What's with the 'Cheese'?

I possess the attribute of being 'frequently approached by strangers on the street,' and I have countless episodes of encountering suspicious surveys, religious solicitations, and aggressive fruit peddlers.

This tendency crosses borders, and I have mentioned before that I am also frequently approached by people overseas. This is undoubtedly because I am a very adorable, gem-like boy, but I also feel like I'm being looked down upon globally, so when I walk down the street, I sharpen my mental state a bit, feeling like Maekawa from Kitakou in Be-Bop High School, but it doesn't have much effect.

So, the other day, while I was walking down the street feeling like Maekawa, I was approached by a young man and woman who looked like they had just come from the countryside. Don't mess with me, I'm seriously Maekawa. In short, they had come to Tokyo for fun and wanted me to take a commemorative photo, and despite being Maekawa, I couldn't refuse and carelessly agreed.

So I held up the camera. The cue I use at this moment always feels a bit embarrassing. To put it bluntly, I usually hold the camera while thinking, 'What's with the "Say Cheese," are you an idiot?' Why must I loudly call out the name of a dairy product when taking a picture?

As for what this 'cheese' is all about, one theory is that it stems from people in English-speaking countries saying, 'Say Cheese!' The reason seems to be that the pronunciation of 'cheese' ends with the mouth in an 'ee' shape, which looks like a smile.

However, some point out that in Japan, 'cheese' ends with the mouth in an 'u' shape, so it doesn't make much sense. In the first place, it's 'Hai! Cheese!', so unlike overseas, we aren't even making them say 'cheese,' and even if they did, it ends with an 'u' shape, so it's a cue that truly makes no sense at all. If you think about it calmly, isn't it quite embarrassing? You're suddenly shouting the name of a dairy product in broad daylight in front of the public. And there's no meaning to it. Scary. To be clear, you're a deviant. It's not much different from shouting 'Revolution!' In fact, at least that shows a glimpse of an ideology, so the intent or what you want to do is conveyed, but with cheese, you really can't read the ideology. You're the type of criminal described as 'the quiet kid in class who you never know what they're thinking.' The emptiness of this 'Say Cheese' is something, isn't it?

However, Japanese has other cues that are more practical. 'What's 1+1?' is the prime example, but this is also embarrassing. I hate being the one to say it, but I also hate being on the receiving end. You're suddenly given a math problem. Isn't that strange? You're just getting your picture taken, and suddenly a math problem comes up. No matter how easy the problem is, you can't respond if a ball is suddenly thrown at you. If someone suddenly says, 'What's 1+1...?', you'll end up in the photo with the face of Yanagisawa when he missed the shot, also known as QBK. You don't have the leeway to reply, 'Two!'

Whether it's cheese or math problems, either way, my self-consciousness goes into overdrive, worrying about what I'll do if they look at me after the shot like, 'That guy is a cheese-guy, how cringey!' or 'Saying cheese in the Reiwa era...', so I'm always troubled by what cue to use.

That said, I couldn't think of a better cue on the spot, so in the end, I called out 'Hai, cheese...' in a voice as thin as a mosquito's, which naturally didn't reach their ears amidst the traffic of Tokyo, and since they couldn't time it right, I gave them 4-5 burst shots including photos with awkward expressions and parted ways.

So, what is the correct cue to use in times like these?

I also think that the fact that I'm not that fond of cheese might be adding to this embarrassment. Since it's a meaningless word anyway, it might leave a better aftertaste to shout a dairy product I like rather than one I don't. In 'Tora-san,' there is a famous scene where Gozen-sama says 'Butter' instead of 'Say Cheese' to get a laugh, and that's quite clever. Moreover, he succeeds in naturally drawing out a smile. This is it. I should just shout my favorite dairy product in this way. Something like this?

'Alright, Pilkul!'

Ah, maybe that's a bit much. It's embarrassing just writing it down. The people on the receiving end, who came all the way to Tokyo to enjoy a trip with their beloved partner, would probably think they've caught a real deviant. Their precious commemorative photo will be a bitter smile, and after we part ways, they'll probably call me 'Pilkul' and make fun of me for a while. This won't do.

...So, after thinking about it for a few days while letting my consciousness go into overdrive, can I announce my current best cue? I'm going to announce it. Here it comes, please line up over there. Okay, I'm going to announce it now.

Oh, this was a video

It's something like that.