WIT Life #237: Cincinnati chili and sister cities
Translating/Interpreting, Travel/Tourism, WIT Life, Writers 
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
My current work brings me to Cincinnati, Ohio for the first time, so of course I sought out what Japanese connections exist. During my morning run along the Ohio River, I passed through the waterfront Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park. Its entrance is marked by a colorful sculpture announcing the name of the park in various languages, but unfortunately the Japanese one reads ｢フレンドシッ」, missing its final プ.
It’s divided into different sections for each region of the world, so while there is not one for Japan itself, there is one for all of Asia. In this area, the walkway is marked by 菊 (kiku or chrysanthemum) and what looks like various crests. From what I could see on the website, it seems like there are sakura that bloom there in the spring as well.
Neither I nor my Jap
anese client knew where Cincinnati’s sister city is, but after checking we discovered that it is Gifu. This connection began in 1988, and one similarity between the two cities is their waterways, as Gifu used to be known as Inokuchi (“mouth of the river”). Last night we went to have the 名物 (meibutsu or famous food) Cincinnati-style chili, which is made with spices like cinnamon, cloves and chocolate and is served over spaghetti or hot dogs, often with cheese on top.
My Japanese client had used his guide book to do research, and took us to the well known Sky Line Chili. We were chatting with the waitress and told her how far he had come to try the chili, and she said at times the place is packed with Japanese tourists. Specially prepared chili packets could be a potentially booming お土産 (omiyage or souvenir) business for this clientele…
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