クルミの日本語 exploring Japanese

Sideways

I saw an interesting Japanese term for Western (European/American) food. Not 西洋料理（せいようりょうり）, (Western cuisine); or 洋食（ようしょく） (Western-style cuisine developed in Japan). No, it was 横飯（よこめし）. “Sideways rice,” or “sideways meal.”

At first impression, that's quite some shade.

In English, things can go sideways, a guy can come at you sideways, and more; it's rarely the proper, desirable act or outcome. So “sideways meal” doesn't seem like a compliment.

How did the term come about?

Surprisingly, 語源由来辞典（ごげんゆらいじてん）, an online etymology dictionary, has no entry for 横飯. Some Japanese speakers are stumped, too; see this Yahoo 知恵袋（ちえぶくろ） entry. Gathering some of the responses I found:

• 聞いたことないですね。(I haven't heard the term.)
• Maybe this is Chinese?
• 海外に関係あると思うんですけど。(I think it's related to overseas (other countries).)
• It's related to 横文字（よこもじ） (sideways-style, Western writing)
• 横飯というのは外務省用語で、外国語でしゃべりながら食事をすること (A term from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meaning to talk in a foreign language while having a meal).
• Meaning a meal eaten sideways, it is used to describe the peculiar stress of speaking a foreign language.
• Reflects vertical vs. horizontal arrangement of food, or manner of interaction, or writing in general

The relation to traditional menu styles looks promising, contrasting Japanese-style vertical menus to western-style horizontal writing. 横飯 even has a 反対語（はんたいご） (antonym): 縦飯（たてめし）, “vertical meal.”

横 appears in some interesting compounds, such as:

• 横領（おうりょう）: “sideways jurisdiction” - embezzlement. The second kanji is also found in 大統領（だいとうりょう）, president.
• 横目（よこめ）: “sideways eye” - sidelong glance
• 横着（おうちゃく）: “sideways arrive” - laziness, shirking, dishonesty
• 横浜（よこはま）: “sideways beach” - city of Yokohama
• 横好（よこず）き: “sideways like” - being crazy about something, but not good at it. The kotowaza 下手（へた）の横好（よこず）き emphasizes how terrible, yet fanatical, the 横好き person is.

On that note, I'll wrap up, and practice some more to work on my own 下手 part :-)

Links

• 横飯 (Goo jisho)
• Yoko Meshi Tumblr
• Etymology of 橫 (Wiktionary)