●英字新聞社ジャパンタイムズによる英語学習サイト。英語のニュース、よみもの、リスニングなどのコンテンツを無料で提供。無料見本紙はこちら
英語学習サイト ジャパンタイムズ 週刊STオンライン
『The Japan Times ST』オンライン版 | UPDATED: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 | 毎週水曜日更新!   
  • 英語のニュース
  • 英語とエンタメ
  • リスニング・発音
  • ことわざ・フレーズ
  • 英語とお仕事
  • キッズ英語
  • クイズ・パズル
  • 留学・海外生活
  • 英語のものがたり
  • 会話・文法
  • 週刊ST購読申し込み
     時事用語検索辞典BuzzWordsの詳しい使い方はこちら!
カスタム検索
 

U.S. Campus Life

An Afghan winter?

By Masako Yamada


アフガンで冬を越す?

テロ事件後、レストランへの客足は減り、売り上げも落ち込んでいます。その原因は、ぜいたくな料理にお金を使うのはよくないと人々が感じ、多くの人が家で質素な食事をしていることにあるようです。テレビを見ているより、何かをしたいという衝動に駆られ、雅子さんは、自分でパンを焼いたり、編み物をしたりしています。

I've been reading many newspaper and magazine articles of restaurants that have been suffering heavy losses since the Sept. 11 attacks. Even those restaurants that have been doing relatively well have been forced to scale back on their luxury offerings. This is in part because people feel it's wrong to be wasting money on luxury goods in these times, but it's also because people want to feel comforted, not challenged. Instead of cutting-edge cuisine, many prefer a meal of hearty beef stew with mashed potatoes.

These articles report that many are staying home to cook. Indeed, I've had the craving to make basic foods that I normally don't make, such as homemade bread. Apparently, this is not an unusual reaction. Although it's true that some people seek comfort by being in bustling areas with lots of people — thus leading them to restaurants and clubs — many prefer to stay within their homes. Even at home, I'd prefer to move my hands, rather than sit in front of the TV watching CNN all day.

Apparently, stores that sells supplies for arts and crafts have been doing very well lately. Undoubtedly, the sculptors, painters and photographers of the world have a lot of thoughts and emotions that they want to express through their art. However, my guess is that the increases in sales can largely be attributed to purchases made by amateur craftspeople such as myself. Not immune to this response, I have bought some clay to make small figurines and I have also bought a lot of yarn to knit and crochet.

I don't necessarily want to make any political or aesthetic points through my crafts, but I must say that I feel a kind of urgency to generate things. More importantly, I feel the need to give away the things that I make. For instance, I made figurines of a rabbit and a dog using the clay, and I gave them to a friend of mine who was moving back to Spain. I intentionally made them into funny caricatures, since I thought he'd appreciate the humor.

With the yarn that I've bought, I've been making an — ironically namedAfghan. At least in the States, an "Afghan" is a large blanket-like object that is usually made by knitting or crocheting many small squares or strips and then sewing them all together. It's a convenient way of making a large item, since one can carry just a small ball of yarn around and make a square or two on the subway or in the waiting room at the doctor's office. An Afghan is usually used when watching TV or reading books on the sofa. Since it's usually put on display in the living room, rather than the bedroom, it can be quite creative and many different patterns can be used. It's not just a boring old blanket.

I have been wondering whether this desire has emerged because I want to make my mark and be "remembered." Perhaps this is what drives artists, but I don't think it's what drives amateur crafts-lovers such as myself. Ever since Sept. 11, I think people have been realizing with heightened sensitivity that life can be short. However, I think the greatest fear for most people is not that they could die, but that their loved ones could. "If I don't show my affection today, I might not be able to tomorrow . . ." I think this thought has motivated many to reach out to others. In many cases, this affection is shown by giving gifts.

It's no big surprise that I've been taken by the desire to make Afghans instead of, say, large abstract sculptures made by soldering pieces of industrial sheet metal (which, by the way, I've wanted to do for a while). An Afghan is like a extra-large helping of beef stew and mashed potatoes, only it has no calories and never goes bad. I have a long list of people for whom I would like to make Afghans. Given my low attention span and my chronically stiff shoulder, I'm surprised that I've even gotten through the first Afghan. But the energy that enabled me to zip through that one in eight hours still remains. The New York Times still publishes a special Sept. 11 section every day, and it's still the first section that I read.


Shukan ST: Nov. 2, 2001

(C) All rights reserved



英語のニュース |  英語とエンタメ |  リスニング・発音 |  ことわざ・フレーズ |  英語とお仕事 |  キッズ英語 |  クイズ・パズル
留学・海外就職 |  英語のものがたり |  会話・文法 |  執筆者リスト |  読者の声 |  広告掲載
お問い合わせ |  会社概要 |  プライバシーポリシー |  リンクポリシー |  著作権 |  サイトマップ