Japan sees rise of 'ramen girls' | Hacker News Reader

Japan sees rise of 'ramen girls'

asia.nikkei.com

23 pointsmikhael27 comments

At the Portland Japanese garden a few years back, there was an event where several prominent sushi chefs came to do a presentation. My wife asked "Why aren't there any women on the panel?" They responded that women's hands were hotter than men's and that affected the flesh of the fish, so women weren't great as sushi chefs. The entire audience laughed. A pall quickly settled over the faces of the men on the panel when they realized they had said something really stupid.

I've heard there are some really innovative women sushi chefs these days in Japan, which I'm excited to try to find in a week.

I wonder if they just felt upset that they were the subject of laughter, or if they realized having actually said it out loud, that it was easily one of the silliest beliefs out there.

What I like about it is that it flies in the face of the history of European dairy-making, and present research about coldness of extremities by gender.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-women-colder-men-scie...

This is fantastic and makes me feel stupid, a little.

But, I'm only the messenger, I didn't ask the question, nor answer it!

> A pall quickly settled over the faces of the men on the panel when they realized they had said something really stupid.

I doubt that. More likely that they were ashamed that the audience were ignorant of their craft.

Nah, women extremities are in fact sightly colder on average than men's, so it is in fact ignorant to say the reverse.

They were entirely serious about it. Japanese also cannot digest foreign rice because their intestines are longer, or use foreign ski gear because Japanese snow is different.

To anyone who was curious like me, apparently women's core temp can run 0.4 F hotter than men's, but their hands tend to be colder!

https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/cold_wars_why_women_fee...

Sorry I'm probably misinterpreting, did they laugh because the temperature is actually colder, or because of the possible joke "women's hands are hotter" as in, more good looking

You know it’s 2024 when you read an article about sexist ramen.

As opposed to every year before, where ramen eating was highly inaccessible & sexist. The article covers how difficult it's been & why this thing that started in 2015 is important, which you seem to scoff at.

You know it's 2024 when someone will show up & grumble about wokeness.

"Highly inaccessible?" There's never been anything at all stopping women from eating ramen if they want to.

Sure, if you ignore everything this article just wrote about about how awkward & usual it is in Japan...

> a source of private joy and the entrance to a man's inner sanctum. Most men enter ramen establishments alone, sit at the counter and talk to no one.

Is peace and quiet while eating that sexist?

Tangentially related I'd like to refer to one of the best food-related movies: Tampopo (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo>).

That movie is really great. If anyone likes ramen, you'll definitely enjoy it.

Somewhat related- Fantastic youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Japanesefoodcraftsman/videos

Particularly awesome video from the channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBzdqioFvh8

I think meshida-san is a more appropriate response to the article:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLlvgINEIok

Invading safe spaces for men: not cool. Open your own girl ramen restaurants and be happy!

I'd really love it oh so very badly if the few Japanese HN commentators would chime in here. Baka!

  In Japan, though, ramen is a dish with largely masculine connotations -- traditionally it is men who get misty-eyed about their favorite ramen restaurants, not women. Now that is changing as a new culture of "girl ramen" takes hold.

Not Japanese, but spent enough time there to confirm that yes, this is true.

I don't think this is particularly unique to Japan though, eg BBQ culture in the US is similarly masculine.

Other examples. Salad culture in the US is feminine. Dessert culture in Japan is feminine.

Boys we must occupy salad spaces and Panera bread and not let them get away with this injustice!

P.S. - When I was there was told different regions have different takes on different dishes. Some foodie types go cross country to try a specific bowl of Ramen.

Was told this by a woman who was doing precisely that. She also insisted on paying for mine because it wasn't a touristy place and she was glad I was exploring her country.

Anyway I'm not Japanese and certainly can't speak for her but deeply believe she will laugh at this article. A lot. Hence I'd rather a Japanese reader chime in.

It is incredibly easy to read such a thing and just unthinkingly let it contort reality. Japan is Japan, it is not the US.

@tmtvl in a peer comment recommended Juzo Itami's 1985 Japanese film Tampopo which is well worth watching.

It's literally includes mascaline Japanese "truck driving" culture with a heavy dash of western cowboy overlay and a women determined to be the best Ramen Chef possible - with a whole lot more thrown in.

But yes, local film, many years ago, already juxtaposing a lone woman in a blokey bloke male heavy culture for comedy and other angles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo

I almost missed that, will add it to my queue, azaasu! :)

The best part about the post DEI era is that it's shockingly easy to be misogynistic, misandrist, heteronormaltive, and obtuse all in one article.

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