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キスの文化
筆者は、家族や親戚、友達同士で気軽にキスを交わし合う環境に育ったため、自分の子供も同じように育てている。しかし、日本ではそういった習慣がないため、ある日思いがけない出来事が起こった…。
Kissing Culture
By JOHN GATHRIGHT
The best thing about being a dad happens after I call out, "Tadaima ... Hi, honey, I'm home!" Four little legs carry two little boys as fast as they can into their Daddy's arms to plant slobbery kisses all over my face. Just a few steps behind is their Mum, who joins the kissing bonanza by adding a peck on my cheek. Knowing that when I come home I will be showered by love and kisses makes my every day worth living.
I grew up in a family where there was a kiss for every occasion and situation that arose. There were butterfly kisses (flapping your eyelashes on someone's cheek) and my favorite kiss: Inuit kisses (where we got to rub noses together). Neighbors and relatives got chicken kisses ― a quick peck on the cheek
If two of us kids argued or fought, we'd have to work through our differences and then give a make-up kiss. Kiss-it-better kisses were magic and always made every scrape or hurt feeling all better. And there were even the hugs and kisses that you write at the bottom of a letter: XOXO.
At first, my wife Hiroko was overwhelmed by all the different uses for kisses. But after four years of marriage, she has adjusted and adopted the "kissing culture" and we are now a "kissing family."
One day, though, kissing flowed outside of our family and into the local supermarket. We had both of the boys in the shopping cart when our neighbor, Mrs. Nakahashi, came over to say hello. She gave our two-and-a-half-year-old, Johnny, a cookie. He beamed from ear to ear, said a big thank you and puckered up to give her a thank-you kiss ― and was crestfallen when Mrs. Nakahashi just turned and walked away.
As we carried on with our shopping, Johnny asked to get out of the cart. As soon as his feet hit the ground, and before we could catch up with him, he made a beeline straight for Mrs. Nakahashi, who didn't see him coming. Johnny hit her with the fullness of his affection, ran under her skirt and gave her leg the overdue thank-you kiss!! The shocked Mrs. Nakahashi let out a yelp of surprise causing the cans of tomatoes to go flying!
I and my wife apologized and explained that Johnny had just wanted to thank her for the cookie. Mrs. Nakahashi said, "Oh, it is OK ... I was just a little surprised. I haven't been kissed by my husband for at least 10 years, and I don't think I've ever been kissed on the thigh!" And then to Johnny she said, "Thank you for adding a little excitement to my shopping, but next time, please warn me first."
It won't be long before Johnny learns that most Japanese families don't have a "kissing culture," and he'll become more reserved and judicious in deciding where and when to plant kisses. But I plan to encourage my family to remain and develop as a kissing family. Kissing is a form of communication that I honestly think I couldn't live without. Oh, and by the way, thanks for reading this article. XOXOXOXOXXOX from John.
The best thing about being a dad happens after I call out, "Tadaima ... Hi, honey, I'm home!" Four little legs carry two little boys as fast as they can into their Daddy's arms to plant slobbery kisses all over my face. Just a few steps behind is their Mum, who joins the kissing bonanza by adding a peck on my cheek. Knowing that when I come home I will be showered by love and kisses makes my every day worth living.
I grew up in a family where there was a kiss for every occasion and situation that arose. There were butterfly kisses (flapping your eyelashes on someone's cheek) and my favorite kiss: Inuit kisses (where we got to rub noses together). Neighbors and relatives got chicken kisses ― a quick peck on the cheek
If two of us kids argued or fought, we'd have to work through our differences and then give a make-up kiss. Kiss-it-better kisses were magic and always made every scrape or hurt feeling all better. And there were even the hugs and kisses that you write at the bottom of a letter: XOXO.
At first, my wife Hiroko was overwhelmed by all the different uses for kisses. But after four years of marriage, she has adjusted and adopted the "kissing culture" and we are now a "kissing family."
One day, though, kissing flowed outside of our family and into the local supermarket. We had both of the boys in the shopping cart when our neighbor, Mrs. Nakahashi, came over to say hello. She gave our two-and-a-half-year-old, Johnny, a cookie. He beamed from ear to ear, said a big thank you and puckered up to give her a thank-you kiss ― and was crestfallen when Mrs. Nakahashi just turned and walked away.
As we carried on with our shopping, Johnny asked to get out of the cart. As soon as his feet hit the ground, and before we could catch up with him, he made a beeline straight for Mrs. Nakahashi, who didn't see him coming. Johnny hit her with the fullness of his affection, ran under her skirt and gave her leg the overdue thank-you kiss!! The shocked Mrs. Nakahashi let out a yelp of surprise causing the cans of tomatoes to go flying!
I and my wife apologized and explained that Johnny had just wanted to thank her for the cookie. Mrs. Nakahashi said, "Oh, it is OK ... I was just a little surprised. I haven't been kissed by my husband for at least 10 years, and I don't think I've ever been kissed on the thigh!" And then to Johnny she said, "Thank you for adding a little excitement to my shopping, but next time, please warn me first."
It won't be long before Johnny learns that most Japanese families don't have a "kissing culture," and he'll become more reserved and judicious in deciding where and when to plant kisses. But I plan to encourage my family to remain and develop as a kissing family. Kissing is a form of communication that I honestly think I couldn't live without. Oh, and by the way, thanks for reading this article. XOXOXOXOXXOX from John.
Shukan ST: July 25, 1997
(C) All rights reserved
- call out
- 大声で呼びかける
- plant slobbery kisses
- よだれで濡れたキスをお見舞いする
- kissing bonanza
- キスの嵐
- peck
- 素早いキス
- be showered by 〜
- 〜 を浴びせられる
- makes my every day worth living
- 毎日の生きる糧となる
- grew up
- 育った
- for every occasion and situation that arose
- あらゆる機会・状況が持ち上がるたびに
- butterfly kisses
- まばたきしてまつげで相手の顔をなでること
- flapping 〜
- 〜 をまたたかせる
- eyelashes
- まつげ
- favorite
- 大好きな
- Inuit
- イヌイット族の。イヌイットは、アラスカ北部からカナダ北部およびグリーンランドにかけての北米最北端部に住むエスキモー
- rub 〜 together
- 〜 をこすり合わせる
- Neighbors
- 近所の人
- relatives
- 親戚
- argued
- 言い争う
- fought
- 喧嘩をする
- work through our differences
- 違いを乗り越えて歩み寄る
- make-up
- 仲直りの
- Kiss-it-better kisses
- 傷ついた人に対して、よくなるように思いを込めてするキス
- scrape
- すり傷
- hurt feeling
- 傷ついた気持ち
- hugs
- 抱きしめること
- XOXO
- X は手紙の末尾などにつけるキスの符号で、XOXO
- は kisses and hugs の意
- was overwhelmed by 〜
- 〜 に圧倒されていた
- has adjusted
- 慣れた
- (has)adopted 〜
- 〜 を取り入れた
- flowed outside of 〜 and into @
- 〜 からあふれ出て@に入り込んだ
- local
- 地元の
- shopping cart
- 買い物用の手押し車、カート
- came over
- 近寄ってきた
- beamed from ear to ear
- 満面の笑みをうかべた
- puckered up
- 唇をすぼめてつき出した
- was crestfallen
- がっかりした
- turned and walked away
- 向きを変えて去っていった
- carried on with 〜
- 〜 を続けた
- get out of 〜
- 〜 から降りる
- hit the ground
- 地面につく
- catch up with 〜
- 〜 に追いつく
- made a beeline straight for 〜
- 〜 に一直線に向かった
- hit 〜 with the fullness of his affection
- 愛情いっぱいで 〜 にぶつかっていった
- overdue
- 遅れた
- shocked 〜
- びっくりした 〜
- let out a yelp of surprise
- 驚いてきゃっと叫び声を上げた
- causing 〜 to go flying
- 〜 を放り出して
- thigh
- もも
- warn
- 知らせる
- It won't be long before 〜
- 遠からず 〜 だろう
- become more reserved and judicious in deciding 〜
- もっと控えめになり、思慮分別をもって 〜 を決めるようになる
- encourage 〜 to remain @
- 〜 に@であり続けるよう仕向ける
- couldn't live without
- それなしでは生きていけない
- article
- 記事