Culture as a Sign of the Past

Back in college, I worked as a student manager at By George, the cafeteria beneath the Undergraduate Library. One morning on my way to open the joint, I stumbled upon an interesting bit of paper. It gave me reading material for the walk.

It turned out to be material for a graduate level Japanese class, specifically a propoganda cartoon from the Pacific War (what we Yanks call WWII). Happily it was also translated. Here I learned a new word or two that came in handy later.

During my shift at the cafe, there was a problem with a new hire. He was too good.

He was an older Japanese English as a Second Language student who had not yet completed, well, any of his English coursework. He was a good worker, though, so he was put on pots and pans detail. Go anywhere in the world and you should be able to tell someone how to clean just by pointing.

He made quick work of the stack. So quick, the boss was concerned that there would not be enough work left over when the afternoon crew punched in. Weirdly, to save the trouble of finding work for slackers, she took Our New Best Worker off pots and had him place stickers on burger clamshells.

It was obvious he was confused about the reassignment. From his expressions, he thought he had screwed up, and we didn't have a common language to explain the State Work Ethic (or lack thereof) to him.

I made his day by practising my new Japanese. I gave a solemn bow in his direction and said, "Gaman suru" -- a warrior's patience, in English.

He burst out laughing. I'm happy to say my gaijin crack made his shift quite a bit less fretful.

( So what they hell does this have to do with culture and our past? )