"Itadakimasu" is one of the most beautiful words in the Japanese language. We Japanese say it always before eating a meal as one particular greeting. Originally, it had a beautiful meaning, though most of us say it without thinking of it. "Itadakimasu" normally means "now, I'm going to have this meal". "Itadaku" also has the meaning of "I'm going to have love and kindnesses". As we eat food, we receive love and kindnesses from the person who took a long time cooking our meal and workers who raise their vegatables or livestock at a farm.
Now I've experienced farming at the farm in Canada. My tasks are mainly weeding (removing weeds), picking vegetables for selling, or putting seedlings in. Recently, farms using chemicals in order to reduce time are incleasing, but this farm never uses chemicals, which is called organic farming. Farmers at this organic farm think that supplying healthy and fresh vegetables to customers is the most important idea, and using chemicals is going to destroy people's bodies.
However, raising plants without chemicals must be much harder. Weeding is one of the necessary jobs, but it's work that makes my body sore, because roots of weeds are so strong and I have to take them out little by little. What's more, because it takes a long time, thousands of mosquitoes around me all the time suck my blood and they leave annoying itches. I sometimes feel that I am saving the lives of vegetables against weeds which put the plants in the shade and take much energy out of the ground - just as I am fighting against mosquitoes. The hard work reminded me of that one Japanese word "Itadakimasu". In every meal, we have love with healthy food.
I've worked at the farm as a WWOOFer (in my last post, I explained about "WWOOF") for a week and I've learned how to farm little by little. That's an awesome experience. Likewise, I could rethink a beautiful Japanese word. However, farming is tough work, it is a beautiful job though. I think at times that my friends have been in Las Vegas or New York as I am fighting against mosquitoes... My legs have got full of bites by enemies, but there is no gain without pain. So, I "Itadakimasu(will have)" good experience and organic foods.




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