Friday, June 13, 2008


What kinds of things embarrass you? I was amused recently to have someone I know describe Japanese seasoned fried bean curd pockets called "Inarizushi-no-moto" as a rather embarrassing/inappropriate body part. While not the most polite way to refer to this delectable treat, anyone who's eaten this dish can attest to the aptness of the description... the anatomy analogy makes it obvious to what food is being referred! Crass, yes, but helpful in getting the point across-- especially since the name is rather long and foreign to non-Japanese speakers! I told the story to others afterwards... and was surprised to have the individual request that I not tell anyone of the opposite sex what was said because it would be too embarrassing. So, herein lies the question of "what is embarrassing?"... it wasn't the story itself, the crassness of the title, the bluntness of the creator, the potentially offended Japanese associates, or even the thoughts of the anatomy involved that chagrined the describer. It was only the idea that someone of the opposite sex was going to hear this story that embarrassed the individual!


Are you more easily embarrassed by things in the presence of the opposite sex? Certain family members? Certain co-workers or peers? What situations are least embarrassing to you, regardless of embarrassing content in discussion or actions? Stories, please, because I'm looking forward to hearing what you all think!

6 comments:

  1. That is funny! I will have to think about that and get back to you with a story! I wanted to let you know too that we changed our website name to threebucksandadoe.blogspot.com so you will want to change your link to our name!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My strangest embarrassing moment: my boyfriend left his wallet at my house and he lived an hour away. I grabbed it and tried to catch up with him, but my cell phone was dead. He went back to my house, but I had his wallet (or maybe I'd left it at home? I can't remember now). We passed twice going back and forth. Like ships, er, cars in the night.

    Okay, I have NO idea why that was so embarrassing that I've never spoken of it since and extracted a vow of silence from him as well, but . . . yeah.

    But knowing me, I'd probably take the time to learn the Japanese name and pretend not to know the translation ;) . (Did you learn Japanese or do you just know the translation of this phrase?)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I get embarrassed easily, and I don't hide it well because I blush so quickly (my ears turn red and feel hot in addition to pink cheeks). I blush when I think people are watching me do something I'm unsure about, and I seem to get more embarrassed in front of my siblings' spouses than just in front of my siblings for some reason.

    I have found, however, that since having a baby, body parts don't embarrass me at all!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Its me again! Sorry! :) I think we are going private with our blog and wanted to get your email address so that way you can still view our blog! You can leave your email as a comment on ours...I have it set up to where I view the comments before they are posted so that way once I get it, I will delete it so it wont show up and the whole world will know! :) Thanks! Natalie

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think it can be an awkward situation when certain parts of the body are brought up in mixed-gender conversations. Case in point, I once made a comment in such a situation about being a large-chested woman and how life must be so much simpler for the flatter-chested. The comment itself didn't cause much awkwardness on my part or on the part of the women in the group; the guys, however, were very ostensibly looking only at the rest of us from chin up.

    I guess the awkwardness from mentioning certain body parts in conversation with the opposite sex comes from the fact that people generally look at whatever it is you're talking about (in any conversation). So talking about a body part that is taboo for others to look at causes some discomfort because no one knows exactly where to look. Especially people who have a hard time holding eye contact.

    That's as far as my thinking takes me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm embarrassed by tripping. I've tripped on stairs a lot in my life, but even so, I still get embarrassed.

    ReplyDelete