Fried Chicken and Sushi 202 Get that plastic bag open!

/

I know it should be easy to open one of those plastic grocery bags but it's always a challenge for me.  I just want to lick my fingers but I know that's gross!  So, I try to be a nice clean black man and open it with my dry fingers and I can never do it.  This really happened in a grocery store in Japan when I was trying to get the bag open.  A nice lady was bagging next to me and made it very obvious that she was patting her fingers on the wet sponge.  Thanks to her, I learned very quickly about another great tool for convenience in Japan.  The wet sponge!  Don't forget to talk about stuff like this in the FORUMS!  Thank you.

FCS201 Movie and a translation?

/

Karl really should have known that Miki would say no to that!  I guess that's why he had to put on the puppy dog eyes and beg.  It's good language practice to watch Japanese tv and movies but Anime can get tricky.  There's so much "anime language" that you don't know if real people actually use all of the words or just the characters in Japanese animation.  Be careful studying Japanese from anime!  Japanese people might chuckle at you if you use a phrase from anime that normal people would never.  Trust me, I know...

Fried Chicken and Sushi 200 You know I don't understand!

/

Hey guys, this is my 200th comic strip!  Woo Hoo!  I'm so tired.  Wait a minute, I never get tired of drawing FC&S comics for you!  Especially, comics like today's with the video store guy.  This guy in real life really must have had it out for me.  Each time I went I was hoping he wouldn't be there.  Of course, he always was and he was always the one to ring me up at the counter.  Then, he would proceed to tell me all sorts of things in Japanese that I did not understand!  He had to know that I didn't get any of what he was talking about!  Oh yeah, shout out to the FORUMS!  Go there, talk, discuss, enjoy.

Fried Chicken and Sushi 199 Membership Mumbo Jumbo

/

This is another comic strip that is based on real life events.  I don't remember being as scared as Karl to get a membership at the local video store but I'll never forget the guy working there.  He looked similar to the one in the comic with the glasses and stoic stare.  He helped me to get my membership card and tried to speak English.  After, he refused to try English again!  Not only that, he would go on and on about a bunch of stuff I couldn't understand!  Most Japanese people would care that I didn't know what they were saying but this guy just kept on talking.  I eventually just left the counter and started shopping because I was so frustrated.  That's probably just what he wanted me to do. ;)

Fried Chicken and Sushi 198 It's too tough to see movies in Japan!

/

Are you yelling at Karl to get a backbone?  I know it seems crazy for him to be so scared of such simple things but living in Japan takes courage.  It's not easy to get right away.  Confidence takes time!  Really, it does!  Karl seems to be going out and facing his fears though.  Let's see if he will when it comes to movies. 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 196 Grading in Japan can be tricky

/

Sato sensei seems to be asserting her dominance!  By standing on a table?  Well, it got Karl's attention.  I remember how confusing it was for me to switch over to the Japanese way of using check marks to grade papers.  It still confuses me that a check mark means the answer is wrong.  If it's correct you circle it!  I had to constantly remind myself of what I was doing while grading a quiz!  Let's hope Karl can get it straight!

Fried Chicken and Sushi 195 The Otaku girls get closer...

/

Happy Valentines Day!  Looks like J is getting a little love today.  I don't think it's true love though...  The Otaku girls really need a reality check.  I'm pretty sure J will be vanishing any second now.  If he were in Japan, the girls would be giving him valentines gifts and candy.  It still amazes me that women in Japan are the ones that give men gifts on Valentine's Day.  I hope you all are enjoying this day even if you don't have a valentine!  Don't forget to sign in and join the conversations in the FORUMS.  I want to hear from you guys!

Fried Chicken and Sushi 194 Meet the Otaku girls

/

I have a feeling that Anime and Manga fans can have a warped view of what it's like in Japan.  I know I did before living there!  Unfortunately, I don't think these girls are going to hear anything negative about their beloved Japan!  Are you an Otaku (anime and manga geek)?  I started a new topic up in the FORUMS about it HERE.  Come on by and chat a little.

Fried Chicken and Sushi 193 The Black Samurai Stays

/

Now that the Black Samurai has defeated the Oni we have learned more about the power of his sword.  Clearly it can cut down a demon but it seems to carry a curse.  The people of the village think that he will protect them even though the sword will attract more evil.  Oh well, at least we have a nice set up for more stories in the future! What do you think will happen next?  Talk about it in the FORUMS!  Expect to get sick of me talking about the FORUMS page...

Fried Chicken and Sushi FORUMS are up!

/

Want to talk about living in Japan?  Would you like to share your stories and recommendations?  Now you can right here on the FC&S website in our FORUMS!  It's pretty easy to sign in via social networks like Facebook and Twitter.  Let's get together and talk about all things Japan!  The new FORUMS tab is at the top of the page or you can just go HERE.  It will be nice to hear from my FC&S community! 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 192 Sato's way with words

/

The Thesaurus can be a wonderful tool to help you creatively express your frustrations verbally.  Sato sensei loves using the English language so it's only natural that she would find more words for her challenging in-laws!  Check out the links I moved from the LINKS page to the lower right of this main page.  They're all my friends and quite talented, if I do say so myself, so check them out!

Fried Chicken and Sushi 191 Sato sensei's husband's family?

/

I remember when this one really happened.  Actually, it was more like I couldn't remember the English word for in-laws at all!  It was totally embarrassing!  All of the teachers were so disappointed that I couldn't remember such a simple word in English.  I had to go online and search for a word in my own language!  It's pretty easy to forget certain English words while living in Japan because you never use them or hear them around you.  Anyone out there have a similar situation that made them look like the incompetent native English speaker?   

Fried Chicken and Sushi 190 The Black Samurai's Final Cut!

/

Looks like the black samurai finally cut down the Oni!  This page was difficult to figure out visually.  I only have one page to make this huge moment happen but the Oni is so large that figuring out how to space things was a challenge.  I think it worked out pretty well and there was still space for Karl to kill that pesky cockroach!  Man, I really hate Japanese roaches! 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 189 Stop holding back the details!

/

I remember that it took a little time to get used to not seeing women with curves in Japan.  Other friends that had been living there for awhile told me that I would settle in and forget about curvy women.  I actually did become accustomed to the shape of Japanese women but I never fully forgot.  It looks like Karl doesn't quite realize how much he misses seeing those "assets." 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 186 You must be dating!

/

I have a feeling that many of my readers out there have never been the only one like them in their workplace.  I know from my experience that's it's a big deal to be the only black employee and if there's actually another black person that starts working there, it's very exciting.  Also, a bit of a relief.  Yes, I have had white employees assume that I'm dating the young black woman at work just because we're young and black.  It's something that you get used to and almost expect it!

I also find it interesting that by giving the new girl, Beverly, large breasts many of you think she's not very smart or devoid of personality.  You know, her breasts aren't even that big!  I know it seems like I'm upset but this is just what I want all of us to be thinking about.  Fried Chicken and Sushi is about perception and how we see things and judge them from our perspective.  Maybe we need to ask more questions and open our minds.  I know I'm still working on that myself.

Fried Chicken and Sushi 185 The new girl...

/

Looks like J isn't the only black person working at his video game company.  I have a feeling he's happy about it, for many reasons.  Oh!  I've been playing around with my Art Blog at www.bangacomics.com and I think you should check it out.  It will give you a good idea of some of the other stuff I do.  Thanks!