Feb. 19th, 2018
Teriyaki Festival Sizzles up Kien-k'ang's History with Dayashina
Kien-k'ang • Denizens of the capital city wake up to the aroma of teriyaki today as the Teriyaki Society of Themiclesia (震旦の照り焼きの会) stages one of the most remarkable and sizeable public events seen in the city for decades. A grand total of 530 teriyaki restaurants are represented in the proceedings today, serving the iconic Dayashinese food on the Imperial Avenue's spacious and verde medians. Public attendance was estimated at over 400,000.
The revival of teriyaki has widely been interpreted as a symbol of the detente that Themiclesians have gradually accepted with Dayashina, after the latter invaded the former in 1936 with over 150,000 troops. Though teriyaki has been sold in Themiclesia by pioneering Dayashinese immigrants since the 1920s, it has never been so diplomatically important during the 1940s and 50s, as visible proof that the island nation's had a side that was not associated with the carnage at the front.
"It was quite difficult for us," Mako Aramashi recounted when she was confronted with the news that her native country has invaded the adoptive one, "there was a lot hanging in the air, whether we would be targets for reprisals due to the actions of Dayashina. There were even some that feared for their lives and fled back to Dayashina."
However, with much-admired courage, the few teriyaki restaurants in Kien-k'ang continued to operate, and the government never enacted any policies against persons of Dayashinese origin, unlike several other countries in Septentrion. According to Mako, the civil society of Themiclesia also demonstrated the same commendable restraint, and nobody was singled out for being ethnically Dayashinese.
"It's truly a wonderful place to be. Not many countries can remain tolerant of individuals associated with their enemy," Fuhito Ohohara relayed.
But the worst came when the Dayashinese troops were physically attacking the walls of Kien-k'ang, and many immigrants living in the city were forced to a hard decision.
"There came a point where someone suggested—I will give no names—that we should just go to defect to the invading force, given how the Themiclesian army has been largely unable to stop the invasion. The city walls were not that tall and could easily be scaled." Ohohara told the Correspondent, "And I will not shy away from saying that my family did consider defecting, until when our Themiclesian neighbours told us that it was time to evacuate to the west. That was when we decided that this was a dependable country that we can stick with, through thick and thin."
The other side of the story, that of the Themiclesians who lived with Dayashinese immigrants, is also one of contradictions. Sek Rjiehi, a teenager when Kien-k'ang was under atttack, apparently was quite dissatisfied with the presence of thousands of Dayashinese people in the city.
"Like many students, I was inclined to view Dayashinese people suspiciously," Sek told this paper. "However, our teacher used this precise situation as an example of the quality of empathy, which features prominently in the philosophical works that we studied in high school. None of us had any intention or ability to harm them, at any rate."
But Mra K'en viewed the situation differently. Now 90, he was a young civil servant in the Department of the Palace Hall (殿中監) during the war. "It is utterly idiotic to suggest that holding a pogrom on Dayashinese immigrants would have been in our interest," he said. "For one, it would only anger the invading troops and possibly inspire them to attempt more daring tactics. And if these people liked Dayashina so much, they wouldn't have immigrated here, would they? If they really supported the Dayashinese invasion, they would have enlisted in the Dayashinese army. This much was plainly obvious during 1941 and 1942. Even the thought of it—teriyaki sellers as spies or saboteurs—was an insult to any rational mind."
As early Dayashinese immigrants were predominantly teriyaki restauranteurs, their experience may represent that of those in other trades. After the war, ever more Dayashinese immigrants arrived. The existing community in Kien-k'ang organized many essential services for these new settlers, in an age when there were no schools for adults learning Shinasthana. Without them, post-war immigrants may have been utterly lost.
"Initially we were skeptical about immigrating to Themiclesia, for two reasons. First of course is whether the country was in shape to accept immigrants in 1947, and then if the locals would accept us. I think history has proven those doubts unnecessary." Shimaya wrote to us.
"Politically, repressing of Dayashinese people during the war would appear weak and insecure," Prof. An of the Pondside University analyzed for us. "Repressing them after the war would be vindictive. We should recall for ourselves that the government did accuse the Dayashinese emperor of being just that—vindictive, given his actions in Maracaibo. Individuals espousing these two attributes generally are frowned upon in Themiclesia's pre-war political class. Most of the public was not concerned with Dayashinese people on an individual level, which may explain the general lack of hostility between the two groups in Kien-k'ang."
However, this is not to say that no Themiclesian ever felt negatively towards the Dayashinese diaspora. "My extended family lost over 12 people to engagements with the Mengheans and Dayashinese, so I think it's understandable that my parents were against our buying goods and services from Dayashinese people. But they were also careful not to display this in an ostentatious way; that is, they forbade us from talking negatively about Dayashina or doing anything against Dayashinese people. Eventually, I confronted my family that not buying Dayashinese goods still
was a form of reprisal, as its effects could be felt by the seller. My father could not answer, but the next year when we set out supplications at the graves, he pointed to the tumuli and asked me to think how can he see these graves, remembering the people in them, and not think poorly of the Dayashinese. Yet he also remarked that making this emotion public would be equally reprehensible and shameful, as it indicated he was too petty to look past the war. He died in 1978 with these mixed feelings in his heart. Though he never refused to eat at a Dayashinse restaurant, he would simply order and give the food to me."
Lak, who was at the Teriyaki Festival today, revealed these things to us in a lengthy account that he has published last year, titled
Bitter Enemies. Like the memories that Themiclesians may feel towards the people, the food served today was enjoyable and culinary success, but there is ever a slight tinge of bitterness on the burnt bits and the smoke.
Just as about we were to finish our report on this event, news has reached us that Dayashina has staged a grand military parade today, displaying much of its military might and the prominence of its forces. The Prime Minister of Dayashina, Noru, was at the parade today, delivering a rousing speech. When confronted about this, the teriyaki sellers were quite apt to refrain from commenting.
"That really has nothing to do with us," one replied, "I don't see any connection."
The Prime Minister of this country, showing up briefly during the afternoon, was also put to this question. "There's nothing behind it," he told this paper, "I have been assured by my counterparts in the Grand Alliance. I can say with good confidence there is nothing to it," referencing the Dayashinese habit of staging such a parade to honour its war dead during the Pan-Septentrion War, the same conflict in which the teriyaki sellers today or their fore-bearers were forced to make a difficult choice about their allegiance. "I've learned that my counterpart in Tol Galen has announced a visit to Dayashina over the gathering clouds in the Allied Nations of Maracaibo. I have not received word from either of them about what we're expected to do, but I'm sure if there is anything, we'll be informed in the first instance, and this government will notify the public in due time. And I'm certainly not looking forward to there being anything."
Pressed further, Mako expressed her rather conserved opinion about the parade. "In whatever way we can, we all try to remember what our dearest has done for us, and particularly, in our defence. It's the same here and there. I don't think there's any reasons to be suspicious about it. I don't follow politics very closely."