#but in countries that don't eat a lot of rice i can see them being more expensive

[layzeal]

ok I'm curious so put in the tags what country you are from and whether or not you own/use a rice cooker

[vashtijoy]

Hi! Pre-emptive sorry for the long ask- I don't know if you've answered this before but I was scrolling through your blog and in one of your posts you note that the brief bit we see of Akira's hometown has high rise buildings, which implies it's a city. I could've sworn there was in game dialogue calling him a country boy though or referencing him being from a rural area? Is there something in the Japanese text to suggest these are meant to be taken as jokes (I.E. protag is from a city, but it's not as big as Tokyo so he's playfully considered 'rural') or is this a case of the game devs simply not considering what buildings they had in the background of that scene?

Hello! First of all, I think it's insanely unlikely that the game devs just forgot Joker was meant to be from a shack on top of a mountain and accidentally put him in a city. Maybe they didn't have time to design a farm and shoved him in a random cityscape instead? Well, maybe. I would at least have pasted in a couple more trees.

So what do we know about this?

Sojiro calls Joker 田舎もん inakamon, short for 田舎者 inakamono—someone from the countryside; someone provincial. This is what's translated as "country boy", or "country bumpkin". Chihaya uses it about herself, and Chihaya I think is certainly meant to be very rural. The Adorable Woman and Rural Young Man in Shibuya Station use inaka a lot:

His name did not originally use inakamono or similar, by the way—he's the 上京してきた青年 joukyou shite kita seinen, "the young man who's moved to Tokyo". Note the moving-up kanji there, 上, lol—this is not a sideways move, it's a definite move up.

so what is the inaka?

In short, the inaka can be the remote countryside—but it can also just be your hometown, of any description. It can be legit anywhere that isn't Tokyo. Here's Tofugu:

My mouth was hanging open and I know I was being rude, but it was really hard to pull myself together. The woman I was speaking with was from one of the top Japanese Universities. She has had international relationships, traveled the world, and done work that most foreign anime fans would kill to see. Someone with her experiences, to me, should be open-minded about other cultures and lifestyles. Just the same, I can't help but to be bothered by what she said: "I feel like anything outside Tokyo's 23 wards is inaka." [...] Often, people usually just use what they read in the dictionary, but I learned fast that "countryside" in American English is much different than in Japanese English. For me, countryside means farms. Countryside is driving to see your closest neighbor, riding tractors for work and pleasure, and being able to immediately tell who's from your town just by looking at them. When I say this to Japanese people and ask them to explain inaka, the joke is always the same: "Inaka is anything outside of Tokyo." Osaka and Kyoto, for many, aren't inaka, but Sapporo, which is one of the few parts of the country where this legendary thing called "insulated housing" exists, is inaka. [...] So you might be wondering how "bad" it really is out here. Truthfully, I'm living in a city, at least by American standards. Great bus and train systems, tons of malls and movie theaters, some of the major stores people visit Tokyo to see, game centers, golfing… and a few rice paddies. Not many, but there are some. Imagine a fashionable mall, famous manga store, well-respected school with a strong baseball team, and major supermarket, all within walking distance, with maybe one field of rice. Honestly, the place is so city that I don't think I would willingly eat any rice that grew in that field. I swear, it's in front of a bus stop.

So, tl;dr: if you aren't in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, you're probably in the inaka—at least to someone's mind. You can be somewhere that looks to us in every way like a city, and be in the inaka. And if you pick up sticks and move to Tokyo? Then you have a good chance of being jibed about being a "country boy".

so what is joker's inaka like?

[Joker] 田舎に帰りたい inaka ni kaeritai I miss the country... [lit. I want to go back to the inaka.] Ryuji ハハ、都会の洗礼ってか? haha, tokai no senrei tte ka? Hah. Not used to the big city yet, huh? [lit. Haha, so this is your first time in the city?]

We don't get a huge amount of detail in-game about Joker's home. Besides Sojiro's "country boy", Ryuji has a couple of comments. Here's another:

Ryuji あれ? お前ン家ってわりと田舎? are? omae n uchi tte wari to inaka? Wait a sec, your hometown isn't near the countryside, is it? [lit. isn't your place relatively countrified?] Ryuji いや、大自然でランニング練習とか気持ち良さそうだなーって。 iya, daishizen de ranningu renshuu to ka kimochi yasasou da naa tte I was just thinkin' it'd be great to run an' train somewhere out where it's all big, naturey open space. [lit. no, I thought it seemed like it'd feel great to train in the great outdoors and stuff.]

(I think something may be off here with that translation of daishizen, which seems to connote "the great outdoors", "a vast wilderness", etc, as well as just meaning "nature" (the sort you get out into) more generally". The word has been split up as if Ryuji was just saying "big nature" for some reason, like if you thought "the great outdoors" meant "the outdoors is great :D".)

But we can see from Ryuji's statement that Joker's home is wari to inaka, "relatively countrified", "kind of countrified"—it's more the country than Tokyo is, but it's probably not the ass end of nowhere, either. It's somewhere Ryuji pictures getting out into nature—but even if that's accurate and not just in Ryuji's city-boy head, that again doesn't connote "ass end of nowhere"; a lot of very built-up places are startlingly close to farmland or to nature, as with the putative rice field at the bus stop that we read about earlier.

the artbook picture

There is, of course, a picture of Joker's home in the artbook:

That doesn't scream "rural" to me—though it's also not the built-up area we see him in with Shido. It backs onto a cliff, it's very green. It's clearly a row of houses on a street, maybe in a fancy suburb on the edge of the city?

It's a nice house, at any rate. Joker moving into Sojiro's attic, with his clothes in a box, will have been a harsh step down.

Another detail from this image before we move on:

Look at this board. We can make out what it says. We can even, just possibly, make out a town name there...

日立自治会 掲示板 hitachi jichikai keijiban Hitachi Neighbourhood Association noticeboard

自治会 jichikai—neighbourhood associations. As you'd expect, they tend to be organised at the very local level—so Hitachi is likely to be a small district within a larger city, rather than (say) the city of Hitachi in Ibaraki Prefecture.

his city has a name guys i can't believe it lmao

the coup de grace

But there's one question I think really puts the nail in the coffin here: WTF was Shido doing in the middle of nowhere?

It's totally plausible that Joker came from a remote farm in the country, or a tiny village in far northern Honshu. But what is there in that to attract Shido? Like... Shido seems kind of an indoor guy, y'know?

He goes where his business is. He goes where the money is. It's difficult for me to picture him going to random rural areas with nobody to schmooze, with what I'm sure he'd consider to be poor facilities and shitty hotels.

Even if he did stoop to visit somewhere like that, by the time he was on his off hours getting pissed (in both senses) and attacking women, wouldn't he have gone back to civilisation?—back to the city?

conclusion??

This place Joker is wandering after dark doesn't look like The Country. It looks quite built up. I'd say it's the centre of a regional city or large town—with those nice houses we just looked at set off in suburbs along its edge. Look at this place:

It really does look like a less cramped version of Yongen-jaya, down to the trees. I don't think they spent too long on this area, but I also don't think it's inaccurate.

By the way, that "Hometown Neighbourhood" was originally 実家近くの住宅地 jikka chikaku no juutakuchi—"residential area near home". So this is not where Joker lived with his parents; it's an area close by. Like he says, he's on his way home late.

Where was he? We never find out. He has what looks like a school bag, well before his nasty crime days. Maybe he was visiting a friend we never hear about again. Maybe he was at cram school. But he's gone to this built-up part of town to do something there.

My guess would be that he lived in some prefectural capital or other. That's why Shido is there. I'd also guess that it's one of the Kanto prefectures, since the further you go from Tokyo, the less likely it becomes that Joker would have been sent to Tokyo for his probation, whether Sojiro was a friend of a friend or not.

As ever, all of this is for information only, and if you want to do something else superior in every way, you definitely should. At the end of the day Joker's a silent protagonist player insert, who can be from absolutely anywhere and as gay as you like. Let a thousand Jokers bloom.

revision history

Click here for the latest version.

v1.0 (2024/01/17)—first posted.

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

what do you think the chains favorite breakfast foods are (if they eat breakfast)

I WAS HALFWAY THROUGH ANSWERING THIS AND MY PHONE DIED AND DELETED EVERYTHING I HAD WRITTEN, DEATH AND SORROW AND DESPAIR.

Okay I'm good now.

ANYWAYS, I split you ask into two sections: first, their favorite food ever if they can get their hands on it, the second what they like to eat on the road. And then a final unhinged rant at the bottom about the one thing about teenage boys/young men and their food that I'll never understand: Bacon.

Legend--I have a feeling that he likes sweets. Specifically, waffles with whipped cream and berries. They're a little burnt, but Ravio made them for him, so he'll pretend he doesn't notice (and grows to like them better that way). On the road, he'll go for coffee/tea (he's not picky) if one of the others make it, or nothing at all.

Hyrule--does he have a favorite breakfast food? Food isn't very stable where he comes from--Legend and Wild would spoil him so much in regard of expanding his palate. But I imagine that something like a fried mixture of beef/sausage, vegetables, and a starch (perhaps an even poorer version of an already poor person food Shepherd's Pie, perhaps? it could be a breakfast food) would be a sort of filling, tasty, and easy to procure/make/preserve food that he'd like. On that note, I would say something simple, easy to get and preserve, and hardy would be his go to breakfast on the road--maybe meat jerky.

Wild--Also a sweets person. Fruit cake, cinnamon rolls, frosted cupcakes, basically all the little delicacies he could get at a dumb party 100 years ago, he ain't picky, it's for breakfast and it's fueling a day long sugar high. On the road he, unlike the other Links, can be pretty creative with his breakfasts, and he likes his spice as well. So, I think he'd like Meaty rice balls.

Four--direct this question to someone else please. He has four voices in his head fighting to answer right now, and none of them agree. I surely dont know if he doesn't.

Time--Pancakes and farm-fresh scrambled eggs and toast with jam. Malon makes it for him. What can I say. On the road he is a habitual coffee drinker, he wouldn't be functioning in the mornings without it. But he'll also take a poached egg if he has the time (heh).

Warrior--unlike Time who is a habitual coffee drinker, he is a coffee connoisseur. He likes the breakfasts they serve at the castle--a lot of meats and fruits, expensive, and on top of it all, well plated. Not to say that he can't eat simply--he was in a war, mind you--just that he prefers not to. On the road, he strikes me as the kind that would drink those tasteless quick oats (y'know you just add water, shake and go?) and also be very vocal about much time (heh) it's saving him (being none). I don't know what the Hyrule equivalent of those are.

Twilight--our favorite country boy. I think he likes a true southern breakfast. Ham and pan-fried potatoes and eggs over-easy, with a side of cheesy grits and sausage biscuits and gravy like Uli used to make for him (I HC this man has a black hole of a stomach, out of all the Links). On the road he'll inhale a boiled egg or two (salted and peppered if he's feeling fancy) that Wild made for him. I also head canon that Twilight likes tea with an intensity. And not only sweet tea, but like, ALL of the teas. He gets obsessive. I literally have in my detail/subplot tracking documents for BDOR the following entry underneath chapter 8--Tea: "Twilight’s cure to Wild’s voice is tea. His cure to life’s woes is tea."

Wind--whatever his grandma is making, probably with seafood involved. I've had a crab-spinach-egg casserole for breakfast before, it was good, so I'll give him that. On the road, I can see him packing a lot of bread and some meat (dried fish if he can get it).

Sky--This guy honestly has me stumped. Do those on Skyloft eat Loftwing eggs, or are they considered taboo? They have a lot of pumpkins around--do they incorporate them into their meals?@needfantasticstories you know a lot of Skyward Sword lore, bequeath me your wisdom. Anyways on the road he's a meat and bread person like Wind. Practical.

Now, for my rant about young men and their food quirks:

Bacon. Bacon, as I have witnessed, drives the most reasonable of men insane.

I just a few things to say about this. I have younger brothers, and I born witness to many male sleepover parties. I--as the resident nasty fe-male XD--have been (forced) to cook for them in the mornings. Set a pile of bacon in front of them (or really any meat, but I have found that bacon has the strongest affect) and they turn into WOLVES. They start to crowd around and stare as soon as they begin to smell it (which hey, give me space in the kitchen, please!), snatch it up before the grease even cools, and then retreat into their separate corners of the living room/kitchen and scarf it down, all while avoiding eye contact and projecting just how much they don't care about the bacon they're eating (perhaps so one of the others don't take notice and try to steal it). There's an odd little ritual/rules to the thing, too: for example, it's frowned upon to take more than three or four pieces at a time, there has to be enough for everyone, obviously; but if you finish a second and third serving before some poor sod stumbles in and gets himself a piece--why that is acceptable, even encouraged. But at all times, you could feel them watching each other, judging whether each person had taken acceptable amounts. 6 at once, I have determined, is veritably considered too much, as I have watched an entire group of mid-late teenage boys chase another through the house and outside for this crime of greed. Another thing was the presence of literally any other edible food. If there was anything else--eggs, fruit, even something like a few slices of unbuttered toast or coffee or juice sitting out, this reaction was largely tempered--even if none of the boys took the other foods, they would take a meager one or two pieces of bacon and be satisfied, perhaps reassured that other food was present and their hope of a filling breakfast was not in vain. Most, at that point they would restrain themselves from eating anything (other than their bacon tax) and wait so that everyone could eat together. But the mad scramble that occurs when there is bacon and only bacon in the kitchen (even if other things are cooking, nearly done, and visible to them) is otherworldly.

I never saw it with anything else, not eggs, not fruit, not even sausage or any other breakfast food. And it must be noted that I was exempt from their little ritual of judgement--perhaps as the only woman, or perhaps as the cook, I was allowed to take as much bacon as I liked from the pile, once the initial wave had attacked and retreated with their bounty (and the strips of bacon had cooled enough that mortal human hands such as my own could pick them up). And while they behaved like beasts, I was always very politely thanked for making breakfast once it was over and the frenzy had abated.

Anyways, your ask got me thinking about Malon making a pile of bacon for the boys, activating the beforehand undiscovered "PANIC! BACON!" mode in their brains, and just being utterly confused as they turn into animals. Just the boys descend, and then a few shouts of "Thanks, Malon!" drift in on the wind as they scatter like racoons with treasure, leaving an empty plate spinning behind them.

[sailorspica]

i wanna bug you again. what are the aot guys fave fruits. tell me about what grows in paradis v. marley

this is so sexy to me oh my god

more worldbuilding headcanons: while it's ours flipped, i think the distinctive seasons on paradis makes it seem further north because the actual opposite longitude to madagascar is saudi arabia. paradis' relationship the continent of marley reads a lot like the british isles to mainland eurasia to me. we see from maps in s4 that marley's empire is huge, so it probably includes tropical colonies (my elaborate mr leonhart headcanons)

reiner: 🍎🍏 as discussed

levi: 🍋, this is... so warped by my passionate love for stannis baratheon but people get fucking scurvy underground. classic whump, but eating produce of all kinds must have been enormous for him after ACWNR, and while you can get vitamin C from vegetables, i think he discovers citrus in marley and hooooly shit. maybe yuzu from kiyomi. this bums me out ngl re: kenny's monologue in that bar about "discovering how big the world is"

erwin: blackcurrant, which i can't even confidently identify, but i don't think he appreciated fruit until levi (?????? my eruri is Jumping out)

zeke: see @pisspope on bananas 🍌

annie: 🥭, i imagine mr leonhart simultaneously abusing a random child he found while experiencing culture shock of essentially being displaced by blood testing. he doesn't know how to cook much and can't find the sort of rice he's used to easily, so annie grew up eating his approximation of food from his home country. one of her only happy memories she has of him is when he got his hands on some overripe mangoes once he's an honorary marleyan, before she left for paradis

historia: 🫐, safe for horses

mikasa: fuckin... elderberry. i just think when it comes down to it she is a hick like sasha and connie so call this a three person answer

eren: doesn't eat fruit. half his problem really

armin: 🍅, and he will insist. but he has taste! i think he likes them in the peak of summer, like panzanella. in general i think he is super conscious of food seasons

hange: 🍐! no real reason, can i be fr and say i'm just thinking of jo malone english pear and freesia? and apples and pears are related, i giffed the shiganshina reijean + hange scene and something about hange coming the closest to finishing off reiner of anyone And initiating the alliance during the rumbling is... woah

jean: 🍇 meaning 🍷, spinal fluid optional

hitch: 🍓, i just think she'd fuck with lirika matoshi. also i wrote her buying herself a strawberry shortcake for her birthday in a fanfic so this pair of asks is for Her!!

[teacrying]

Soft

I wrote this more as a female reader but a lot of them aren’t strictly that! And this is all about chubby reader because there is a lack of that.

Contains: Iwaizumi Hajime, Matsukawa Issei, Azumane Asahi, Nishinoya Yuu, Sawamura Daichi, Sugawara Koushi, Hinata Shoyo, Ukai Keishin, Tsukishima Akiteru, Yamamoto Taketora, Aone Takanobu, Miya Osamu, Kita Shinsuke, Aran Ojiro, Bokuto Koutaro

Iwaizumi Hajime: He wouldn't mind anything but he tends to be drawn to thicker people. He loves how soft a chubbier partner would be compared to his hard muscular build. He also loves to leave marks and that means more marks on a chubby partner. Bonus points if you are shorter than him. He thinks you'd look angelic in anything and nothing.

Matsukawa Issei: Large boy requires soft, small partner. Thighs with some tummy chub are his weakness. He like's how your body would mold to his hands. He'd be lying to himself if he said he didn’t.

Azumane Asahi: He is a large teddy bear and he would be open to anyone. Though, like Iwaizumi, he loves how their body would feel under him. Nuzzling into the side of their neck is his favorite. Also, he would love to design things specifically for you body type and have you model it.

Nishinoya Yuu: THIS BOY IS ALL ABOUT PRETTY PEOPLE. He isn't picky, he just wants to worship the ground you walk on. If you are taller than him his favorite spot to cuddle into is your chest. Soft and warm on either side of his head/face.

Sawamura Daichi: not a picky one but he does love the squish. He loves the way thigh highs sculpt your thighs and how some of your body squishes out of certain garments. Gifts thigh highs and garter belts just to see how they squeeze the thigh meat you have.

Sugawara Koushi: He loves how his fingers indent in soft flesh. He thinks it's perfect cuddle conditions and will make sure you know you're loved. He may be chaotic and sassy but you are his #1 priority and will make you feel as if you belong.

Hinata shoyo: He doesn't discriminate. Hell, he spent most his life being shit on for his height. He won't let some chub get in the way of his loving on you. Drinks his respect women juice thanks to having a mom and a sister he's close to.

Ukai Keishin: He doesn't care but he is almost always drawn to chubby girls. He'd probably think you are sturdier and loves the feeling of a soft body under his muscled one. He is a kinky bitch and having more flesh to mark is great for him.

Tsukishima Akiteru: He is a kind soul who doesn't care what you look like, the extra squish you would have is just the cherry on top.

Yamamoto Taketora: Another one who would bow down to you. No matter the shape of his partner he would show you he appreciates you every second he can. Gives him something to keep his hands busy if you guys are just watching TV or something.

Aone Takanobu: Another teddy bear. Let him carry you around the house, he'd think it's adorable. Warm and soft is all he is locked onto and he will make sure you know he loves even the chub on you. He loves you for you because he knows that being judge mental towards appearances is not great.

Miya Osamu: He loves a person who can eat. The squish is just an addition he loves. He is another one who feels like the squish is extra padding to manhandle. You would be his designated taste tester. No one is allowed to make fun of you in his presence even if it's just friendly banter, ESPECIALLY HIS TWIN.

Kita Shinsuke: First, I must say, what a king.  He respects women and wouldn't even think about your weight, he might even like some chub. He doesn't understand why but the thought of a plush body next to him or even on him make his brain go 'brrrrrr'. I don't see him having trouble manhandling you before or after high school due to him being a country boy with his rice. 

Ojiro Aran: Again, yet another king. He had years of dealing with the twins' bullshit for years so some extra weight on his partner is not a problem. Show up to a game of his in his jersey paired with thigh-highs you might break him if he sees. Thankfully he only sees after their game, despite how much he loves you and has seen you in less, he almost fainted. Iwaizumi could be heard laughing at him from the hallway.

Bokuto Koutoro: He has stated that he likes women on the chubbier side. He also has two older sister's that have told him it isn't all about looks. He is mvp of repsecting women. He probably would be happy no matter your weight because it's your personality and not your body he's in a relationship with.

[active-mind-15]

Oh yeah, after I read that one Akashi-centric fic called A Lesson In Human Interaction (and all the bullshit that comes with it), I am finally breaking my silence on my Nebuya headcanon that he's half Nigerian because in the fic he has a Nigerian father and now I feel validated. However, a difference between my headcanon and the author's headcanon is that instead of him being from the Yoruba tribe, I want to say that his family is Igbo. Purely because I am also Igbo and I want to project. Anyway, walk with me.

Nebuya being half-Nigerian and not living in Nigeria means that whichever parent of his is Nigerian (I'd assume the mother simply because he has a Japanese family name) would make sure he stays connected to his culture somehow. One of those ways is for sure through his name. Interracial couples especially tend to each give their kid a name that comes from their respective country. In this case, even though Nebuya has a Japanese name, his mother would give him a Nigerian one as well that she calls him by. Haven't decided what it would be, though, so I'll get back to you on that.

Another way would be through language. This would mean that Nebuya (in my opinion) would be trilingual because he would speak Japanese, Igbo, and--by extension--English, since English is the national language of Nigeria anyway and so most people speak it to some degree (effects of being colonized by the British ✊🏿😔).

The English part would be interesting to explore because Nebuya speaking English would have Akashi (who is canonically fluent in English) thinking he would understand Nebuya when he speaks it. But when Nebuya speaks with Nigerian relatives, especially cousins, he slips into Pidgin instead (a Nigerian dialect of English), leaving Akashi confused. He can speak standard English as well, but he goes back and forth between that and Pidgin English. Also, I think he would speak Pidgin more commonly with cousins but then use Igbo with older relatives like aunts, uncles, and grandparents. So Akashi, wanting to decipher what he's saying, would ask Nebuya about it and maybe Nebuya would teach him a few words/phrases in Pidgin. It would be cute to see Nebuya teach his teammates Igbo phrases as well. Imagine if the next time Nebuya called any of his Nigerian relatives he'd tell them he was teaching his teammates their language and make them try and talk to his relatives in Igbo.

Don't remember if it was ever confirmed in canon so I'll keep this as a regular headcanon, but I believe Nebuya can cook very well (like if you're gonna eat all that food every day you better know how to sustain yourself), so I would think sometimes he likes to make traditional Nigerian food. His favorite dishes are of course the ones heavy on meat, and he likes to pair them with either fried rice or jollof rice. Typically making traditional Nigerian food is done in bulk, which means he'd have a lot to store as leftovers to eat throughout the week, but he also does like to share and would save some food for his teammates to try.

I also am thinking of what Nebuya would look like in traditional Nigerian clothes like a kaftan or agbada. I've seen him in kimonos, so it would be fun to see him rock some Nigerian clothes, too. Maybe his aunt or his grandmother makes clothes for him that they send over to Japan for him to wear.

I would hope that every so often, Nebuya would take a trip to Nigeria to see family. And when he comes back, he brings gifts for his teammates. Imagine them sitting Nebuya down and asking him to tell stories from his trip, and they all get to sit there and learn more about Nebuya's culture and his family.

Anyway, I'll cut it off here, but I am obsessed with this headcanon and I just had to get it off my chest.

[40sandfabulousaf]

大家好! The 2024 Olympics are over but when it was still on, athletes were detailing what they eat and guess what, they admitted to eating a lot of carbohydrates. Long time followers will also know from my posts that I don't shy away from them. I eat noodles and white rice, stuff 'nutritionists' and 'registered dieticians' warn about. Bear in mind that it was revealed in a recent news article that food companies paid some of these 'professionals' to influence their followers to eat the products that they sell.

I also see content creators freaking out when they see others eating carbohydrates. Until it comes to the point where medically, I can't eat noodles and white rice any more, I'll continue to eat them because wholegrains in general taste gross. The question is, how do some of us in this region and Olympians remain healthy even though we eat refined carbohydrates daily. I can't speak for professional athletes because they're at a totally different level altogether. For friends, family and I, it's all down to leading a moderately healthy lifestyle.

Besides eating balanced meals with vegetables, protein and rice or noodles, besides snacking on fruit and nuts, we're much more active than the average person, especially someone living in Western countries. What some communities claim is 'over-exercise' is our natural activity in a day or a week. We're just wired to move more. On weekends, I don't drive to the supermarket for groceries, I walk and carry those heavy bags back. On WFH afternoons, I don't drive out for lunch, I walk or take the bus. Waiting for dinner to cook? I listen to a podcast and do more light exercise or iron my clothes.

When I get off the couch to use the washroom, I do 5 squats and when I get back, I do 5 more before sitting down again. Sometimes I vary my routine and do lunges instead. Taking the stairs versus the lift (elevator in the US) and escalator is a given; I can't imagine life differently. The same applies to washing up manually instead of relying on a dishwasher. All this activity adds up over time. Couple that with moderately healthy meals and swapping noodles or white rice for yucky wholegrains seems like purely semantics; it won't make a huge difference.

Besides being able to eat noodles and white rice, the added benefit of moving so much on a daily basis is, I sleep like a baby. So I eat what I like, I eat reasonably well and I get proper rest. Grace, Douglas, my babe YL, family and other active friends follow the same lifestyle. Many of us are in our 40s and none of us are on long term medication. There is, however, a caveat: vegetables feature heavily in our daily nutrition. If I don't eat enough of it for lunch, I make up for it during breakfast or dinner. This is not negotiable for me, close friends and family; we eat a lot of it. We also don't eat fastfood often.

So if you're wondering how Asians in this part of the world keep ourselves healthy even whilst eating refined carbohydrates, it can be summed up like this: we don't eat fastfood often, we eat moderately healthy meals AND we're more active than you can imagine. Moving a lot may seem like 'over-exercise' to some communities; to us, it's a way of life, get over it. You may not approve of it but we do and we lead fulfilling lives. Multitasking is a very efficient way to occupy our time - I mean, when your ironing is done, you may be close to finishing a podcast or news broadcast and dinner is ready.

So white rice and noodles? I'll keep eating them because they're delicious. Every other aspect of my life is geared towards eating moderately healthy meals most of the time and being very active. To me, this is the best combo. Family, close friends and I are fine with this lifestyle and we're happy. 下次见!

[smonk-wonk]

Also he was reported saying this back in 2015! But fear not, he's not actually defending Hitler. No it's kind of far worse. He clarifies this. ” … My intention was not to absolve Hitler, but rather to show that the forefathers of the Palestinian nation – without a country and without the so-called ‘occupation,’ without land and without settlements – even then aspired to systematic incitement to exterminate the Jews.”

He is not saying "we should be like Hitler/Hitler was good". That would not go over well in Israel or literally anywhere. It seems he is saying "The Muslim is worse than the Nazi, because Hitler only wanted to expel the Jews, and a Muslim told him to 'burn them'". There's not even evidence for this interaction between Hitler and the Muslim man who was somehow worse than a Nazi happening, since Israel is allergic to providing evidence. But it would at best undermine the role of Hitler in The Holocaust. Hitler's role. In The Holocaust.

But a lot of Israel's propaganda uses the Holocaust and historically traumatic events to manipulate people (thought they said these comparisons were bad?). A big example is them even choosing to call the October 7th attack "7/10". There was a major historical tragedy in the west that is identified by the date of which it occurred. I can't think of another that we refer to in that manner but I remember an Israeli even saying that it gets the attention of people in the west to call it that as they can say that "7/10" was "their 9/11". They're using what many still remember as a traumatic event and period in which they were very afraid to manipulate them emotionally. They know this works because they do it all the time.

To my understanding and what I've seen reported from those who are from Israel and had to unlearn some of the hateful narratives they grew up with, the government has a habit of using The Holocaust against their predominantly Jewish population to go "remember that? Yeah that's what's gonna happen again, that's what they want to do to us. Do we want to let them do that again? Or are we gonna fight back this time no matter the cost so we're not telling our children the stories our grandparents told us?". Fear mongering manipulation tactics

And ironically things like hearing Palestinians talk about the lack of food and seeing how emotional they get over a bag of flour or rice feels reminiscent of stories I was told about my family members being malnourished and enslaved during The Holocaust. Their diet consisted of split pea soup and on rare occasions, bread. Sometimes they'd cry when they got bread because it was finally a filling carbohydrate, something most of us get all the fucking time. For the rest of their lives they couldn't eat peas, at all. As in they'd had an extreme trauma reaction when mistakenly served them at a restaurant because it tasted like enslavement and watching their families die.

What happened to "never again" exactly? This is literally the same thing and honestly a lot of it is so much worse than anything I've been told or would imagine I could hear from people who survived even the biggest genocide in our history. When people say it's insulting to compare this to The Holocaust I don't believe for a second that they actually give a shit whether it's insulting to the dead and those who lived it. It's something worse to them- insulting to them and their feelings and beliefs but hopefully, insinuating that you're disrespecting a traumatic part of history might shut you up. If it doesn't, the next tactic is normally to call you antisemitic (I have not once mentioned Jews before having that word thrown at me btw). They don't have a better argument than that most of the time. But I think the most disrespectful thing I could do- that anyone can do right now is to point at the people going through another genocide and say that they as Palestinians and predominantly Muslims as Netanyahu identified the man, are worse than Hitler.

Do not do not do NOT let people tell you you're disrespecting Holocaust victims & survivors for speaking out against another massive genocide. They'll remind you how many died and that less people have died in Gaza but it's been 4 months. Are we supposed to wait years for it to wipe out a specific amount of people before we can compare it and try to stop it? Not only is it acceptable to compare the genocide in Gaza to The Holocaust but we need to. That's what it's there for, why we want to remember the people that died and how and why it happened and who did it. It's not there to weaponize and use to say "Palestinians are worse! If you support them you are worse!" It's there so that we don't let it happen again. Because it's happening again

If this doesnt yell that Satanyahu has a boner for hitler idk what does. They are copying everything the nazi germany did. Thats why I will be saying forever that israel is the new nazi germany and zionists are nazies.

Nobody in their right mind woud be defending hitler, ever. There will be day when israel has to pay for what they have done.

[edith365]

Stranger in the homeland

I arrived in the Philippines a week and a half ago. My mother and I immediately got to arguing - I didn't like the Airbnb she found - it was a studio with white fluorescent lighting and not really cozy - which she claims she got just for me, and I told her I wished she got my input. While I'm here, I know I have to help her with her affairs and help her get around but I still want it to feel like a vacation. And not have to hear her snoring. We moved Airbnbs. I told her I would pay the difference.

So far, we've stayed only in Manila. Compared to other Southeast Asian countries I've been to, it feels very American, lots and lots of malls, food chains, cars. And has lots of the parts of NY I don't love - tons of noise and air pollution, traffic, and people. There is not really a concept of personal space here. Cars and motorbikes give you an inch, people pack into the lightrail train like sardines, even at the shops the vendors will grab your arm to get your attention.

I feel like people can tell I'm an American, and I'm the only one I've seen here in 7+ days. I feel eyes on me, people trying to get me to buy things or use their cab. I can't blend into the sea of people like I do in NY, and because of that I've been hesitant to bring out my camera, only sneaking in a few pictures here and there are rarely of the locals.

I romanticized this trip, thinking I would go back to my roots, eat lots of fruits, wake up to roosters and eat fresh pan de sal in the morning. Instead it's just lots of car honks, buildings, and the same meats and rice. Though it's been interesting seeing how the locals live here, I'm excited to explore beyond Manila.

I've also had to be very patient with my mom, helping her get around. She has trouble seeing and walking. In NY she doesn't use a cane, but here I guess she isn't as embarrassed. It's been difficult seeing her look so weak and old. We tried doing Youtube stretching exercises in the morning, and I've given her some massages, but she doesn't seem to want them anymore. The novelty of being here together and having this free time is fading away.

[purplesurveys]

1762

What name do you go by most often?  Robyn. It's awesome. It's a first name that can also stand as a nickname already.

Have you ever played Geoguessr?  I haven't, but I just looked it up and sounds like a lot of fun.

How many times have you been to a Disney theme park?  I have never been to any Disney attraction – Disneyland, Disney World, the resorts...and tbh not really interested in ever going. It just looks so crowded no matter what time of the year you go, and I bet everything is really expensive. I didn't grow up much a Disney kid anyway so I don't think I'd be missing out on anything.

Are there any live plants in the room with you?  There aren't. Can't take care of plants to save my life.

Did you grow up with your cousins, first or otherwise?  I grew up with one set of cousins, the ones from my mom's older brother's side. To this day they're the cousins that my siblings and I are closest with, to the point that we call the elder brother simply 'Kuya' (just how you'd call a blood older brother) because of how close we are.

Who is your favorite That 70′s Show character, if you have one?  I never got into That 70s Show. Tried watching the first episode but I struggled with finding the humor.

What color is your hair?  It's a light brown again now, with the black roots growing out. I'll dye it back to purple but I'll do that once I get my 13th month so I can allocate some extra monies for it.

Can you see any type of flag from where you are?  No.

Do you eat shellfish? What is your favorite?  I looooooooove them all. My favorite would be either crabs or oysters.

What’s your favorite theme song to a TV show/cartoon?  I never skip the intros to Friends, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead.

Are your nails painted? What color?  They aren't.

What is your favorite way to eat chicken?  Wings. The saucier and spicier the better.

Can you name all the major sports teams in your city/state?  So our country is too small (and underdeveloped in the sports space, if we're being blunt) to warrant major sports teams for every region. What we have instead are national teams for a few sports, and yes I'm familiar with how we call them.

Do you use a comb or a hairbrush or both?  Comb.

What was the last movie you watched?  Breaking Dawn Part 2 since I marathoned the whole Twilight Saga a couple of weekends ago.

Have you ever seen BoJack Horseman?  I have. It was fantastic and definitely deserves all the praise, but I don't know if I have it in me to do a rewatch of the entire show any time soon.

What color is your house/building?  It's a beige/creamish shade.

Do you know the middle name of the person you last talked to in person?  Yes.

What is today’s date? How many days til your birthday?  It's October 22. I don't know the number of days, but it's almost exactly 6 months before my next birthday.

When is the last time you had Starbucks?  I had coffee from there last Saturday.

What is your favorite number? Does it have to do with a specific date?  7. It coincidentally does, and in a cute way too I'd say. :) 7 is a very significant number in the BTS fandom, but I also happened to be a fan April 7th, 2021.

Do you watch SNL? Who are your favorite cast members?  I've seen spiels of some of my favorite celebs who've been on the show but I've never seen a full ep and am much less familiar with the roster.

What color is your phone?  It's blue.

Do you have any siblings?  Yup.

How many hours of sleep do you get a night?  Anywhere between 7-9 hours.

What did you have for lunch?  I haven't had it yet today, but yesterday I had fried chicken and burger steak from Jollibee. With rice, of course.

Favorite streaming service?  I don't have a favorite. Certain streaming services will always have certain programs that the others don't, so I go to whichever based on what I'm in the mood for.

Who is your favorite Pokemon?  Ho-oh.

Do you like soup? What kinds?  Only when I'm sick, or if I'm in a Japanese restaurant where they almost always serve miso soup as a freebie lol. I like miso soup and mushroom soup the most.

When was the last time you flew on a plane?  Last June when my family and I went to Malaysia, literally immediately after I landed from my trip to Thailand with friends.

What is your favorite movie Paul Rudd has been in?  I haven't watched a lot of things that feature him, honestly. I've only seen him on Friends and I loved him as Mike on there.

What room of your house (or otherwise) are you in?  My bedroom. I need to quarantine here for a few more days before I set myself free.

Do you know how to play the card game Skip-Bo?  I've never heard of that.

What was the last thing to annoy you? My sister being so boisterous when she was playing her Resident Evil game last Friday night. She was screaming and exclaiming and groaning every few seconds and it was making me jump every time cos I never knew when she was going to make noise next and how loud she was going to be.

Who is your favorite comedian?  I haven't watched much of Sindhu Vee's bits but in the stuff I've seen of hers so far, whether stand-up or interviews, she seems like such a smart person. I'd love to listen to her tell her whole life story.

What are some names you like that start with the first letter of your name?  Rachel, Renee, Rose, Rosie.

When is the next time you’ll be in a pool or body of water?  Might be in December.

[oraclekleo]

Hi Kleo! Since you’re answering questions today, and I’m in a procrastinating mood, I have a couple 👀

1) what kind of food do you like to cook vs. eat? And the kind you don’t like as much?

2) do you think anyone can become good at tarot? If I wanted to start practicing what would you recommend?

3) what are the readings you’re the best at in your opinion? And the ones you like the most?

That’s it for this interview, thank you so much! 🙈

Hello!

Happy procrastinating to you 😁

I think I like most of the meals I can cook. I rarely cook something I wouldn't like myself. My favourite meals are the simple and quick ones. I love to indulge in cooking and baking once in a while but most of the times I'm really lazy and I cook with as minimum effort as possible and I have mastered the super fast dinner prep by now. I love all sorts of stir fry variations. I eat mostly chicken breasts for meat so it's usually that + onion + some veg + soy or oyster sauce (or both) + spices and rice or noodles with it. If I'm not in a mood for Asian style, I will go for Italian(ish) type of meal. Like my shortcut versions of pasta bolognese or carbonara. 😁 I don't really like local cuisine, Czech cuisine. It's just a bit bland for me.

Absolutelly anyone can start, practice and learn tarot. It's all about intuition and intuition is like any muscle in your body, the more you flex it, the stronger it becomes. You don't even have to be spiritual type of person. My sister is one of the least spiritual people I know (and Czech Republic is famous for being very atheistic country) and I still gave her a deck of tarot cards and she use them once in while. You can get yourself a deck and just start. Your way, under your conditions, on your pace. Don't let others to tell you how to walk your tarot path. If you want some tips, yes, I can give you as many as you want and you can search online for inspiration but it's really about your personal approach, about what feels most comfortable for you. I think the most important advice I would give is to pick a deck that truly speaks to you. I don't have the RWS tarot deck till this day because the imagery doesn't speak to me. It's the most popular design but I don't have it in my collection. So make sure you pick a deck that's aligned with you (preferably coming with guidebook for a start) and not a deck you see others using.

😂😂 I don't know... I think I have the most fun with the hot and dark types of readings like the Kinky reading. Those are the ones I actually find entertaining doing. I think I'm pretty good at personal readings, too as I have a lot of positive feedback on these but the spicy readings are my favourite. Which is a paradox because I'm 32 year old virgin, I have never even dated anyone and I have no intention to start. Despite that I'm pretty open minded and curious on the theoretical level so I enjoy these types of readings. While I like use Jung's teachings in these spicy readings I wander into the more of a Freudian territory. 😁

Thank you so much for your little interview. I hope my answers satisfy you and don't hesitate to ask follow up questions. Also if you need some particular advice on how to start with tarot, I'm here to answer anything. 💝

Kleo 🦄

[qforqazaq]

Thanks for the reference @tomirida - good to know someone remembers my work although it's been 4 years

I second everything that's written except for a few comments:

The part with the tea isn't true for everywhere: as someone from Atyrau, we don't like when the tea cup isn't actually full - it's quite annoying to constantly ask for a refill, while in Aktobe it is indeed considered to be the most respected way to serve tea.

There's an alarming trend of some people getting into the doctrines of Salafi/Wahabi Islam bordering religious fanaticism especially in the Western and Southern part of the country. Other than that, Kazakhs do really blend Islamic traditions with Turkic/Tengrism customs which is much better for the national integrity imo

Kazakhs really do love their toasts, and do not shy away from practically harassing their children into saying toasts in front of guests in any possible occasion - probably every child at least of my generation has a PTSD in one form or another, recalling the sheer fear of speaking to a huge crowd of relatives. Oh, and making them sing or recite a poem of sorts in front of everyone has always been on the table for the family entertainment too :'D

The part about incorporating traditional elements in the clothing is very true and it's evolving too - a few years ago it's only been adding some ornaments to a piece of clothing, while this Nauryz in particular I've seen a lot of people wearing a taqiya (that's a hat), and some jewellery like earrings with traditional Kazakh design and sholpy (they look like coins on thin chained strings that are tied to hair). There are many other elements of jewellery which became popular but I'm not an expert so have no idea how many of those are called.

The Golden Man for sure made the Saka tribes the most prominent ethnic group among many of our ancestors. There's a whole legend recited by Herodotus on the Saka queen Tomiris and her confrontation against the Persian king Cyrus the Great. Check it out on Google. Also, a friend of mine, Madibek Musabekov, published his own comic book called Golden Warrior following the plot of that legend but with a fantasy twist with some family drama into it. It is only available in Russian and Kazakh, you can check out the first chapter in Russian for free here

Also, is it too obvious to say that our cuisine isn't based on rice? And we don't eat with chopsticks. In general, we don't associate ourselves with East Asians or any other Asians for that matter. Even among Central Asians we probably only consider Kyrgyz people as our closest relatives due to the many similarities in the language, culture, common Soviet past and, well, Kazakh-Kyrgyz families are not uncommon. The whole issue of "who we think we are and who we'd like associate ourselves with" is the whole other topic for discussion, because being "Russian-speaking (mostly) Asian-looking people with Turkic roots, nomadic heritage and very mixed genetics who are also pagan Muslims stuck in-between two hegemonies" isn't very easy to say the least - in short, it's complicated.

I hope this addition helps in some way.

Fell free to throw some other questions, I'll try to answer if I'll have the time.

Cheers

I have a question for Kazakh people

I have a question for Kazakh people, i hope you answer it!!

I'm writing a Kazakh character. I found the name ''Arma'' years ago, which I think means ''dream'' or related to that. I found other meanings from other cultures too. But I always imagined the character as Kazakh. My question is, can you use Arma as a real name? or is it just a word?

And do you have any recommendations for how to write a more accurate Kazakh character? What would you want to see from a Kazakh character?

(the story is placed in a fictional country, that has people from different cultures from our world.)

[dragon-kazansky]

Made with love | Helmut Zemo

Chef Zemo AU! 👨‍🍳

Gender neutral reader

Collage by @realremyd

Huge thank you to @rumblelibrary for helping me out with this chapter!

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

Part 5

Wanda basically threw you out after breakfast. You were at Escorpión Morado bright and early. The restaurant wasn't open for another hour yet.

It was as if he had been waiting for you. The moment you reached the door, Zemo opened them and let you in. He was smiling at you instantly.

"Morning."

"Good morning."

You smile back and let him lock up again before he leads you into the back. He lets you put your things down and takes you into the kitchen.

There's no one about. Just the two of you.

Suddenly you're feeling rather nervous.

On the counter is everything you needed for today, but Zemo ignored all of that as he brought in some coffee for you. You smiled as he handed over the cup, his fingers brushing against yours. You tried not to let it show that the little touch had affected you.

He had done it on purpose, not that he would tell you that. He just wanted an excuse to touch you a little. Zemo's way of flirting was less obvious sometimes.

He smiles that charming smile at you.

"I'm glad you agreed to help," he says, smile not once faltering.

"You're hard to say no to."

He likes that answer. He chuckles and sips his coffee.

"What are we making?"

"Paella! A proper paella."

"A proper paella?"

"A good paella takes a couple hours to make. I have everything I need, we just have to make it. I'm going to teach you how to cook like a chef," he winks at you.

"When is he coming?"

"This afternoon. That's why I asked you here so early."

"I don't mind. I'm happy to help, though I'm not sure how helpful I'll actually be," you offer and awkward smile. You feel out of place in his kitchen.

His kitchen. This was his domain. Helmut knew it inside and out. He knew every corner. He knew where every utensil lived, every pot and pan, every herb and spice. This was his kingdom and he had let you in.

It felt like an honour to be here.

"Should we start?" You ask, looking at the items he had set out. You felt rather intimidated.

Zemo glances up at the clock.

"Not yet. We have time."

"Alright, I trust you," you smile softly.

"Good. I have one condition while you're in my kitchen."

"What is it?" You felt even more nervous now.

"You have to call me chef. It's the only name I have in here," he grins, mischievously.

Your face felt warm.

"Yes, chef," you say, almost shyly.

"That's more like it," he says, sipping more of the delicious coffee he had made.

You had no idea how you were going to survive in here. With the constant concentration you would be putting in, to the way he looked at you, and now calling him chef, you're not sure your heart could handle it all. It felt as if there was a spell over you and you couldn't break it.

When you had both finished your coffee, he took the cups and put them to the side. He disappeared for a moment, only to return with aprons in hand. He smiles as be holds one out to you. You take it and put it on.

"Are you ready to make something so delicious, you'll never want to eat anything else again?" He asks, chuckling.

"That's quite the statement, chef."

For now he will pretend you actually calling him that wasn't sending his heart soaring and his mind racing. Instead he will act as normally as he can as he spends these next few hours with you.

"It's the truth. Until you have tried a real paella, you haven't experienced anything," he winks at you.

Helmut preps the paella pan.

"I've prepped everything, we just have to cook it."

"I've never cooked paella before," you tell him, looking at him in worry.

"Don't panic, I'm right here. I'll guide you."

That smile he gives you reassures you. You're in good hands.

He pours in the olive oil and sprinkles salt in a circle around the edge of the pan. He's smiling as he does it. You should be watching his cooking, but your eyes are drawn to his face instead. You could look at him for hours.

He knows you're looking. He can feel your eyes on him. He turns his head slightly, eyes flicking to you. His smile becomes a smirk as he meets your gaze.

You become flustered.

"The chicken and rabbit, if you would," he nods over to where meat was waiting.

You hand them over. He pops them into the pan with a flourish and looks at you with a little grin.

"We're going to brown the meat, so in the meantime, tell me what you and your friend have been up to."

"She took me bowling yesterday. She used to go with her brother."

"Ah yes, I know where she took you. I've never actually been."

"No?"

"No. I have spent a majority of my life in a kitchen," he chuckles. The sound makes you smile.

"I can believe that. Have you always wanted to be a chef?"

"Yes. Ever since I was a boy. I take pride in what I do. If it's not perfect, it doesn't get served, and nothing I have ever made has never not been perfect."

You smile as he grins at you. Those are easy words to believe.

"I wish I could cook like you."

"You could if you learnt how."

"I never seem to have the time to learn," you say, softly. He glances at you, seeing a longing look in your eyes as you look at the meat in the pan.

"Would you like a go at turning them? They need to be brown on both sides."

"Uh, sure."

"Don't worry, I'll be right here."

You take over from him. Zemo stands so close next to you, eyes on the food as you turn the meat over. You're so very aware of how close he is to you. You're doing everything you can to keep focused on the cooking.

After 20 minutes pass by, he takes over again. He pushes all the meat the sides of the pan and nods over to the green beans he had prepped earlier.

"Could you pass me those, please?"

You nod and hand them over. He puts them into it the centre of the pan, right in the middle of the ring of chicken and rabbit.

He sautès them.

"I could teach you to cook. Honestly. It would be my pleasure to be your teacher."

"That's a nice offer, but I'm here with Wanda. I should spend as much time as possible with her."

"Except, you're here now," he smirks.

"Well, yeah... you asked me here."

"And I'm asking you again."

"I'll have to go back home at some point. How much could you teach me in just a few days?"

He looks you in the eye.

"A lot, but what if you didn't go home. What if you stayed here. You could find a home in Sokovia, I could see you every day."

You look away with a chuckle.

"I would say you're crazy."

"Somebody has to be. Without crazy people, nothing would get done. If you go home, I'll be left here missing you."

"You would miss me?"

"Of course I would. You're special."

He says this without looking at you, concentrating on the cooking, but you knew he meant it. It was the way he said it.

Helmut adds garlic and then butter beans.

"This already looks so good," you say, smiling at the both the look and scent of the food.

"Wait until it's finished."

It feels a shame to know this was for Tony Stark. You would love nothing more than to dig in to this paella yourself.

"Would you like the honours of adding the paprika?"

You nod and add it to his instructions. You add the crushed tomatoes and watch as he mixes everything together.

Now he adds the water. Being the professional he is, he knows exactly the ratio to add. He has very obviously done this many times before. You're almost mesmerized by him.

He lets it simmer.

"If you did move here, you wouldn't have to worry about a job. You would be very welcome in my restaurant."

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" You look at him.

"Sí."

You smile softly.

"I can't just up and leave everything."

"Do you have someone waiting for you back home?" He asks, avoiding looking at you. It would make sense to him that you would have. He should have checked before hand, because now he feels a fool.

"No."

Nevermind. He's over the moon.

"Then why are you hesitating?"

"Because I don't know what I would do here. You're offering me a job, you're asking me to move out here. You don't even really know me. I'm just someone you met last year while on my holiday."

"I know enough about you to know you're special and magnificent. I know enough to like you. I would hate to say goodbye not knowing when or if you would return."

"I've really made an impact on you, haven't I?"

"Sí," he grins at you again.

"Since you're being so honest with me, then I suppose it's only fair I'm honest with you."

"Please."

"You have also made an impact on me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we met. I'm in love with your food, your restaurant. I admire everything you have done to keep your father's business alive. I love your country and want nothing more than to stay."

"So stay."

"I... I don't think I can."

He looks back at the food, lowering the heat to let it simmer some more. He thought he was so close to having you, but perhaps it's just not meant to be.

"Can't blame a man for trying."

You hate the way he sounded so defeated. It didn't suit him at all.

"Helmut..."

"Ah ah, what did I say?" He looks at you, turning that confidence back on.

"Chef, right."

"Yes. I only have one name in my kitchen, remember it."

Helmut adds the rice to perfection. He puts down the wooden spoon, that he had used to mix everything, and stands over it. Now it's all about the heat.

Zemo glances at you. You're looking at the pan. He uses your distraction as a moment to admire you.

You're so beautiful. So stunning.

He wants you to stay so badly. It's so very selfish of him, but he wants it. He's not prepared to let you go, not when he wants to see you every single day, speak to you every single day, teach you, work with you, be around you every single day.

You're something so special and this chef is so worried he will lose you.

You're looking at him. He turns his head quickly to adjust the heat.

He knows the exact moment it's done.

"This is a paella," he says, smiling down at the finished project. You smile at it. It smells wonderful.

Before you can day anything, Sam enters the kitchen.

"It's almost time."

Looking up at the clock, you hadn't noticed how much time had passed. Helmut had cute a lot of the time off by preparing the ingredients before hand, but cooking the paella took up quite a bit of time.

"You make sure the table is perfect, Sam. We will bring out the rest momentarily."

Sam nods and heads back out front. You removes your apron, placing it next to Helmut's on the counter and watch as he sorts himself out.

"How do I look?" He asks, looking at you.

"Handsome as always, chef."

He grins, winking at you. He swipes at your cheek quickly, brushing away something you couldn't see. He won't tell you there wasn't anything there, he just wanted an excuse to touch you in some way.

"Shall we?"

"You want me to come with you?" You ask, shocked me would even want you there.

"Of course. We did this together, we should see it through together."

You smile.

Helmut holds out his hand. You take it. It's bigger than yours, warm too. He leads you out front.

Tony Stark enters the building with another man. They both look around the place. You both stop to greet them near the entrance. Zemo doesn't let go of your hand as he smiles at the two men.

"Welcome to Escorpión Morado. I am Helmut Zemo, the owner and the chef," he smiles as introduces himself.

"We've met, but this Stephen Strange. He's investing in my restaurant. Who is this?" Stark turns to you.

Zemo let's go of your hand in favour of placing it on your back as he smiles at you.

"This is Y/N, a dear friend of mine who has helped me prepare your meal for the day."

Tony looks you up and down.

"This way, if you would." Sam guides the two men to the table that been set up specifically for them. With a nod from Sam, Zemo goes back into the kitchen to fetch the paella. Sam serves them drinks.

You stand there, looking between them both.

Both men a wearing expensive looking suits, and they smell expensive too. It seems strange to you that these two men are opening a restaurant. They didn't come off as the foodie types... more businessmen.

Sure, owning a restaurant is half business, but it should also be full of passion, love and life. It's more than just business.

"Does he pay you well?"

"I'm sorry?" You look at Stark.

"Does he pay well?"

"I, uh... I don't work for him. I'm just helping him today."

"Do you cook?"

"Not on this scale."

"At least you're good looking," he sighs, looking at you over the frame of his shades.

Sam clears his throat, looking at you. You find yourself moving to stand next to him. He smiles softly at you, so you smile back, silently thanking him.

Helmut returns.

Stark and Strange watch as places the paella pan on the table and stands back.

"What's this?"

You frown. How could he not recognise such an iconic dish. Even if you hadn't been travelling around Europe last year, you would know how to recognise a paella.

"Paella. A real paella. Dig in."

"From the pan?"

"No other way to eat it. This is traditionally how paella is eaten. You'll enjoy it."

Stark and Strange look at each other.

They dig in.

"Make sure to get some of the socarrat from the bottom. It's delicious!"

You smile at the way he encourages them, but neither man looks impressed.

Helmut stands with you and Sam as the two gentleman eat.

The seconds tick by incredibly slowly. The two men look at one another as they eat. There's a silent conversation taking place, you can feel Zemo becoming nervous the longer it goes on. You reach out and brush your hand with his. He looks down at your hands, taking yours in his softly.

You offer him a smile.

Both men stand from the table, you both turn to look at them, burrowing your brow at them. They dab at their mouths with their fancy handkerchiefs and turn to you.

"Well, that's something anyway. Good to know we don't have much competition around here. Thank you for your time, we shall be on our way now."

Stark drops an envelope on the table.

You can feel Zemo's hand grip yours a bit tighter now. He's angry.

Both men make their leave without saying anything more. Once they cross the threshold, Zemo storms off into the kitchen without a word.

"Helmut!"

He doesn't look back.

Glancing at Sam, he nods at you. You hurry after Zemo, but stop when you reach the door. Crashing sounds come from within. An angry yell. Things clattering to the floor.

You push open the door quickly.

Helmut pushes everything off the countertops, throwing dishes at the wall. He grips his hair with one hand, messing up the neat style it had previously been resting in.

"Mierda!"

You would find his Spanish endearing if not for the word itself, or the fact he was beyond angry.

Tony Stark had insulted him in the worst way possible.

"Helmut..."

He stops, back turned to you. He runs a hand down his face, using the other one to hold his weight as he leans against the nearest counter.

"He's wrong. You are competition. No food compares to what you make, and I'm not just saying that. He will never be able to make anything that compares to anything you make. Do you know how I know? Because you make your food with love. You enjoy every dish you put out. You make your own food in your own restaurant."

He doesn't say anything, just listens.

"Tony Stark has nothing compared to Helmut Zemo, and soon he will see that."

Zemo turns around slowly. He looks at you. All rage melts from his eyes when they land on you. He sighs softly.

"Thank you."

You smile.

He doesn't smile back, but you know he is truly grateful.

Sam enters the kitchen, the envelope from before now open in his hand. You look at him, taking in the expression on his face.

"I think you'll want to read this."

"What is it?" Helmut asks.

"An invitation."

You share a look with Zemo. Suddenly a cold sweat runs down your back. Dread fills every bone in your body.

Helmut steps forward and takes it from Sam.

You wait as he silently reads it.

He looks up at you.

"We're invited to dinner."

@namethathasnotbeentaken @belle82devart @cathrin2405 @lieutenantn @wilder-fangirl @latenightartist-author @lucky-luck-lucky @hb8301 @charistory @thatoneartgalsstuff @thesuitkovian @malkaviangirl @zemosimp420 @realremyd @the-chaotic-cow @lostghostgirl94 @zafiro-draco @lazygurl05 @pinkcutiepiee @goddessofmischief03 @whovianayesha @myybebe @awesomesauce-abbie @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @zemo-is-my-muse @nonamec0s @apparrio @scuttle-buttle @alex-the-nb @my-blood-is-maple-syrup

[terubakudan]

This may be an old article from 3 years ago, but these cultural aspects/observations still apply even today. And though this is strictly a Chinese perspective, a lot of these everyday life bits are observed in Overseas Chinese communities in countries such as The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. as well as countries heavily influenced by Chinese culture like Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.

I've always liked learning about other cultures and making comparisons between how things are done East vs West. Which probably stems from growing up with two cultures and Mom raising me on American movies xD

So the irony is if you asked me how many Chinese, Taiwanese, or Hong Kong actors I know, chances are I know as much as you do xD Like Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, and that's about it. But if you asked me about Western (specifically American and British) actors, then I have a useless brain dump of movie trivia and who was with who in what movie xD

Hmmm, both Taiwan and the Philippines are two distinct cultures but both look up to a certain country and are fascinated by that. In Taiwan's case, Japan and the US for the Philippines. In both cases, this is due to being under the rule of those countries in their history. Taiwan being under Japan for 50 years, and the Philippines being under Spain for 300+ years, followed by periods of American and Japanese rule. To put it simply though:

Taiwan is "mini-Japan with a very Chinese culture".

The Philippines is "former colony of Spain with lots of American influences".

But unlike the author, I've never set foot in any Western country, so my understandings are strictly what I've observed in media, which while it can be accurate, doesn't compare to actually experiencing the culture.

Some further elaboration on most points:

#1 We quite literally use chopsticks for everything. We use it to pick rice, viands, vegetables, fruit, smaller desserts, almost all the food you can think of.

But where do you put your chopsticks when you're not using them? Just put them on top of your bowl or flat on your plate. But do not ever stick them vertically. It's taboo, since it looks like incense sticks, which we use to pray for those who have passed, like our ancestors or during funerary services.

#3 The majority of Asia is obsessed with fair/white skin. In my time at the Philippines, I grew up watching all these Dove Whitening commercials and my classmates often commented on how fair my skin was, how they envied it etc. In Taiwan, girls often say they don't want to 變黑 (biàn hēi) 'become dark'. Japan and Korea too are not innocent of this either (if their beauty/skin products weren't a dead giveaway).

People here at Taiwan often mistake me for being from Hong Kong or Japan (as long as I don't speak Mandarin with my heavy accent xD). A Taiwanese classmate of mine joked that she often gets mistaken for being from Southeast Asia due to having a darker complexion. And while I laughed it off with her at that time, looking back, I now realize she was lowkey being racist. xD

And believe me Filipinas have mentioned literally being told 'your skin is so dark' here in Taiwan, or being given backhanded compliments like 'you're pretty despite having dark skin' and...*facepalms*

My point is, beauty is not exclusive to skin color. People who still think that are assholes.

#5 Not to say we don't have salt and pepper, but yes soy sauce and vinegar are the classic condiments you see on the table, be it at home or at a restaurant.

And if I may add, Taiwanese love their pepper. xD If you ever get to eat at a night market or a smaller "Mom n' Pop-style" restaurant here, some dishes/soups tend to add quite an excessive amount of pepper. Not like anthills, but quite liberally and way more than average. Enough that you see traces of pepper at the bottom of the food paper bag or swirling in your soup. xD

#6 I know this all too well from personal experience. In my years of studying at Taiwan, I always had roommates. 3 in my first school (I graduated high school in the Philippines pre K-12 so I had to make up 2 years of Senior High), followed by 2 in college, with the exception of 1 in freshman year.

My college did offer single person dorms but at around 9000 NTD ($324) per month compared to around 6000 NTD ($216) per semester. Because I wanted to save, the choice was obvious for me xD. But ah, this doesn't mean I don't value personal space, in fact I love having the room to myself, and since both my roomies would go home to their families every weekend, weekends were bliss for me xD

And you don't have to be friends with your roommates (that's an added bonus however), you just have to get along with them. I was quite lucky to have really great roommates all throughout my schooling years.

#9 In the Philippines, we do. Owing mostly to American influences and maybe being predominantly Catholic? xD

#10 *sigh* Chinese parents and parents from similar Asian cultures tend to put too much emphasis on grades, so much that kids could get sent to cram school as early as elementary. This is because what school you get into could literally affect your future job opportunities, and while that's not exclusive to any particular country/culture, I feel it's especially pronounced here in Asia. I'm really lucky my own parents weren't that strict about it. However, if your parents don't point the mistakes out to you, chances are you'll do it yourself, if you're an Asian kid like me anyway. xD It just becomes a habit.

#11 My family is an exception to this. xD We do say 'I love you' directly, but complete with the 'ah eat well ok?', 'don't scrimp on food', 'sleep well' and similar indirect words/actions of affection. We were doing 'Conceal, Don't Feel' before it became popular. xD

#13 I'm kind of confused about this but this has sort have changed over the years in which eye-contact is now more encouraged. But don't stare, especially at elders and authority figures. Sometimes it's just shyness though. xD And I've observed this with my own Taiwanese friend, especially when I'm complaining or ranting to her about something. xD I'm a person who likes to express my opinions strongly, which tends to scare/alienate some of the locals here, as doing so is kind of frowned upon. Thankfully, she does listen and offers her take on things.

#14 Ah this. xD In the Philippines, this is a common greeting known as beso-beso, and I freaked out too when an auntie did that to me. xD Needless to say, Mom lectured me later on what that was. ^^"

#16 Along with #3 another crazy beauty standard. In my view, people always look better with a little meat on them and when they're not horribly thin. Asia still has a loonng way to go with accepting different types of bodies if you ask me. This combined with modern beauty standards has made the pressure for women especially to 'look beautiful' higher than ever.

I know many people love them but please, starving yourself or glorifying eating disorders is never OK just to get this kind of 'ideal' body. I'm not part of the Kpop fandom, but even I think when idols get bullied just for gaining the least bit of weight among other insensitive comments, that's really going too far.

#17 'If you want to make friends, go eat.' <- I couldn't agree more. In the Philippines we have a greeting: 'Kumain ka na ba?' (Have you eaten?) . Similarly in Taiwan, we have 吃飯了沒? (chī fàn le méi), both of these can mean that in the literal sense but are often used as greetings instead. By then which invitation to having lunch/dinner together may or may not follow. Food really is a way for us to socialize and to catch up with what's going on in each other's lives. Not to say we don't have regular outings like going out to the mall, going shopping, etc. but eating together is a huge part of our culture, be it with family or friends.

And while I'm at it, some memes that are way too accurate good to pass up xD

Parents, uncles, aunties alike will fight over the bill xD

Alternatively:

You just space out until your name is called xD

My parents are guilty of the last one. Logic how? xD

#18 True. xD I like giving compliments out to people but I have a hard time accepting them myself, though I've learnt how to accept them much more now than before. We're kind of raised to constantly downplay ourselves so we often say things like 'ah no no' or 'I'm really not that good'. The downside of this of course is that it can come off as somewhat fake. xD

Again from personal experience, that same classmate who made the lowkey racist remark, she was good, she was on the debate team, was a honor student, knew how to mingle with people, but she downplayed herself way too much, while praising me but I honestly thought that she never really meant it from how she treated me. She wanted to keep me around her yet make backhanded compliments at me and she didn't want me socializing with my other classmate who is now my friend. *sigh* It was only after discussing this with one of my roomies did I realize how this 'excessive downplaying' might come off to people like me who more or less grew up with a more 'Westernized' mindset. I'm not saying brag about your achievements but don't be overly humble about them either, which can also be a turn off.

#20 We do tend to be a lot more realistic on how we view things, neither entirely optimistic nor pessimistic. We try to think of things practically and often analyze things on pure logic. A downside of this however, is that Chinese people can be overly practical. Taiwanese for instance don't like to 'find inconveniences' and generally keep to themselves, meaning, they won't help you in your hour of need even when they do have the capabilities. Sounds really harsh I know, but in my 6 years of living in Taiwan, while this doesn't apply to all the people, a lot of them really do only find/talk to you when they need something.

So for some people saying Taiwanese are 'friendly', that's BS xD If you ask me, Filipinos are infinitely more friendly, and again while not all, generally make more of an effort to help you when you need it. I really felt more of a real sense of community during my years growing up in the Philippines compared to Taiwan.

#21 Children do tend to stay with their parents well into college and adulthood, since Chinese families are indeed very family-oriented, in a lot of cases, grandparents often live under the same roof as us as well! And it really does save a lot of money. I see there's a real stigma in the US when it comes to "living with your parents", but that's starting to change especially because of Covid and having more and more people move back in with their parents.

Housing unfortunately is pretty much hella expensive no matter where you go, and Taiwan is no exception. Steep housing prices and the very high cost of raising a child (schooling + buxiban fees, etc.) contribute to a very low birth rate and thus an aging population like Japan. It's not uncommon to see both parents working in Taiwan.

#23 I'm an overthinker myself, but I totally agree with the author that the best is to strike a good balance between these two. Which I guess is why I love drawing or any other related creative attempts, it helps me be more spontaneous or well, creative! I like to remain intellectually or artistically inspired.

#24 Is French high school really like that? xD My friend did watch SKAM France and more or less got a culture shock from what was depicted on the show. I can confirm however that most high schools both in the Philippines and Taiwan require students to wear a uniform, only in college is everybody free to wear casual/civilian clothes.

#26 Ah this is part of our Asian gift-giving etiquette xD We always open gifts later after the event/meeting and in private. Never open them in front of the person who gave it to you or in front of others. This is to prevent any 'shame/embarrassment' that may result both to yourself and to the gift giver. I know this may come off as something weird since some people may want a more honest response or immediate feedback when it comes to gift-giving, but that's just how it is in our culture. You're always free to ask us though (in private) if we liked the gift or not ^^"

#28 I want to say the same goes to drinking, partying, and drugs however xD Those are things which are still frowned upon in our culture. And to be honest, whenever I see those in movies, it does kind of turn me off xD It doesn't mean that we're "uncool" or "boring", we just think that there are much better or healthier ways of "having fun".

#31 Is this true in France?! Man I would kind of prefer that instead of people being on their phones all the time xD This kind of goes with #20 in that Chinese are overly practical or logical, and don't read fiction as much as nonfiction. My Taiwanese friend is an exception though, she's a bibliophile who loves the feel of paper books compared to e-books, and it's a trait of her that I like a lot. Both the Philippines and Taiwan however have a huge fanbase when it comes to manga and anime though.

I'm all for reading outside of "designated reading" at schools especially. Reading fiction improves your vocabulary too, and can be quite fun! It helps you imagine and really invest in a world/story, and if you ask me something that I feel Westerners are better at, they're more in touch with their emotions and creativity, and are thus much more able to write compelling or original stories. Believe me, I've seen a fair amount of Chinese movies that rip off Western movie plotlines xD

#33 Nothing much to add on here..except that since I'm a "weird" person, Mom often jokes that she got the wrong baby from the hospital. xD

#35 True. While I agree with the care and concern that your fellow community can give you, the downside of this is we tend to only hang out with our own people, e.g Chinese with Chinese, Taiwanese with Taiwanese, etc. I've seen too that it's especially hard to make friends in Japan and Korea as a foreigner. Not only is there the language barrier, but the differences in culture too. In a way, Asians can be pretty close-minded on getting to know other cultures or actually making friends with people from other countries. I know this all too well being half-Taiwanese/half-Filipino, being neither "Filipino" enough nor "Taiwanese" enough. xD It's more of people here being too used to what they're comfortable with.

#36 Oh this is something I feel that Chinese students and other students from similar cultures should really improve on. xD How will people respect you if you don't speak your mind?

I felt bad especially for my Spanish teacher in college, granted it was an introductory course (Spanish I and II) but the amount of times that our teacher had to prompt a student to recite/speak even with clear hints already made her (and me too) extremely frustrated. The thing is, these are college students, I personally feel they don't have any reason to be so shy of speaking and technically by not doing so they're slowing the pace of the class too much and a lot of time is wasted.

Unfortunately you can't always be very vocal with your thoughts and opinions in most Asian cultures. I would say strive for that, but at the same time, play your cards well, especially if you're in a workplace setting.

If you made it to the end, thank you for reading and here's a cookie! 🍪 I'm not perfect and there's bound to be something I missed so please let me know if you spotted anything wrong. Feedback/questions are very much welcome and please feel free to share about your country/culture's differences or similarities!

[cheesey-rice]

tag meme from @spookfished hiiiii ~\o,

Relationship Status: I'm very committed to hanging out with my cat recently

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Food: Chicken katsu, 蛋炒饭, banana bread, and, obvi, Cheese on Rice

Song Stuck in My Head: I went to a Ricky Montgomery concert recently, so we're on Mr Loverman hours...

Last Thing You Googled: "koi fish throw blanket" I'm making a make-shift kotatsu table.

Time: I got tagged yesterday but I'm going through my ask box now ^^. It's 12:51 in the afternoon and I'm about to do lunch. I might heat up some left over pizza or make a chickpea salad, we'll see.

Dream Trip: I'm honestly terrified of traveling right now because I'm worried about stressing out my cat. I think my dream is for my friends to take a trip out to where I am and they ooh and aah at how nice I've made my shitty little apartment spaces and then we play Mahjong and they eat some fried chicken I make for them <3.

Last Thing You Read: Hmm... what counts? I think the most recent book I picked up was Daniel Tudor's "Korea: The Impossible Country." Although I think I was also reading a paper about the activation of the complement system in the secondary injury cascade that occurs after spinal cord injury. Does reading Spookedfished's answers to these questions count because that's definitely technically the most recent alsdfjsdf.

Last Book You Enjoyed Reading: This is also hard. My enjoyment of reading comes in phases and depends a lot on how recently I took my medication. I guess the book that's on my nightstand for leisure reading right now is Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Favorite Thing to Cook/Bake: 蛋炒饭 to cook, banana bread to bake

Favorite Craft to do in Your Freetime: What I've come to understand about myself is that I don't really enjoy practicing hobbies, I like accomplishing tasks. So, like, I don't like doing crafts, I like having Made Crafts, if that makes sense. The biggest rush for me is finishing animation or writing projects, but they take a lot of time investment. Recently I've been braiding string together to make thicker string that I can tie 结 with. Also putting together furniture, I did that lot yesterday.

Most Niche Dislike: Also misinterpretations of obscure korean webnovel omniscient readers viewpoint <3... Oh maybe its not as niche if I copy your answer spookfished 0_0;.

Opinion on Circuses: I don't remember if I've been to one or not. I might've, but my memory of circuses might also be completely constructed from watching Madagascar 3 on roadtrips as a kid. I think they seem nice, I'd like to go with friends.

Do You Have Any Sense of Direction: It takes me a second to figure out new places, but I'd say I'm average. I tend to use Google Maps.

tagging @jamwich and @trans-axolotl because I feel like you guys like being tagged in stuff like this. also bestie mutuals u know who you are if you wanna do this and say i tagged you <333.

[illuminatingnun]

7. 12. 2021

Exam season is upon us and is crushing me like nothing else. I've already had two exams and passed both of them (destrezas de español and Women and Private life in Antique Greece) and have one from Chapters of artesanal crafts next week. ft. fried rice with broccoli and pickled ginger.

Because I didn't have time to do this these past few days, the answers are under the cut. Take care🌱

Day twenty:

Give yourself some love today! Post a picture of yourself or your favourite outfit and tell us five things you love about yourself!

Uhhhh I don't like to share pics of myself but I really love this one (taken by a friend):

Počúvadlo in winter ft my pipe

Well, five things - I can sleep anywhere, I can cook and bake pretty decently and that makes me happy, I can do some crafts, I try hard to be good enough and a little vanity at the end - I really like the way I look in historical clothing

Day twenty-one:

Do you ever question your worth? What do you do to get out of this mindset? Do you feel like questioning your worth is a universal feeling?

I do, just as I think that everyone does at some point. The older I get, the less I do it, thought. I've slowly come to realize that are many way one can look at themselves and see their worth. Hell, when my mother was my age, she had finished uni, was expecting me and lived a fully independent life. My grandmothers - one had the red diplom (meaning she had the best grades and was very successful in academia) and the other had lived a truly moved life, left her home country, was married, had children, and already had been on her own for almost five years. And I sit here, happy that finally found a job, am mostly healthy and can study without any familial obligations. And even if I wasn't doing anything - my worth doesn't come from my grades, from my looks or anything. I live, I breathe, I laugh and cry - I'm a human, a living being, and that alone gives me worth that cannot be taken from me.

Oh and I just make some tea (tea is always the answer), mentally slap myself, eat something, take a shower and go the heck to sleep.

Day twent-two:

Where do you feel most at peace?

On the flood barrage by my village - during autumn evenings it's beautiful, you can see the river and lake, the fields and wild geese fly overhead. It's quiet and the air is gently biting and I feel untouchable, as if I were in my own private bubble of "grandmother's summer".

Day twenty-three:

Do you feel like there are certain books whether classics or otherwise, that you just don't "get"? Share your unpopular book or reading opinions.

Uhhhh Lazarillo. Good lord. I'm starting to hate it every day more. Same goes for Celestina, but I hated that one from start.

But also, I believe it's good and necessary to read fucked-up and disgusting books. If nothing else, they make you think and looking into yourself. Tbh I don't have much to say and have basically no energy and a lot of stuff to do

Day twenty-four:

Send love to your top three favourite study or book blogs, and write down something you love about each of them!

Okay, I'm not very social in this group (but would love to be!!! So feel free to interact more or just shoot me a message), so I will only name two (and for both of you - for some reason you feel very comforting??):

@the---hermit - I love your consistency and motivation, as such I look up to you

@mossy-studies - konečne dakto od nás and that makes me unbelievably happy

Day twenty-five:

What mindset do you put yourself in to be the most successful version of yourself? What mantras do you tell yourself to find motivation?

Usually it's just a deep breath and the realisation that if I don't do it now, it will come and bite me in the ass sooner or later. To be honest, at this time in my life I'm just trying to push through and do my best.