しろくまカフェ: Week 13 Discussion (Chapters 25 and 26)

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Chapters 25 and 26

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Start date: June 5th
Previous Chapter: Chapter 24
Next chapter: Chapters 27 and 28

Page numbers

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You can also check the page numbers for new and old versions here. If you have an old version, chapters 24-28 are in the second volume!

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Someday I’ll catch up…

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It’s okay :wink: I’m still catching up too, I’ve had a headache for two days now, but I will start reading again soon /o/ The threads won’t go anywhere, everyone is always welcome to ask questions \o/

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A new employee for the cafe!

It’s a bit funny the Japanese word for badger is “hole bear”, 穴熊.

The second chapter this week reminded me of this video:

I watched that a few years ago, and, after the reading this week, went back and watched it again. They dig up bamboo shoots and then cook some out in the forest. They actually make some of the food mentioned in the chapter (タケノコのさしみにホイルやき and タケノコごはん, and use the 木の芽 that Penguin mentions, though she calls it by the name of the plant, 山椒.)

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Ahh, I wanna try that now.

(Pretty sure the Japanese supermarket near me sells whole bamboo shoots. Or at least large chunks. I can attempt to cook that miso-and-mayonnaise one…)

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I typically read these chapters with no availability of resources to look things up, so it’s always interesting to review when I do have Internet access.

I had no idea what the pun on ホール(がかり) was on my first read through. It was obvious there was a double meaning, since しろくま said 「ホール(ちが)いです」, but I now see that aside from “hole”, it can refer to the “dining area of a restaraunt”. I’m guessing it comes from “hall”.

A “giant tortoise” is understandably 「ゾウガメ」 (elephant turtle) in Japanse.

I’m not used to seeing the potentail form of verbs ending in く, so I’m glad I was able to accurately guess ゾウガメ’s 「(はたら)けます」 as potential. (Context helped.)

Is there any particular reason (pun) for why コアリクイ thinks being able to intimidate is a necessary job skill for a cafe? Maybe it’s simply because this is a trait of the actual animal, so コアリクイ thinks intimidation is fit for any job?

I haven’t gotten to chapter 26 yet, so I know what I’ll be reading this weekend.

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I liked that pun soooo much, it was just so cute, poor badger:DD :sob: :yellow_heart:

I admit that I searched for the meaning of コアリクイ for too long :joy: Also I’m not really sure about that pun with it :thinking:

The new (and last) thread is here \o/ Chapters 27 and 28 Chi’s book club will also start pretty soon, yay /o/

Page 178
Can anyone work out what Penguin is saying?

“Because freshly picked bamboo shoots have a little bitterness, it’s good to boil them in water.”

“For freshly picked ones, […] isn’t necessary, lady!”

The kanji look like 米又力, but that doesn’t give me any translation that makes sense.

I agree with the 米 kanji but what comes after it looks like katakana ヌカネ to me? Which might be 抜かない i.e. “not pull out, not extract”??
But I don’t know what the rice would have to do with that. Maybe that’s a method of extracting the bitterness, by adding rice to absorb the unwanted taste?

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I think it’s not ネ but 不, so 不要. Which leaves 米ヌカ (‘rice bran’). So rice bran isn’t necessary…? If they mix it with rice to remove the bitterness I guess that makes sense.

EDIT: Yep!

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