アメリカで「Mochi」と言ったら…

When I say "Mochi" in America, I mean...

「Sushi (寿司)」を筆頭に、「Dashi (出汁)」「Umami (うまみ)」「Tofu (豆腐)」「Edamame (枝豆)」のように、アメリカでも人気があって認知度が高い食べ物は、日本語がそのまま英語として使われています。今となっては、それらの言葉が元々は日本語だということすら知らないで使っている人も多いでことでしょう。
Many popular and well-known foods in the U.S., such as "Sushi," "Dashi," "Umami," "Tofu," and "Edamame," are made up of Japanese words that are used in English. Many people today probably do not even know that these words are originally Japanese.

同じようにアメリカに定着した日本語でも、定着した形に「微妙に違うんだけどなぁ」なんて思ってしまうのが「Mochi (餅)」です。
日本語で「餅」と聞いて、まず思い描くものは何でしょうか？
お正月の鏡餅？海苔に巻かれた磯部餅？臼と杵の餅つき？
ま、どれにしても、とにかく「和」のイメージ満載。
In the same way, "Mochi (rice cake)" is a Japanese word that has taken root in the U.S., but in a well-established form that makes you think, "It's slightly different.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "mochi" in Japanese?
Kagamimochi for New Year's? Isobe mochi wrapped in seaweed? Mochi pounding with a mortar and pestle?
Well, whatever the case may be, it is full of "Japanese" imagery.
一方、アメリカで「Mochi」と言うと、彼らの頭に浮かぶのは、いわゆる雪見大福型の「Mochi Ice Cream」なのです。さすがに雪見大福という商品名は知られていないものの、アイスを大福の皮で包んだデザートはアメリカでも大人気。味は、ストロベリーやマンゴーなどフルーティーなものに加えて、チョコレートやココナッツなんていうものまで、幅広くあります。一応、抹茶味もありますが、悲しいかなアメリカの抹茶は抹茶感が薄くて物足りないのが常。抹茶アイスならハーゲンダッツか日本の会社のものに限ります。
サイズはアメリカンサイズ！と言いたいところですが、これが小さくって。少なくとも雪見大福より大きいことはありえない小ぶりぶり。そして値段はというと結構お高め。箱入りのものもありますが、個別で買ったら、少なくとも1個２ドルはすると思います。
でもまあ、これがアメリカ人の間でも人気で、もはや「Mochi」と言ったらこの「Mochi ice Cream」のこと。
On the other hand, when you say the word "Mochi" in the U.S., what comes to their minds is "Mochi Ice Cream" in the form of so-called "Yukimi Daifuku. Although the product name "Yukimi Daifuku" is not well known, the dessert of ice cream wrapped in Daifuku skin is very popular in the United States. The flavors range from strawberry, mango, and other fruity flavors to chocolate and coconut. There is also a matcha flavor, but sadly, the matcha in the U.S. is usually not enough to make you feel like you are eating matcha. If you are looking for matcha ice cream, you must go with Haagen-Dazs or a Japanese company.
The size is American! I would like to say that it is American size, but it's too small. I would say it's American size, but it's so small that it can't be bigger than a Yukimi Daifuku (a sweet sweet made from snow and rice cake). And the price is quite expensive. There are some that come in a box, but if you buy them individually, they will cost you at least $2 a piece.
But, well, this is very popular among Americans, and when they say "Mochi" anymore, they mean "Mochi ice cream".

という訳で、例えば私がベーカリーでの仕事中に、柔らかめのパン生地の成型をしながら「この生地、お餅みたいだよね～」なんて言っても、言われた相手は「この生地がMochi ice Creamみたいってどういうこと？？？」と腑に落ちない様子。つきたてのお餅を思い描いている私とは、なかなか「だよね～！」と意気投合というわけにはいかないのも仕方がありませんね。
So, for example, when I say, "This dough looks like a rice cake," while molding soft dough at work in the bakery, the person to whom I say it seems to be confused, "What do you mean this dough is like Mochi ice cream? The other person is not quite sure what you mean by "this dough is like Mochi ice cream? I was thinking of freshly pounded rice cakes, so it was hard for me to say, "That's right! I can't blame them for not being able to hit it off with me.

手作り大福をあげる場合にも気遣いが必要です。見た目は限りなく彼らがイメージする「Mochi」ですからね。お互いのためにも、中に入っているのはあんこ、アイスクリームは入っていないからね。あんこは食べられそう？トライしてみたい？と事前に確認をするほうがいいと思っています。
Care must also be taken when giving homemade Daifuku. Because it looks as much as possible like the "Mochi" they imagine it to be. For both of us, it's Anko (red bean paste) that's inside, not ice cream. Do you think you can eat anko (red bean paste)? Do you want to try it? I think it is better to confirm in advance.

今更ながらですが、基本的に日本人は餅とか、餅の食感が好きなのでしょうね。餅製品の多さはもちろんですが、おいしいものには「外はサクサク、中はモチモチ」がつきものだから！
でも、この日本人なら誰もが知ってる「モチモチ食感」を英語で伝えるのがなかなか難しい。「モチモチ」を辞書で調べると、出てくるのは「Sticky」でしょう。でも「Sticky」って「モチモチ」より「ベタベタ」って感じがしませんか？手についた蜂蜜には迷わず「Sticky」を使うでしょうからね。
Stickyと比べたら、少し固形感が出るのが「Gooey」でしょうか。Stickyと同じで、ベタベタ＆ネバネバに変わりはありませんが、蜂蜜よりは、とろけたチーズがGooeyかな。
After all this time, I guess Japanese people basically like rice cakes and the texture of mochi. Not only because of the abundance of mochi products, but also because delicious food always has a "crispy outside and chewy inside"!
But it is quite difficult to convey this "mochi-mochi" texture that all Japanese know in English. If you look up the word "mochi-mochi" in a dictionary, you will probably come up with "sticky. But doesn't "sticky" sound more like "gooey" than "chewy"? I would not hesitate to use "sticky" for honey on your hands.
Gooey" is a little more solid than "Sticky," and like "Sticky," it's still sticky and gooey, but I think "Gooey" is more like melted cheese than honey.

そんなもんで、例えば、外側はパリッと中はもちもちのパンのおいしさを英語で伝えるのは至難の業。外側のパリッとはCrustyで決まりでしょう。「パリッ」とした食感に当てはまる英語は、他にも「Crispy」とか「Crunchy」などがありますが、パンやパイの皮(外側部分)、ピザのミミはCrust (クラスト)と呼ばれるので、日本語で言うところのパンの外側のパリッと感は「Crusty」で同じ雰囲気が伝わります。
問題は「中はもちもち」部分。「Inside is sticky」と言っても、私たちが言うもちもち感はいまいち伝わらず、何よりも、おいしそう感が伝わらない気がします。「え？それっておいしいの？」って思われてしまいそう。
It is very difficult to convey in English, for example, the deliciousness of bread that is crispy on the outside and glutinous on the inside. Crispy on the outside" is a good choice. The crusts of bread and pie (the outer part) and pizza are called "crusts," so "crusty" conveys the same feeling as the crispy outer layer of bread in Japanese. The problem is that the "inside is sticky" part.
The problem is the "sticky inside" part. Inside is sticky" does not convey what we mean by sticky, and more importantly, I feel it does not convey the sense of deliciousness. It doesn't convey the sense of "What? Is that delicious? I think people will think, "What?
ならばいっそ「Inside is fluffy」と言ってしまおうか。つまり「中はフワフワ」ってことですね。この方がおいしそう感は伝わりますが、ここで私たちがこだわっているもちもち食感とは異なり、それもまたちょっと違うかなと思う訳です。
そこで登場するのが「Mochi」。
「Mochiy」とか「Mochiish」のように、名詞を形容詞に変えるべく語尾に「-y」「-ish」を無理やりつけて「もちっぽい、もちみたいな」という言葉を作ってしまう裏技的方法があるのです。
正確にはそんな言葉は存在しませんが、「Mochi」という言葉の認知度があがっている昨今は、よく使われていますね。言語的に間違った言葉を使うことに抵抗がある場合は「Mochi like」がいいかもしれませんね。これで「餅のように」という意味になりますから。
Then let's just say "Inside is fluffy". In other words, "inside is fluffy. This would convey a sense of deliciousness, but it is different from the mochi texture we are focusing on here, and we think it is also a little different.
This is where "Mochi" comes in.
There is a tricky way to turn a noun into an adjective, like "Mochiy" or "Mochiish," by adding "-y" or "-ish" at the end to make the word "mochi-like" or "mochi-like.
Although such a word does not exist exactly, it is often used these days when the word "Mochi" is becoming more and more recognized. If you are not comfortable using a linguistically incorrect word, "Mochi like" might be a good choice. Because this would mean "Mochi like".
そうだ。
餅と言えばここ最近アメリカで人気が上がってきたのがMochi donuts (もちドーナツ)。いわゆるポンデリングのことで、見た目も食感もポンデリングそのまま。なぜか、韓国風ホットドッグと一緒に販売しているお店が多いのは謎。値段は結構高くて、3つで10ドルとかはあたりまえ。それでも人気が出ているのは、もちもち食感がウケてのことでしょうから、日本人が愛して止まないもちもち食感が、アメリカにも広がりつつあるということなのでしょう。Mochi＝Mochi ice Creamという概念が変わってくる日も近いかもしれません。
That's right.
Speaking of mochi, recently Mochi donuts have been gaining popularity in the U.S. They are so-called "ponderings" that look and feel just like ponderings. They look and feel just like ponderings. It is a mystery why many stores sell them together with Korean-style hot dogs. The price is quite expensive, with three for $10 or so being the norm. The day may soon come when the concept of Mochi = Mochi ice cream will change.
ん？ちょっと待てよ。。。
「Mochi」人気にのっかって、「Mochiy」「Mochiish」「Mochi like」などと言ってみたところで、今のところ、アメリカ人にとってのMochiは雪見大福。ということは、パンのもちもち感はやっぱり伝わらないということか？
う～む、悩ましい。
Hmm? Wait a minute...
I've tried saying "Mochi," "Mochiish," and "Mochi like," to capitalize on the popularity of "Mochi," but so far, for Americans, "Mochi" is "Daifuku" (snow cake). Does this mean that they can't feel the stickiness of the bread?
Hmmm... I'm torn.