🍜 Is Somen a “Lazy Meal”? — The Quirky Side of Japanese Food Culture

Today’s topic is one of those quirky aspects of Japanese food culture that recently blew up on X (formerly Twitter) 📱✨.

The story began with a simple everyday exchange:
A wife asked her husband, “What would you like for lunch today?” 🍴
He casually replied, “Somen is fine” 🍜.

So… what’s the problem here? 🤔
Notice how he said “Somen is fine” instead of “I want somen.” That small difference is what triggered the debate 🔥.

For context, somen are very thin white noodles that Japanese families often eat during the summer 🌞🥢. They cook quickly, and on the surface, they seem like an easy meal 😅.

But here’s the catch ⚠️. By saying “Somen is fine,” the husband implied that preparing somen is effortless 💨. Many women strongly disagreed, sparking a heated discussion online 💬🔥.

Some of the counterarguments went like this:

• You can’t just serve plain somen! You also need side dishes and condiments 🥒🍳, which makes it a lot of work.
• Serving style matters 🍽️. Somen isn’t usually dumped in a bowl. To make it easy to eat, you often have to twist small portions neatly with a fork 🍴, which is surprisingly time-consuming ⏳.

The reasoning behind these complaints makes sense ✅:

• Nutrition: Somen alone lacks protein and vitamins 💪🥗, so most women feel responsible for adding side dishes with proper nutrition.
• Flavor: Just dipping noodles in sauce gets boring 😐, so toppings like green onions or myoga (a fragrant Japanese herb) 🌿 are considered essential.
• Texture: Because somen noodles are so thin, they dry out and stick together quickly 💨. If you serve them in a heap, they clump into something that looks like a tangled ball of yarn 🧶. That’s why restaurants often present somen in small, bite-sized portions 🍴✨.

In short, what looks like a “lazy meal” to some, actually requires a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes effort 👀💡.

👆”Somen, From a Woman’s Point of View”

👆”Somen, From a Man’s Point of View”

I couldn’t help but think this whole controversy was so typically Japanese 🇯🇵😅.

You see, I once lived in the UK, and the standard “packed lunch” there was something like this: two plain slices of bread (with nothing in between) 🍞, an apple 🍎 or banana 🍌, a chunk of cheese 🧀, and maybe a bag of crisps 🍟—all tossed into a lunch bag 👜.

In contrast, a Japanese bento usually looks like the photo below 📸: several homemade side dishes 🥕🍗🥒 neatly arranged in a box. When a Japanese school says “Please bring a bento,” this is exactly what they mean 🎒✨.

I still remember my shock 😲 the first time I received a British-style lunch pack. It was such a different idea of what a “proper meal” should be!

Of course, preparing a Japanese-style bento takes a lot of time ⏳, effort 💪, and even money 💴. This is one of the ways Japanese food culture can feel… a bit demanding 😅.

Honestly, I sometimes think:
Why not just serve plain noodles 🍜?
Why not skip the side dishes 🥗?
Why not pile the somen straight onto a plate 🍽️, even if it’s a little hard to eat 🤷‍♀️? It would still count as a meal 😋.

But in reality, most Japanese people (especially women 👩) feel compelled to add that “extra care” ✨. Simply serving plain somen isn’t seen as acceptable ❌.

This mindset is part of what makes life in Japan feel a little rigid at times 🏯, and why Japanese service culture is often described as “too much” 💡.

So, what do you think 🤔? If you’re reading this from abroad 🌏, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments 💬✨!

Until we meet again! 

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ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITAー！（ありがとうございましたー🙏）

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