TIL that in Japan, they have a thing called "nagashi somen", which are restaurants with flowing troughs of water where noodles slide down and you have to catch them - eviltoast
Nagashi Somen: Where to Eat Flowing Noodles Near Tokyo | Tokyo Cheapo
tokyocheapo.com
Where to try nagashi somen in Tokyo — a quintessential summertime meal — light, thin noodles flow down a bamboo chute with
  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6410·
    2 months ago

    I think it’s a combination of the ‘we use this trough for everyone all day’ and the fact that the name is really similar to ‘semen,’ but this sounds highly unappealing.

    • ArgentRaven@lemmy.worldEnglish
      513·
      2 months ago

      It’s probably more sanitary in Japan, but in the US I could see the guy sitting in the both next to me sneezing directly into the water, licking his chopsticks before attempting (and missing) some noodles. Then giving up and using his hands, that he didn’t wash after coming back from the toilet.

      Kind of like buffets.

      • tiredofsametab@fedia.io
        343·
        2 months ago

        It’s probably more sanitary in Japan, but in the US I could see the guy sitting in the both next to me sneezing directly into the water, licking his chopsticks before attempting (and missing) some noodles.

        Tell me you’ve never spent long in Japan without telling me you’ve never spent long in Japan. We had a problem during corona where people would remove their masks to sneeze or cough. We have tons of gross people over here.

        • PlatDrone@lemmy.worldEnglish
          123·
          2 months ago

          At least they were wearing their masks, many people I worked with during the pandemic kept masks in their pockets or hanging from the rear view mirror in their cars, but refused to wear them for any reason.

      • suction@lemmy.worldEnglish
        141·
        2 months ago

        The sanitary level of Japan is grossly (sic) overestimated. Barely anyone washes their hands after using the bathroom, so many men cough and sneeze without any effort to stop the spray. In winter, Noro virus infection is a given at least once, while in other countries it’s barely known.

    • tiredofsametab@fedia.io
      121·
      2 months ago

      It is unappealing. I would not eat at a place like that. Some do have separate chopsticks for catching the somen (long o, so probably sounds less like semen than you might think), but it’s still not great. I have seen it at family events as well.

  • suction@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2214·
    2 months ago

    Yeah and it’s disgusting. Later in the day that water will be 50% saliva.

    • filcuk@lemmy.zipEnglish
      142·
      2 months ago

      Lol, people don’t spittle into the shoot, plus it’s constantly washed by the flowing water.
      Definitely not pristine, but it’s really not an issue unless you make it to be.

    • Psythik@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      2 months ago

      I was about to say, this concept sounds like several health code violations in the western world.

    • booly@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      31·
      2 months ago

      Are you under the impression that the water is recycled back in, like in a closed loop?

  • Dizzy Devil Ducky@lemm.eeEnglish
    2·
    2 months ago

    I heard of this somewhere around a couple years back and it just sounds like an absolute hassle to do. Especially since, despite using chopsticks for over a decade, I still am not the greatest with them.