Gone with the Wind

I think my lack of Japanese skills is shielding me from exposing my ignorance in American culture and certain aspects of an "intellectual's" knowledge.

Today, the second grade teachers bought me katsudon for lunch to officially welcome me into their section of the office.

It turns out that the second grade chief was an International Relations major in school and knows a lot about post WWII relations. Through the Japanese-speaking English teacher, he asked me who my favorite authors were. I couldn't come up with an answer that would easily satisfy him. The first "typical" answer that came to mind was Jane Austen, but she wasn't American and it was hard to admit that I liked classical chick lit at this early of a stage.

The next thing that came to mind was Chinese Lessons by John Pomfret. But my mind wandered off and just said that I'm in to non-fiction and that I was currently reading Peter Hessler's River Town. The explanation didn't go too well.

He then went on to say that he liked Hemingway's stories, Catcher in the Rye, as well as Gone with the Wind. I have little idea of the plots for the latter two stories, but I have read "A Farewell to Arms" and I cannot say that I remember much from it.

He also asked me about the Three Kingdoms of China. I knew what he was talking about, but the conversation ended there. He even wrote it in kanji hoping that I would be as excited as he was, but I disappointed him (and myself) greatly when I couldn't read two of the three characters he wrote.

To top it off, after lunch, he asked me if I knew Durkheim and Irike? Because of the difference in pronunciation, it already took me a while to figure out he was referring to Durkheim, but then I still can't figure out who this Irike person is. He must be famous.

Sigh. I feel like a loser who needs to go back to school. Although, I must say, after this afternoon's experience, I'm already on Wiki looking up Gone With the Wind. It's pretty interesting!