Post Updated 29th of April …. based on his imminent release.
He robbed a mail train carrying 2.6 million pounds back in 1963, he broke out of prison in 1965 by scaling the wall with a rope ladder, and he has been famous ever since. I’d read the story and i’d seen the movie so the opportunity to meet the man in person, drink a few beers, and get a few souvenirs signed back in January 2000 was too good to pass up.
A group of us went to Rio De Janeiro for about 6 back in December 1999 to see in the Millennium, that’s a whole other story but rest assured partying on Copacabana beach at the turn of the century was a pretty memorable experience, too much to write in the post.
The guys that went had a pretty loose schedule in South America. Arrive on the 26th of December and leave sometime in February, with only 1 “must do” while we were there, and that was meet up with Ronnie Biggs.
Some preliminary work got us in touch with his son Michael who said it shouldn’t be a problem, we got the address and had penciled in a date that we had to confirm closer to the time.
Unfortunately Ronnie was pretty sick, having just a few months before had his second stroke, he was still keen to host a few Australians at his house for a few afternoon beers while he told us a few stories.
The beers flowed and the stories were told, Ronnie’s sense of humour was much sharper than his appearance at times, his son Michael was a true champion and gave us the heads up on other places in and around South America that he new we’d like, looking back it was brilliant advice that he gave us.
In a recent session to educate both foreigners and the locals as to some differences between Japanese and Western Cultures we were told about “Honne and Tatemae”
Honne and Tatemae are Japanese words that describe recognized social phenomena.
Honne (本音) refers to a person’s true feelings and desires. These may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one’s position and circumstances, and they are often kept hidden, except with one’s closest Friends.
Tatemae (建前), literally “façade,” is the behaviour and opinions one displays in public. Tatemae is what is expected by society and required according to one’s position and circumstances, and these may or may not match one’s honne.
So what does all this mean? It means the result of the meeting you just had isn’t necessarily what you thought. Often, especially where Gaijin are involved there’ll be a follow up “Japanese only” meeting where the true opinions of the people involved are expressed. In any case, the purpose of the meeting and it’s outcome if you thought there was one, wasn’t what you thought.
For those of us learning Japanese we can try as we might to learn the language but it’s impossible for us to confidently assert that they can fully comprehend honne and tatemae.
Breakfast on the weekend is the only meal that often troubles me living in Japan. Being used to `Bacon and Eggs` or various other typical western breakfasts in Australia i often struggle to satisfy my hunger on my days off.
What are my options considering there`s not a great deal open, in and around my area, before 11am? The locals will eat everything from Ramen to Sushi and I`ve tried both, Ramen can be a little heavy and send you back home for another hours kip and Sushi just isn`t right for me anything before lunchtime and without beer in hand … the Wasabi is too aggresive on the palet first up.
So when i`ve come around the corner at Yoyogi station and seen `Zats Cafe` advertising they do a `Sasebo Burger` all my troubles were over. They open at 11am, i can hold off for breakfast until then no problems, and believe me when i say it`s well worth waiting for.
We`ve all seen the beautiful marketing from the likes of McDonalds and other fast food chains and then when the food arrives we`re bitterly dissapointed with the stark contrast between the two.
The story`s very different at Zats Burger, these things are seriously prepared with love and taste every bit as good as they look. I would actually rate this better than the burger from Michaels in Albert Park, Port Melbourne but i`ll have to sample one of those again at Xmas time to make sure i`m fair in my judgement.
