The first time I was on the receiving end of すき(suki), my heart fluttered. She said it so gently, and with so much intention. By the time I had this experience, I had already understood the magnitude of being on the receiving end of this from my native Japanese speaking peers. For someone to claim they "like you" - translation of すき(suki) - in Japanese culture takes a lot of courage and is on the same magnitude of when someone in Western culture claims that they Love you. She was telling me she loved me; and in no other language have I felt the intensity of being loved than in the mother tongue of my partner at that moment.
Sharing food, especially the meals you've prepared yourself for you or your peers, has become a huge way of how I communicate my appreciation, and love, for myself and others. I only recently started cooking for myself regularly in the most recent months at age 32 and although I hold some embarrassment for that reality, I found solace in it. I can now explore a whole new skill and artform as a matured human, applying the same care and dedication I have for every other creative outlet I practice in. I heard once in an interview with Matty Matheson that sharing food is the second most intimate thing besides sex. I carry that sentiment with me in my DNA.
The first time I was on the receiving end of すき(suki), my heart fluttered. She said it so gently, and with so much intention. By the time I had this experience, I had already understood the magnitude of being on the receiving end of this from my native Japanese speaking peers. For someone to claim they "like you" - translation of すき(suki) - in Japanese culture takes a lot of courage and is on the same magnitude of when someone in Western culture claims that they Love you. She was telling me she loved me; and in no other language have I felt the intensity of being loved than in the mother tongue of my partner at that moment.
Sharing food, especially the meals you've prepared yourself for you or your peers, has become a huge way of how I communicate my appreciation, and love, for myself and others. I only recently started cooking for myself regularly in the most recent months at age 32 and although I hold some embarrassment for that reality, I found solace in it. I can now explore a whole new skill and artform as a matured human, applying the same care and dedication I have for every other creative outlet I practice in. I heard once in an interview with Matty Matheson that sharing food is the second most intimate thing besides sex. I carry that sentiment with me in my DNA.