So.....the title of this blog post was something I thought up the other day....as I was sneezing....because of kerosene. Let me explain. In many parts of Japan (including where I live), there is no central heat (though it is cold enough to snow!) so there are a variety of ways to keep a house or rather 1 room at a time, warm and the most popular/cheapest is kerosene heaters. When I first came to Japan my boss told me not to get one as many people die each year because of them. That was good enough for me-I have never used one. I have had many conversations with my students about this as many use them and swear they are safe. They might be safe but man....they smell. The minute my students step into my room I can tell which family uses them as the smell just seems to be attached to them, their clothes etc. Well...the other day I had a private student and the minute he walked in all I did was sneeze for 5 minutes. He asked me if I was ok and I said yes but asked him if he used kerosene at home and the answer was yes. He was fascinated by the fact that I sneezed because of it and that I could smell it. I told him that never in Canada had I been around it so the smell for me is very distinct. Perhaps I am alone in this thinking/sensitivity? Perhaps I am just weird!
Speaking of weird!!!! How about this-oden in a can!!!! UGH! Ok...oden is a very delicious food popular in winter and is pretty easy to make so I think this "convenience" food is just taking it a bit far! I don't know...it just does not look good to me!
7 comments:
*hehe* Nah, you're not weird! You just have a fine nose. ^__^ I think, I would smell that too...
Very colourful blog. I like Japan, last summer we visited many city's in Japan. I just updated my blog with an article of a Japanese restaurant in Munich.
Kind regards,
Filip
I didn't even like the fresh oden my head chef ex-bf made, so I highly doubt I could eat that canned oden haha!
o.0 that doesn't look appetizing at all!
Maybe yours students use very old heater, or dry clothes over it? I've never smelled that on a person. The reason those deaths is the same reason for deaths with wood and coal fires in western countries, carbon monoxide, not really connected to kerosene. (And what do you think is used for most central heating in America? Yes kerosene!)
Well....I can still smell it! And sadly, still sneeze. Perhaps they do use older heaters...that I don't know.
And yes,people might die because of wood and coal fires but I'm guessing that because central heat is probably most everywhere in Canada and the US, wood fires are used for more romantic and mood enhancing reasons than to really heat a house. Central heat is almost no where in Japan (except in Northern Japan) and kerosene heaters are one of the most popular ways to stay warm. And as far as i know, kerosene is not used to heat homes in Canada....natural gas seems to be the norm.
lol... my school kind of uses one but me and the other teacher are already over the smell so now it's only turned on when there are people in the waiting room, and only if they want to turn it on, I use one of those little lamp heaters or my kotatsu in my classroom or at home... I find myself sneezing and having burning lungs when they're on... it's like being on the airport tarmac!
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