Taking Medicine in Japan
Water or Milk or Coffee?
What is daily life like for an American husband and a Japanese wife living in Japan? Scott and Yoko have been married for 39 years and lifestyle differences keep appearing. We are not sure if they have to do with culture, family background, or individual differences.
Here is one example that includes a conversation and is followed by comments by Yoko and Scott about their habits.
Scott and Yoko have very different habits concerning what to eat when sick and how to take medicine or pills. Scott, after going to a doctor and getting some pills for his fever, might have a conversation like the following with Yoko:
Yoko: I will make some soupy rice (okayu) for you.
Scott: No thank you. I think I will have some oatmeal for supper instead.
Yoko: Oatmeal for supper! Oatmeal is for breakfast. I think you should have some soupy rice. That is what I always had when I was sick. You live in Japan, so you should do what the Japanese do, have some soupy rice. You always say, “When in Rome do as the Romans do.”
Scott: Ah, but I feel like having some oatmeal.
Yoko: Ok.
(Scott eats the oatmeal.)
Scott: That was good! Time for my medicine. Where is my pill?
Yoko points to Scott’s medicine, which is sitting on the table in front of him. Scott, who had milk with his oatmeal, throws the pill in his mouth and washes it down with milk.
Yoko: What are you doing? You have to take a pill with water. I can’t believe you just did that.
Scott: What?
Yoko: Take a pill with water. If you take it with milk, it will upset your stomach. Don’t you know that?
Scott: Milk is a liquid like water. It just guides the pill down to the stomach and once in the stomach it is all the same.
Yoko: I can’t believe you just did that. Now you will get a stomachache and will be using the toilet.
Scott: Ah, I don’t think so.
Scott’s comment
When people are sick, they usually eat something they like. The same with me.
Often people eat less, too. In contrast to many people, I eat the same or more when I am sick. At first, Yoko would say, “You can’t be sick. You are eating.” However, she has learned over the years that I eat when I am sick. Recently, I asked my sister about eating when sick, and it seems we have a family tradition. We eat when we are sick. That made me feel much better and less alone. It is not just me.
Yoko eats soupy rice when she is sick as do many Japanese, or so she thinks. Once, only once, Yoko gave me soupy rice. My mind and my stomach instantly told me that soupy rice was not what to eat when sick. The visit to the toilet emphasized this realization. Instead, some nice oatmeal with milk does fine.
Taking pills is another difference in our family. Yoko will take pills or vitamins with warm water. Only water. I am a bit different. In most cases, since I am already drinking milk, part of my sickness menu, I take any pills with milk. If milk is not on the table, a cup of coffee is an appropriate substitute. It is a liquid and will wash down the pill. Practicality is my motto.
Yoko’s comments
I was raised in an environment where if you do not feel good, people eat soupy rice (okayu). Some people eat noodles (udon), though I have my doubts about that. Recently, I even like to eat sushi when I am not feeling well. But when someone is sick or has the flu, she needs to rest the body, and the stomach needs to have just a little food. That should be okayu.
Scott is different. He eats the same amount of food or more. Unfortunately, our daughter takes after her father in that way. When she does not feel well, she continues to eat. Fortunately, she will eat soup or udon when she does not feel well. She is almost normal.
Since I was a child, I have been told to take medicine with hot or cold water. Only water. In fact, I have heard that some medicines are less effective if they are drunk with some liquids. For example, some medicines taken with grapefruit juice are not so effective. But milk or coffee? That shocked me.
I had another shock when I lived in America. At my workplace, an American friend drank caffeinated colas, such as Pepsi, and she smoked cigarettes all the time. Then she complained of headaches. I said to her, “Your headache won’t go away if you smoke and drink Pepsi.” She just laughed. I wanted to scream at her, “If you quit smoking and drinking cola your headache will go away.” But I never had the courage to say it. When I think about it, I guess milk is better than cola and smoking.
The author writes about miscommunication around the world with a focus on Japan, where he lives with his Japanese wife. Author of Snapshots of Yoko’s Intercultural Conversations: https://amzn.asia/d/50xaXTt
