Do Japanese people say "Itadakimasu" even when they are alone?

"Itadakimasu" is a word that Japanese people say before eating meal. 

The most polite way is to put our hands together as shown in the picture.

There is no English equivalent for the word "Itadakimasu".

I guess the literal translation would be "I'll take it."

The Meaning of "Itadakimasu

Ever since I was a little girl, I always used to say it before eating meal, thinking it was a way to express my gratitude. I would like to share with you an episode when I learned the true meaning.

It was during a school trip in elementary school.

We had steak for dinner. We were overjoyed, not expecting such a feast on a school trip.

Just as we were about to say "Itadakimasu" with our hands together, the principal began to speak.

Do you know the meaning of "Itadakimasu"?

Principal's talk

"Itadakimasu" means to take life.

The steak you see in front of you now was alive as a cow. But the reason it is here now is to save your life.

Human beings need to eat something to survive. In this way, we live by receiving life from living things.

I take your life and turn it into my life. This word means to be grateful for that life.

In Japanese supermarkets, meat is sliced and sold in packs before it is cooked.

When we eat it, we don't imagine that it is a living thing.

"Itadakimasu" is a way of expressing gratitude for life and for all the people involved in the meal before us.

When you eat alone, do you say "Itadakimasu"?

A friend of mine asked me an interesting question: "Do Japanese people say "Itadakimasu" even when they are alone?"

I myself say it in my mind when I am alone.

I found some interesting survey results, so I'll share them with you. The subjects were university students.

Yes ......221（56.5％）

No: ......170 (43.5%)

https://gakumado.mynavi.jp/gmd/articles/40093

There are 88 processes involved in the production of rice.

"The character for "米(こめ) rice" is said to have been created from the character for "八十八(はちじゅうはち) eighty-eight.

Reference: 農林水産省

It means that it takes 88 times as much time and effort to produce rice. Compared to the past, rice cultivation has become quicker and easier now that we have convenient machines. However, it still takes a lot of time and effort to grow the rice and harvest it.

That is why we have been taught that we must not leave even a grain of rice behind.

It is difficult for a child to pick up rice stuck in a bowl with chopsticks, but parents and teachers always tell them to eat all the rice with this episode.

I would like to pass these words on to the next generation.