🦀 Fairy Tale: 'The Little Friend Inside Me'

[What does 'Itadakimasu' mean?] A bedtime story for children

One evening,
a surprised voice from Mom
called out from the kitchen,
'Oh my!'

'What's wrong?'

When the boy ran over,
inside the styrofoam box
Mom had taken out of the fridge,
there was a big crab.

Even though the crab had been
in the cold, chilly fridge
for a whole day,
it was moving its little legs with all its might.

'Wow, it's alive! How cool!'

The boy's eyes sparkled.

But Mom,
with slightly trembling hands,
stared at the boiling pot,
a sad look on her face.

'...We are about to take
this crab's life now.'

When the boy heard that,
he was startled.

The life of the crab he had
thought was 'cool' just a moment ago
was going to disappear,
and he suddenly felt scared.

That night,
a bright red boiled
crab was laid out on the dining table.

When his parents put their hands together
and said 'Itadakimasu,'
the boy asked,

'Hey, Dad.
What does 'Itadakimasu' mean,
the thing you always say when we eat?
Is it like saying
'I'm sorry' to the crab?'

Dad looked into the boy's eyes
gently and answered.

'That's right, maybe half of it
is saying 'I'm sorry.'
But you know, the other half is
a promise that says,
'I will take on your life,
and I will live my life to the fullest too.'
The crab will become a part
of our bodies and continue to
live on with us.'

Mom nodded too.

'This crab was living with all its might
even inside the fridge, wasn't it?
We are receiving that strong
'will to live.'
That is why 'Itadakimasu' is
saying 'Thank you' to the
crab's life.'

The boy stared intently
at the crab.

(I see... the crab isn't gone,
it's inside me.)

The boy put his hands together in front of his chest,
and said it with more heart than ever before.

"Itadakimasu!"

It was a magic phrase,
receiving the baton of a small life.

Every time he peeled the crab's shell,
a sound echoed in the boy's chest like a soft 'squeeze'.

But it wasn't a sad sound;
it felt like a signal that the crab
was becoming one with the boy.

The next morning,
when the boy was energetically running around the park,
he felt like he had more strength
than usual.

(Oh, the crab is cheering for me!)

The voices of "Itadakimasu" from all over the world layered together,
and today, many batons of life
were passed from the hands of fathers and mothers
to their children,
and on into the future.

(The End)

Written by Fumino Asakura & Gemini
☆〜☆〜☆〜☆〜☆〜☆〜☆〜☆〜☆〜☆〜☆ Afterword [The meaning of Itadakimasu]

I came up with this story because
my partner bought two crabs
at a supermarket.

What's more, the crabs were alive.
That's when a question suddenly popped into my head (lol).

The way to count crabs changes depending on their state.
Since these crabs are alive,

If they are alive, it's "1-hiki" (one animal),
and after they are caught or when sold, it's "1-hai" (one cup/unit).

In this case, since they are alive, is it 2-hiki?
But since they are being sold for food, is it 2-hai?

I'm the type who thinks about unnecessary things like, 'Who cares!' (lol).
By the way, when the legs and shell are in a set, it's sometimes expressed as "1-kata" (one shoulder), and frozen ones are sometimes called "1-mai" (one sheet).

Japanese is complicated, isn't it (#^^#)
It's ironic that even Japanese people get confused (lol).

Or rather,
the fact that I'm thinking about trivial things
and straying from the main topic
is ironic in itself (lol) (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧ Yay

So, about crabs 🦀
No, the main point is to advocate for
the meaning of "Itadakimasu".

Recently, I heard something unbelievable💦

"I'm paying for school lunches, so don't make my child say 'Itadakimasu'!💢"

That was a complaint from a parent to an elementary school (@_@)
I hope it's just a made-up story🙏

It seems to be a fact (lol).
And the school shouldn't be accepting that!
I want to say 💢
Isn't this the wrong policy?
If this continues, will children grow up without gratitude for food,
without gratitude for receiving life?

With that feeling in mind, I came up with this article, triggered by a crab.


【The Buddhist and cultural meaning of 'Itadakimasu'】

Gratitude for life
Gratitude for receiving the 'life' of the animals and plants that become our food

Gratitude for the effort
Gratitude for the people who prepared the meal and those who produced the ingredients

The humble expression 'Itadaki'
Derived from the act of holding an offering to gods or Buddhas above one's head (cho-dai) when eating it

The weight of life
Accepting the weight of 'taking a life,' where other lives were sacrificed for the sake of one's own survival

The post-meal 'Gochisosama' (a feast) is also a Buddhist-derived term expressing gratitude to those who 'ran around' (chiso) to prepare the meal.

I believe this is something that, as Japanese people, should be taught at home as a matter of etiquette.

I also think it cannot be forced in schools, given the differences in religion and culture.

However, I believe that feelings of 'compassion' and 'gratitude' should be properly taught through moral education.

Well, it's not really my place to say so pompously, though💦

So, I made a song incorporating the meaning of the Buddhist 'Itadakimasu'😊

SUNO AI MUSIC
【'Itadakimasu' and feelings of gratitude】
Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement: Noir et Rouge

【Lyrics】
[Intro]

(A very quiet piano solo where every single note resonates)

[Verse 1]
Deep in the refrigerator, a white styrofoam box
That should have been sleeping for a whole day
When I opened the lid, there was 'breath' inside
A tiny mouth moving faintly
In the freezing cold, you were breathing

[Verse 2]
Moving weakly in the sink
My heart tightens at that life force
I felt it with trembling hands, 'a strong life'
The lingering resistance to receiving it
And the cruelty of 'living' that I must face

[Bridge]
I was laughing at the dinner table once
That was built upon countless
coincidences
The logic of dependent origination connected by 'okagesama'
I knew the mechanism of this world where I cannot live alone, but now, seeing your legs move like this

[Chorus]
I said sorry to the crab and tried not to meet its eyes
In the boiling pot, only time moves forward
It's not that I wished for your end, but
I will take on the weight of this life
Gratitude for life, putting my hands together
Repeating 'I'm sorry' and 'Thank you'

[Outro]
'Your strength lives on as my nourishment'
I will carry on that strong flame
From today, I will live with you
To a small life, a heartfelt thank you.

#ReadAloudFairyTale
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