. And none of the Western coverage is pointing out the cruel and inhumane role of Ehud Barak in 1978: the man who shot Dalal Mughrabi while she was dead. He pulled her by the hair (only after she died as he would not dare do that to an alive Dalal) and mutilated her body before tearing her shirt off. Such are the sexual perversions of the former prime minister of Israel. And as for the details of the deeds of Dalal and her comrades, don't ever believe Israeli accounts of “enemy” operations. The state consistently lies and consistently fabricates. And that saying from the Babylonian Talmud applies to Israel: the punishment of the liar is that he is not believed even when he tells the truth. Just go back to my posts during the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006: I tried to catalogue the lies and fabrications of Israel during the war. Don't you remember the account of the three dead Iranian soldiers that Israel “found” in South Lebanon? Don't you remember that Israel claimed to be holding “hundreds” of bodies of Hizbullah fighters? (The number now it admits is five). I don't know what happened in 1979, but the family of Samir Quntar also denies the typically fabricated account that is put out by Israeli propaganda (repeated verbatim typically in the U.S. press). Quntar was 16 at the time and his brother Bassam has something to say about his brother in Al-Akhbar today. Israel lied about Munich and about every other confrontation with its Arab enemies, just as Arab governments lie. It is not easy for a state (Israel) that was founded on a racist ideology to accept that Arabs are like other people: that they cherish their dead and their living just like other…people
In another post, The Angry Arab asks:
Of course, the New York Times is busy producing propaganda and lies on behalf of the Israeli government. I was reading their accounts of the prisoner exchange and remembering the words of the late George Carlin: why are Israeli terrorists called commandos, and why are Palestinian commandos called terrorists. And there are always stories about the “victims” of Palestinian operations on Palestinian lands but never stories about the victims of Israeli crimes. Not one story about those Israeli “prisoners”: What were those Israeli occupation killers doing in Lebanon in the first place? And I hate how Israeli (and American and Saudi) propaganda keep referring to Israeli prisoners by their names, to humanize them. You will never see refer to them by their names here because I refuse to succumb to the media standards that distinguish between expensive human being, and the cheaper human beings. You want me to feel sorry for an Israeli pilot who was downed while dropping cluster bombs on villages and towns in South Lebanon? Are you kidding me?
Dr Abu Khalil continues to take offence to the news coverage or lack of in the US and says:
These are 197 dead bodies delivered by Israel to Lebanon in the prisoner exchange. The two dead Israeli soldiers have received more coverage those those 197 dead Arab bodies. Hell, dead Israeli soldiers receive more coverage than all the Arab living. Such are the racist standards of the White Man. This explains why MEMRI sent out a bulletin today protesting that Fath's PLC members (from Fath movement, for potato's sake) honored Dalal Al-Mughrabi (the “professional” propaganda outfit, MEMRI, labeled dead Dalal as a “terrorist”). According to Zionism, even dead Arabs (women, children and the rest) are terrorists. If Dalal was a terrorist, does not that make Ehud Barak a Super-terrorist? Those dead Arab bodies are not all Hizbullah: only 9 belong to Hizbullah fighters. 17 belong to the Lebanese Communist Party, 22 to SSNP, and 30 to the Amal Movement. The rest belong to various Arab countries: they died fighting in Lebanon for Lebanon and for Palestine. They all (148 of them) belonged to various Palestinian organizations. Some were from Tunisia. But make no mistake about it: the supply of Arabs willing to fight Israeli occupation will never deplete. Never.
PS I posted this before I read the New York Times. Sure enough, there was not a single picture of a funeral for the dead Arab bodies. Instead, the New York Times have been publishing pictures of Israeli tears for THREE DAYS IN A ROW, including today when the news is the arrival of the 197 bodies.
Nelson Mandela, 90 years
We, the people of South Africa, feel fulfilled that humanity has taken us back into its bosom, that we, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil.
– from Nelson Mandela's Inauguration as President of South Africa, Pretoria, 10 May 1994.
Nelson Mandela, photo from the ANC archives, where you can also find some selected speeches, statements and writings, such as the speech on release from prison.
Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid activist and the first South African president to be elected in fully representative democratic elections, celebrates his 90th birthday today and the tributes have crossed the borders of his home, Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape, South Africa. The world is singing happy birthday in one voice and sending him a card. We concentrated on the happy returns posts from African based bloggers, who reflect here on the changes Madiba brought to their lives and countries, and dream about the future.
Rethabile Masilo, a blogger originally from Lesotho, remembers the moment when she realised the importance of Mandela's fight. Her account of a great family experience reaching South Africa as a refugee is worth a visit at the Black Looks blog:
I had a light bulb above my head, just like in cartoons, and the hair on my arms stood on end. The name Nelson Mandela dropped of it’s own accord into my head, and I truly, really understood why he had sacrificed his life against this… thing. For that particular zombie instant, hair on end, a stupid smile on my face, I knew why. I want to wish him a happy birthday today, and tell him that we know.
From South Africa, Sandi Schultz from My Whorl remembers clearly a day in early February 1990 when she heard Mandela, her ultimate hero, was freed, after 27 years in prison for fighting for a democratic and free society:
10 february 1990 - we’re in the airport lounge in brussels. i see someone i know and she shouts out, “mandela’s free tomorrow!” wow, we are floored by the news! at long last - and we’re going to be home when it happens.
we land sometime in the early hours and head straight for soweto to watch madiba’s release on tv with friends of john’s. it is momentous! the man walks out, taller, more charismatic than anyone could have imagined. larger than life. a survivor of the seemingly impossible.
Louder than Swahili, a blog by a Danish expatriate in Tanzania, says that there is a lot to learn from Mandela, specially when it comes to our ability to forgive. She believes he is not just a normal president:
Mandela has gotten a position very few politicians could ever hope for. It is very much due to Mandela that the country has been able to change and create a positive image of what now is labelled the rainbow nation. But keeping this brand alive is also very much dependent on how his predecessors manage to continue running the country.
Photo from the ANC archives, a portrait from 1994 election poster. Read here his speech announcing the victory.
On a post called ‘Bring Back Nelson Mandela', Africa is a Country makes some interesting observations about South Africa in 2008:
It’s of course a very interesting time to celebrate Mandela’s 90th birthday. It’s been 18 years since has released from prison and 14 years since he was first elected as President. And yes, in some ways South Africa today is unrecognizable from the country Mandela encountered in 1990. But some of the old inequalities persist. South Africa — a country that revels in its “special” status — is also becoming an ordinary country.
Memoires of Africa also reflects on Mandela's country difficult situation nowadays, and hopes that the hero's legacy will not be forgotten:
It’s a day for many to reflect on his legacy. At a time when South Africa is going through political upheavals many pray for his wisdom to be transferred to the current and potential future leadership of the country. Will his legacy be carried out to ensure that the stability and the future of this country reflect what he fought for? But let’s not get into politics for today… Ube neminye iminyaka Tata…
From Mozambique, Seguindo os Sonhos [Following Dreams, pt], a musical group of four talented children, pays a special homage to Mandela with a song recorded specially for his 90th Birthday. They will sing it at his birthday party in Maputo, on August 10th. You can read the lyrics here. Today's post is a happy birthday one:
Nelson Mandela, nosso ídolo ! Hoje a tarde vai receber em África do Sul um pequeno presente nosso: um DVD com a nossa música e o nosso video para seu nonagésimo aniversário. Você é um homem de um coração tão humanístico como há muito poucos neste mundo de hoje, cheio de egoístas e de líderes políticos cuja maioria persegue agendas individuais e não de índole nacional que possam beneficiar os seus compatriotas de que se proclamam seus representantes e defensores.
Nelson Mandela, our idol! This afternoon you will receive in South Africa a small gift from us: a DVD with our music and our video for your ninetieth birthday. You are a man of a humanist heart as there are very few in today's world, full of selfish people and political leaders who in the majority pursue individual agendas rather than domestic ones that could benefit their compatriots, and they proclaim themselves people's representatives and defenders.
Jennifer Reynard tried not to cry at her desk (and she failed) as she went through her first memories of Nelson Mandela leaving jail, then the election day, watching the inauguration on TV and his 90th birthday:
Natasha, Tanja and I are at Natasha’s aunt and uncle’s house. “Did you send an sms for Mandela’s birthday?” Tush asks me. “Yes- but I kept it very simple. Just ‘Happy Birthday Madiba. God bless and have many more. Love Jenny”.
” Not me,” Natasha says “I got quite emotional, saying ‘Thank you for sending our country on its way to democracy…”
Today- grey skies. I slept past my alarm clock. I got to work late. My eyes are teary. I wish I had baked a cake. I wish I could share with someone how much today means. I listen to Asimbonanga, Impi, Scatterlings of Africa and others on Youtube. I watch the video of Madiba on stage in Frankfurt. I want to cry for our country, and our people, for being so far away but for always having Africa in my heart.
Mandela is an icon, but the key thing about him is it feels like each one of us carries a piece of him- a quote, a special memory, the image ofMadiba shirts hanging in OR Thambo - in our hearts. Not only does he remind the world that we count, that we mean something, but in some small way, his birthday has the power to bring me home.
Happy birthday Madiba. God bless you.
Written with the collaboration of Rebecca Wanjiku
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Argentina: Senate Rejects Tax Hike on Agricultural Exports
The Argentinean Senate recently rejected the proposal to increase taxes on agricultural exports. The poll ended with a tie of 36 votes, and the President of the Chamber, Julio Cobos, who is also the country's Vicepresident and part of Christina Fernandez de Kirchner's team, broke the tie with his vote against the retentions. Such decision is a victory for the sectors linked to the so-called “countryside”, one that includes big land owners, small farmers, and private companies that rent land to harvest soy, a product that nowadays has a high value in the international market. But it also started an internal political crisis of unpredictable consequences for the Argentinean Government, which still has three more years to govern.
At Viva el Campo [es], they celebrated the decision with cheers: “Viva la Patria!” (Long Live the Motherland!), and they summarized the Senate's session where the law project of mobile retentions was rejected. At Paro Agropecuario [es] they make a call to build a better country, and they also hope the President continues her duties, for which she was elected -a response to “coup d'etat” accusations that sectors close to the Government attributed to those who carried out the protest. At Ciudadanos Participando [es] they say “Kirchner's has her Waterloo”.
Mendieta el Renegau [es] asks to understand Julio Cobos' position and discusses it without kicking him out of the Government. At Homo Economicus [es] they wonder about the consequences of the Government's defeat. And at El Blog del Ingeniero [es] they assure that, in fact, in this long four months conflict, nobody has won and it's more likely we all lost. Meanwhile, at Arte Política [es] , an user of the community started a post to allow users to insult “Cleto”, Julio Cobos' middle name, who untied the poll against the Government he's part of. Despite the title, you can find a debate about Cobos' role in the rejection of the law project.
By the way, La Nacion newspaper has a section called “Soy Corresponsal“, where readers can publish texts and pictures, and it had the Senate's voting as the main topic. For those who are looking for posts in English, there isn't much, but you can check out Understanding Argentina; By The Fault and Open Democracy.
Macedonia: Traditional Media Demonize Gamers
Two influential Macedonian media outlets, Dnevnik daily and A1 TV, have recently published technophobic articles portraying the gamers as menace to society, using language bordering on hate speech.
This is not the first outbreak of technophobia in Macedonia (MKD). Traditional media have been portraying computer geeks as a threat in the past on many occasions. A case in point was the 2002 affair when many citizens complained about inflated phone bills, and titles such as “Citizens ripped off by computer geeks' hot line talks” (MKD) blamed some generalized hackers, “burying” the possibility for mishap by the Telecom deep in the bowels of the text.
The latest technophobic trend includes articles with almost identical structure. They first advocate the thesis that gaming is a waste of youth's time, making them antisocial and aggressive, supported by anonymous statements by gamers or internet café owners, as well as psychologists or sociologists who confirm the thesis, even though they haven't actually made any empirical research about the issue. Use of stigmatizing terminology “suitable” for the demonized, marginalized groups in such articles is particularly worrisome.
For instance, the article “They leave their girlfriends and jobs to play” (MKD) equates gaming with “addiction” leading to “abandoned workplaces; stalled or ruined studies, and broken loves.” The most alarming thesis is that “violent games cause aggression,” for it portrays gamers as potential murderers who could snap at any time.
A similar story titled “Internet cafes are full of gamers” (MKD) incited numerous reactions on the Macedonian web, especially on the link sharing service Kajmak.ot (MKD). The article quotes a sociologist who seems to forget that children used to play “shoot them up” games such as “cowboys and Indians” or World War II-inspired “partisans and Germans” way before computer games were invented:
Experts warn that such games are dangerous. The aggression in front of the computer continues in the games outside the internet cafes, because when they exit into the real world, they are incapable of communicating in any other way.
“I had an opportunity to observe several internet cafes and a group of children who spent a lot of time there. They constantly played war games. They got so carried away, they even screamed, they were so immersed,” stated university professor Ilija Acevski.
“At that time I asked myself what the connection with reality was, when they faced real life after that. Will there be negative consequences? Of course!” said Acevski.
Placing a comment after the article on the A1 website, Darko Buldioski, one of the authors of the Komunikacii blog, wrote (MKD):
I still don't understand how the same old stories get repeated without any effort to dig a little deeper.
Such observations by this expert do not make him an expert. He should make his views public after conducting a scientific research on the subject, not an estimate at a glance.
In stories of this type, journalists continuously claim that “scientific research done worldwide justifies the fact that this way of communication represents addiction, an addiction which is the same as all types of vices.” Where are these scientific researches, why don't you show them to us…
Damjan Arsovski, the editor of the portal IT.com.mk, also reacted by vivisecting the news with responses paragraph-by-paragraph in his article “Macedonian media are full of stupidities” (MKD):
“To spend 5, 6 or more hours per day on the computer playing games or surfing the net, to live in cyberspace in a spaceless time.” (sic)
- I spend 5-6 hours per day on the internet every day, and in this “unreal” world I communicate with my peers, with businesspeople, receive information from all over the world, work on my education…
But even he could not muster a comment to the qualification from the conclusion of the article:
Gamers are regular people. They are children, fathers, husbands, brothers, but behind the computer screens they have another face–to use geek speak–they most often become cyber beasts.
FOSS advocate Arangel Angov posted a link to a scan of similarly absurd article from an old American tabloid as his reaction.
Treating this subject in such a way can be correlated with the lack of will to explore the underlying reasons for the increasing number of crimes, which is one of the dominant topics in the Macedonian media. Experts do not even attempt to explain the psychological or sociological motives affecting the perpetrators of the violent incidents during the parliamentary elections in June. It seems it is far easier to attack the gamers, even though so far no gamer has been pointed out as perpetrator of an incident involving violence.
However, it must be noted that some positive portraits of gamers have appeared in the same media outlets in the past, but only in the context of participation of teams from Macedonia in world cybersports championships (MKD).
Korea: Chopsticks… Rather Complicated…
When I went out with East Asian editors one night at the Global Voices Summit 2008, we were so into talking about the differences between chopsticks. Why does Korea use iron for chopsticks while other chopsticks countries use wooden materials? Since returning home, I searched for whether some bloggers post about chopsticks. I am introducing some of the interesting posts here.
젓가락의 유래
젓가락을 처음 쓴 나라는 중국이라는 데는 이견이 없습니다. 어 떤 중국학자들은 젓가락이 처음 사용된 것은 음식을 먹기 위한 것이 아니라 요리를 하기 위한 목적이었을 것이라고 생각합니다. 초기의 젓가락은 썩기 쉬운 나무나 대나무로 만들었던 것 같습니다. 바로 그것이 젓가락이 처음 사용된 때가 언제인지를 정확하게 말하는 것이 거의 불가능한 한 가지 이유입니다.[…] 이렇게 젓가락의 유래는 대나무로부터 시작되었으며 젓가락은 세계에서 15억명 이상이 쓰지만 한, 중, 일 세 나라가 젓가락인구의 80%이상을 차지한다 합니다. 같은 젓가락 문화권이라도 상대적으로 덜 미끄러운 나무젓가락을 쓰는 중국과 일본과는 달리 한국은 쇠젓가락을 써 왔습니다.
There would not be other opinions than that the country that used chopsticks first was China. Some Chinese scholars explain that chopsticks were for cooking at first, not for eating food. […] In the early times, chopsticks were made by trees that were rotten easily or bamboo. Therefore, it is hard to track down when they were exactly used.[…] The chopsticks started from bamboo trees and now they are used for 1.5 billion people in the world. Three countries, Korea, China, and Japan, consist of 80 percent of the whole population. While China and Japan use less slippery wooden chopsticks, Korea has used iron chopsticks.
The use of chopsticks is like a childhood rite of passage in Korea. A netizen shares his experience on the meaning of chopsticks in Korean society.
대학교때 여자후배 둘에게 밥을 사주고 있었습니다. 선배에게 빌붙기하는 여자후배의 귀여움에 넘어간것이죠. 그떄 유부국수인가를 먹는데 두 여자후배 모두 젓가락질을 못하더군요. 그 크로스로 하는 젓가락질 아무도 가르쳐주지 않으면 크로스로 하게 되는데 두 후배모두 젓가락질을 제대로 안배웠거나 배우다가 포기했구나 하는 생각이 들더군요. 그러면서 제 어렸을떄 풍경이 떠 오르구요. 한 7실인가 8살로 기억되는데 외가댁에 갔다가 엄청 혼났습니다. 다 큰녀석이 젓가락질 못한다구요. 삼촌3명에게 둘러 쌓여서 개인레슨까지 받았습니다. 그러나 그렇게 쉽게 젓가락질을 배웠다면 누구나 다했겠지요. 포크질이나 숟가락질을 누가 가르쳐주지 않아도 한번보고 따라할수 있지만 젓가락은 그런 수준의 스킬을 요구하는게 아닙니다.
그렇게 1주일동안 혹독하게 젓가락질 수업을 받았습니다. 나중에 스트레스로 밥도 먹기 싫더군요. 제가 손이 남들보다 좀 작아서 악력이 상당이 약합니다. 뭐 손으로 하는것은 무조건 남들보다 못합니다. 그래서 그런지 정말 잘 배워지지가 않더군요. 하다하다 삼촌들이 포기했습니다. 그리고 집에 와서 혼자 해봤지만 잘 안되더군요. 그래도 계속 노력을 했습니다. 노력을 하면 되긴 되는데 제대로 삼지법으로 되는건 아니고 비슷하게 되더군요. 언뜻 보면 제대로 하는 것이지만 자세히 보면 약간 다릅니다. 그 모습을 다시 외가댁에 가서 보여줬더니 그냥 통과 시키더군요.
그 이후로 계속 그렇게 살고 있습니다. 위의 사진처럼 삼지법도 이제 할수 있습니다. 어렵지 않더군요. 하지만 습관이란것이 무서워서 그냥 약간틀린 모습으로 살고 있습니다. 플래쉬백되었던 기억을 다시 주머니에 넣고 앞에 있는 여자후배들의 크로스 젓가락질을 보면서 이 후배들은 어려서 부모님들이 회초리들고 안가르쳤겠구나 하는 생각이 들더군요. 어느정도 방임을 하거나 자유로운 집안분위기에서 살았겠구나 하는 생각이 들구요. 뭐 별것도 아닌것 가지고 생각의 가지를 펼친것은 있습니다. 회사생활할때도 젓가락질 못하는 신입여자직원을 봤을때도 물끄러미 쳐다본적이 있습니다. 어느누구하나 젓가락질을 가지고 뭐라고 하지는 않습니다. 하지만 나이들어서 젓가락질 못하다니 하는 시선은 있는듯 합니다. 그런것을 가지고 말하기는 그렇고 그냥 속으로만 판단하는 단계이죠.[…]
혹시 주변에서 젓가락질 못하는 분들을 보면 어떤 생각이 드나요? 나이들어서 젓가락질도 못하나~~ 하는 생각을 하시나요. 아니면 뭐 어때 자기가 편한대로 먹음되지라고 생각이 드나요.
젓가락질 참 오묘한 스킬입니다.
I had tough lessons on how to use chopsticks appropriately for a week. I even didn’t want to eat meals because of the stress. My hands are smaller than others and I don’t have enough power in my fingers. So I am not good at doing something with my hands. In the end, my uncles gave up. After getting back home, I practiced by myself on and on. It didn’t look great, but it was almost close. If you glimpse at it, it looks fine. But if you look into it, I still have some problems. Anyway, when I showed how to use them when I visited my grandparents’ house again, I passed.
Since that time, I have lived like that. I can do it as in the photo. It’s not difficult. But the habit is scary. I still keep a slightly wrong habit. It seems that these two friends were not taught by strict parents when they were kids. Their parents must have been permissive and let their kids alone. I might think way too much. When I am at my working place, sometimes I look at female co-workers who don’t use chopsticks well. Nobody comments to them about that. But of course, there are such looks at adults who can’t use chopsticks in an appropriate way. It is the time we think inside, not speaking loudly.[…]
What do you think when you see people who don’t use chopsticks well around you? Do you think how they can’t use them in adulthood? Or, you just think whatever is convenient they do?
How to use chopsticks… it’s a delicate skill.
What is the difference of chopsticks of Korea, China, and Japan? And what is the best way to learn the skill?
[…]사실 아시아의 15억 인구가 바로 이 젓가락을 사용하지만 각각의 사용처와 기교는 서로 다르다. 젓가락의 종주국을 대표하는 한국, 중국, 일본의 젓가락질을 간단히 비교해 보면 다음과 같다.
중국 한국 일본
길이 대 중 소
재질 나무 쇠 나무중국의 젓가락이 가장 긴 이유는 중국의 음식 문화에 있다. 중국의 음식 문화는 기름에 튀긴 것이 많은데 일단 음식을 기름에 튀기고 튀긴 음식을 먹기에는 짧은 젓가락 보다는 긴 젓가락이 유리하기 때문이다. 또 젓가락의 재질은 튀김에 사용하다 보니 나무 재질이 많다. 참고로 우리나라에서도 튀김용 젓가락은 나무 재질의 긴 젓가락을 주로 사용한다. 일본은 우리와 비슷한 밥상 문화가 발달한 국가이지만 해양 국가로 생선류를 자주 먹으며, 밥을 들고 먹는 특성때문에 젓가락의 길이는 우리보다 짧다. 또 밥을 들고 떠먹는 습성때문에 우리와는 달리 숟가락을 사용하지 않고 젓가락만 사용하는 문화로 정착되었다. […]우리의 젓가락은 대부분 쇠로 만든다. 나무 젓가락의 명칭이 와리바시라는 일본 말로 불린 것을 보면 우리문화에는 아예 나무 젓가락이 없는 듯하다. 쇠로 만든 젓가락과 나무 젓가락의 가장 큰 차이는 쇠로 만든 젓가락이 나무 젓가락에 비해 사용하기 더 어렵다는 점이다. 쇠로 만든 젓가락은 표면이 매끄럽기 때문에 젓가락으로 다른 것을 집으려고 하면 잘 집어지지 않는다. 상당수는 금방 미끄러진다.
따라서 한국의 젓가락이 사용하기 가장 힘들다. 사실 젓가락으로 콩 하나 하나를 집어서 먹는 묘기는 다른 어떤 나라 사람들도 할 수 없다. 따라서 우리나라에서는 젓가락질을 하는 방법이 따로 있고 아이들에게 밥상 머리에서 가르치는 것이 젓가락질이다. 우리나라 사람들이 젓가락질을 잘하는 이유는 간단하다. 그 역시 음식 문화에 있다. […]
우리나라는 반찬을 거의 대부분 젓가락으로 먹는다. 매끈 매끈한 콩 자반도 젓가락으로 먹고, 무르디 무른 묵도 젓가락으로 먹는다. 어른들은 싫어하지만 밥도 젓가락으로 먹을 수 있으며 물에 말은 밥도 젓가락으로 먹을 수 있다. 공중에 떠있는 콩 자반을 젓가락으로 매가 참새를 후려치듯 후려쳐서 뺏았가는 것도 가능하다. 이처럼 우리는 젓가락을 이용해서 다른 사람과 오늘도 경쟁하며 음식을 먹는다.남은 이야기 필자는 젓가락질을 아주 못했다. 사실 젓가락질은 쉬운 작업이 아니다. 젓가락질은 엄지, 검지, 중지의 절묘한 상호작용이 있어야 가능한데 이런 절묘함은 쉽게 익힐 수 있는 것이 아니기 때문이다. 젓가락질이 좋아진 것은 중학교 3학년 때이다. 당시 필자의 제안으로 7명이 시작한 도시락 까먹기가 그 시발이었다. 보통 도시락은 점심시간에 먹는다. 그런데 한참때라 점심 시간까지 기다리지 못하고 중간에 까먹는 때도 많았는데 이렇게 먹으면 학교를 파하기 전에 배가 고프다는 점이 문제였다. 그래서 도시락 까먹기 계를 조직했다. 총 7명이 참여한다. 아침에 오면 누구의 도시락을 먼저 까먹을지를 가위, 바위, 보로 정한다. 그리고 수업을 시작히기 전에 꼴지의 도시락을 7명이 동시에 까먹는다. 2교시에는 또 다른 녀석의 도시락을 까먹는다. 이런 방법으로 7교시까지 도시락을 까먹는 방법이었다. 당연한 얘기지만 도시락 하나를 7명이 까먹기 때문에 경쟁이 아주 치열했다. 젓가락질을 두번 하기도 힘들며, 채가는 것도 가능하고 흘린 것을 주워먹는 것도 가능하기 때문에 젓가락질을 잘하느냐 못하느냐는 생사와 직결된 문제였다. 직접 제안을 했지만 젓가락질을 잘 하지 못하다 보니 아주 불리했다. 며칠은 쫄쫄 굶고 손으로 떠 먹었다. 그러나 손으로 떠 먹는 것을 금지하는 법안이 상정된 뒤 손으로 떠 먹는 것도 힘들어 졌다. 결국 다른 녀석에게 젓가락질 하는 방법을 배웠다. 그리고 중학교 3학년이라는 어린 나이에 밥의 전쟁에 뛰어 들었다. 이때 이후 젓가락질 솜씨는 아주 늘었다.
China: The length of them is long and material is wood.
Korea: The length of them is medium and material is iron.
Japan: The length of them is short and material is wood.
The reason why Chinese chopsticks are the longest is due to the food. Chinese food is usually fried. In order to cook and eat them, long chopsticks are better than short ones and wooden materials are better as well. For reference, chopsticks for fried foods in Korea are also made of wood. Japan has the similar food with Korea, but they are surrounded by ocean and therefore they eat fish. They also raise bowls close to their faces when they eat food and therefore the length of their chopsticks is short. In addition, rather than using spoons, they mostly use chopsticks.[…] Korean chopsticks are made of iron. The reason why wooden chopsticks are called waribashi (Japanese term) in Korea is because we don’t use wooden chopsticks. The difference between iron and wooden chopsticks is that iron chopsticks are more difficult to use than wooden ones. The surface is slippery and therefore when you try to pick something up it is hard to grab. Most things slip away.
Using Korean chopsticks is not easy. The skill to pick a bean up with the iron chopsticks is not what others can do. Therefore, what we learn at mealtime is how to use chopsticks. The reason why we’re good at it is simple. It is from Korean food. […] When we eat small dishes, we usually use chopsticks. Shiny bean food and soft tofu… we all eat with chopsticks. Even though adults don’t recommend it, we eat rice that was soaked with water, using chopsticks too. We snatch a bean in other person’s chopsticks with chopsticks. Using chopsticks, we eat meals competitively with others.
I was really bad at using chopsticks. As a matter of fact, using chopsticks appropriately is not easy. Cooperative work with a thumb, index finger, and middle finger is necessary. The time when I was comfortable with using chopsticks was in my secondary third year. It was from cracking lunch boxes with 7 friends. Of course, lunch boxes are for lunch time. But we couldn’t wait and usually ate them before the lunch time. But the problem is if we eat early, we get hungry easily before the classes are over. So we have a club to crack a lunch box and seven people participated. Every morning, we had the game of paper, stone, and scissors and a loser’s lunch box would be taken for the seven people before the first class started. The next loser’s lunch box would be taken for us in the second class. In this way, to the seventh class, we finish all lunch boxes. Of course, having a lunch box with seven people was really competitive. Using chopsticks two times is hard. Snatching others was possible too. Therefore, using chopsticks well or not was connected to filling your stomach. Even if I was the one who suggested this game, I was at a disadvantage due to my short skill. For several days, my stomach was empty and sometimes I used my hands. But after we made the rule not to use hands, even using hands was difficult. Finally, I had to learn how to use chopsticks well. I jumped in a battle of meals at such a young age in the secondary third year. Since that time, my skill with chopsticks increased fast.
At home, there are usually kid chopsticks, father chopsticks, and mother chopsticks. A blogger brags how his grandchild can use chopsticks, called ‘Edison Chopsticks’ that were created for children by a Korean inventor.
어느덧 미국에 간지 6개월..작년 10월달(둥이 36개월)부터 조금씩 연습을 시켰는데, 처음에는 쉽지 않아 잘 사용하지 않았단다. 그런데 몇달이 지나 요즘들어 그냥 쥐어줘 봤더니 아니~ 자연스럽게 면을 먹더라나!!
A photo from a blogger, introducing how we can use chopsticks for making hairpins.
Links for Fri, 2008-07
“Yesterday the world was treated to an image of Lebanon that was ugly as can be. […] The Lebanon we saw yesterday simply did not correspond to the kindhearted, friendly Lebanese we have always known,” writes Jewlicious, in response to the festivities which greeted the return of the Lebanese prisoners from Israeli prisons.
Ghana Unite for Development comments on the recent gold medal controversy in GhanaCan we really continue producing gold here in Ghana: “I was really surprised when I read that the award medals were purchased for the total price of £740,000 from a jeweler in UK […] Can we really continue producing gold here in Ghana, selling the raw gold and then after that buy back our own gold for outrageous prices from those same people who bought it from us”.
“Too many people are jovial about the return of Samir Al Kuntar, with even Nasrallah informing him that the 2006 war was for him. The question I would like to pose here, regardless of whether or not Kuntar is a child killer , is it worth it?” writes Sandmonkey, from Egypt.
AfricanHipHop posted a music video by radio presenter Jimmy Gathu from around 1992, which he describes as follows: “not only is it one of the first ever rap videos in Kenya, it also gives a unique view into [matatu] culture as it was back in the days”.
Mialy, a blogger in Antananarivo, describes the plight of young married girls in rural areas who are subject to health and social concerns stemming from early pregnancy (fr). She explains that fistula, a consequence of giving birth at an early age, results in incontinences and therefore health complications compounded with social rejections. Malagasy laws allowed girls to be married as early as 14 years-old until 2007. Health care costs and lack of education are the two other main aggravating factors.
“New York Times and other U.S. newspapers casually publish articles by Israelis and Zionists calling for the bombing of this Arab or that Muslim country. Would the New York Times publish articles by Arabs who call for bombing of Israel?” asks The Angry Arab News Service.
“Police in the Gulf tourist hub of Dubai say they've detained 17 foreigners for allegedly displaying homosexual behavior in malls and other public places,” reports The Angry Arab News Service.
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