Because we are all different
Updated: Aug 30, 2021
What you are passionate about, or what food you cannot eat. You might think that these subjects are not worth talking about, but the truth is, they are. TereTere consists of people joining from all over the world and we all have different perspectives and opinions. Every answer is different and sometimes they can inspire you. What are you passionate about? Have you found any new hobbies recently? As an adult, your mind is open to a lot of opportunities and there are many things you want to do or challenge. In one session the first hot topic was music. Either listening or playing, music has a crucial role in our life. Like singing songs while doing chores and playing the guitar while taking a break from studying. Music has a power to relieve stress. One person shared us his love for music; he owns 29 guitars! In addition, he bought an electrical saxophone and was waiting for it to be shipped. Electrical instruments are always an option if you live in a place where you cannot make loud noises! We also learned that it is common to own a personal KARAOKE machine in the Philippines. Thesedays there are bluetooth microphones that can be connected to your TV and smartphone apps for KARAOKE at home. A good example of technology making our life better:) Another passion was about books. When I was younger I hated reading books, mostly because I felt like I was forced to read them for studying. Nowadays, I read more books than I used to. I think it's typical to hate doing something when you are forced to, but like it when it becomes an option. A recommendation that we got is a book called "This Perfect Day": A science fiction novel which depicts a computer controlled dystopian society. Although it is a novel published in the 70's, the idea of computer controlled society raises an alarm to the modern world we live in. It reminded me of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell, another classic. If you have any other recommendations, I would love to know. Another opinion we had was roller skating. Although she was a beginner, making her first step by wearing her skates at home, she now enjoys skating in a big park. I've always longed to try skateboarding but I was scared that I'm too old for it. (By the way the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medalists were 19,12 and 13 years old!) But everyone is a beginner when they first try something so there's nothing to be scared about. The next session which I moderated, was about food that you cannot eat. I grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong where I ate different food from different cultures. I love eating and I can eat almost anything, even something I have never tried. But I have to say NO when it comes to durian. The smell, the taste, the texture...everything is disgusting for me(Apologies to any durian lovers out there). It was very interesting to know about other foods that people hate. In Argentina, every part of a cow is used in cooking and nothing goes to waste. Even eyeballs and skins, which the person who shared the story hates to eat. He told us that they are boiled and served with a sauce, but he cannot stand the smell and the texture. It's quite common to eat cow guts like intestines and stomach in Japanese BBQ (Yakiniku), but I have never heard about eyeballs. I have to admit that if the eyeballs came out on a plate and I was told to eat them, I cannot do it. Cow related, but moving on to a more common food, butter. Butter is widely used in all sorts of dishes and it's hard to find a food without it. When living in Tokyo, I preferred using sesame seed oil because it's rich in fragrance. When I moved to the Czech Republic, I was surprised to see many options for plant based oils: rapeseed, sunflower, olive, grape seed, rice, avocado and so on. It's nice to see many alternatives for something we cannot eat. Even small talks like hobbies and food can become an exciting discussion when people from different countries meet together. I cannot wait to see you next session at TereTere!