Word: zen
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...ideas behind them). On the contrary, language encourages a linguistic survival-of-the-fittest. If a foreign idea is so nuanced as to not have an English translation, we English speakers will often adopt the non-English word as our own. Consider the Chinese word “Zen.” While Americans may not understand its historical origin or its literal denotation, most can and do go ahead and use it anyway without searching for an English counterpart. And, just as English words like “blujin” breathe fresh life into Spanish...
...sushi are modern and often fusion inventions, many of them created to suit foreign tastes. A kaiseki banquet consists of multiple elaborate minicourses of rare seasonal ingredients, most unknown outside Japan. More than a meal, it's a multidisciplinary feast for the senses. Since it has roots in the Zen tea ceremony, kaiseki encompasses literature, ceramics, ikebana, painting and the art of dinner conversation. It requires some cultural literacy, not to mention deep pockets. It also requires sitting on the floor for hours and decent chopstick skills...
...reluctantly said goodbye, I remembered the Zen mantra ichigo ichie, meaning "one chance, one meeting." In kaiseki, it is the mandate to treat each moment as precious, never to be repeated. At the door, Mrs. Yuki said she hoped to see us again. No matter how often we do, I know each encounter will be the meal of a lifetime...
...raised Zen Buddhist...
...even greater luxury was the thoughtfully pre-warmed toilet seat. Then came a disturbing discovery: Even though the other stalls were occupied, mine was the only one from which pee sounds were audible. All around me, I heard a great Zen-like steam of rushing water, but nary a human tinkle. I stopped mid-stream, overtaken by a sudden case of lavatory fright. In the land of toilets so fancy they sport buttons that manufacture artificial "flushing sounds," I had apparently committed a serious bathroom faux...