Perfect Vegetarian

First news:
I can pick up my camera tomorrow, AND it was covered by warranty! I am so happy. ALSO, I am allowed to take baths again! (I couldn't because of the infection) My back has been killing me, so it's my little joy. At today's checkup, the doctor said my pee was "clean/pretty" but I'm still on meds for a week just in case.

While on the subject, let us talk about Japan's medical field. If you have a cold, or a cough, people will say "Go to the hospital." And to me, that seems quite extreme. But I think in Japan, going to the hospital does not equal an emergency. Its just like doctor check ups, where you can or cannot have an appointment. So its "no big thang." It is so much not a big thang, that in fact, the hospital is closed on Thursdays (I cannot offer any more info, I have no idea).
I have also heard while studying here a few years ago, that when people got sick, the doctor just kinda gave them pills and didn't really say anything about it. I now have first hand experience. The lovely nurse told me to take pills 3 times a day. Ok! But when I got home and opened the pack.. what's this? little packets of powder. Luckily, Chris had seen a co-worker with a similar thing. You are supposed to put the powder in your mouth, then drink something. You are probably thinking what I was.. "uh-huuhhhhhh". So I did it, hoping that it wasn't one of those preservation/dry packets that come in shoes. The next time I mixed it with water, because, that makes sense. Oh-ho-ho readers! You have not been paying attention! Japan does not exist on sense. i mixed it with water, and it tasted like crap. I then asked one of the English teachers how to take it, and told me the same thing: pour it in your mouth. Still weird.

Last night was the end of year party. Now, everyone knows of Chris and I's diet, and I asked and was told that yes, there would be food for us to eat. As we arrived, we saw that there was some veggies and tofu on a giant plate, but what's this?! Oh, its covered by raw bloody slabs of death. Oh, an unappetizing pile of cabbage salad, but its something, but alas! covered in fried flesh! The salads and soup in front of us? Seafood, seafood, seafood. We ate some eggplant that may have been questionable.
The other co-workers nearby looked at us, and said, can you eat anything? We pitifully said "just the eggplant". The laughed at us saying "so sad!" and continued stuffing their progressively reddening faces from alcohol consumption.
About 20 minutes later of us complaining to eachother, we were actually checked up on. Oh no! no food for our international friends! Let me tell the staff!
A few minutes later, a giant platter comes towards us, Chris and I's eyes light up! Until it came down to eye level...



A giant plate of raw grated cabbage!! YUM!
(Thank you Chris's cell phone)

We pitifully had a small plate of of this. Five minutes later, we are brought some cold tofu and scallions. We were excited to have food, but we still weren't thrilled with having to possibly pay about $50-$80+ for cabbage and tofu. About 10 minutes later our lovely wonderful co-worker was appauled this was all we had to eat! The cook then felt sympathy and made us udon and tenpura. The end they served rice and pickled food and hot tea and I was stuffed! mmmMM!

During the party everyone but us became increasingly drunk and red-faced and thankfully did not notice the karaoke machine. Chris's supervisor started talking to her condisendingly like a child, I started to feel like the foreign "pet". Like a little dog that is dressed and babied and cooed at and made to feel dumb (not on purpose, but that is what I felt like). So it was more than annoying.
The former high-school English teacher came up to us and said how happy he was we were here in Japan. Then he asked me if I hated Japanese (I said, "I like it but it is difficult." He seemed to like that answer). He we had this conversation:

Guy (to Chris): You are false vegetarian.. false? no...
Chris: I am not false.
Guy (to me): You are perfect vegetarian. (To Chris) You are false vegetarian.

He was just trying to use words for being vegan and vegetarian. But I loved being called that! Other jems of the night including jaw dropping gasps that people in America can use chopsticks (or as my supervisor said "chipstick" so cute) and not just Americans! But Koreans, Chinese, etc... WOW! Japan can be very wonderful, but they are very self-centered (not to mention intensely materialistic, patriotic, and stubborn, I would say even more than America, but that's another topic =p ).

Ok! time for my bath! ahhh!!!