Comments on: The origin of “viking” http://www.mutantfrog.com/2005/11/05/the-origin-of-viking/ Photos, Stories and articles on East Asia Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:54:22 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Viking vexation » Japundit Blog http://www.mutantfrog.com/2005/11/05/the-origin-of-viking/comment-page-1/#comment-308921 Viking vexation » Japundit Blog Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:01:29 +0000 http://www.mutantfrog.com/2005/11/05/the-origin-of-viking/#comment-308921 [...] Dr. Beth then told me she had found a longer (and much more interesting but unsubstantiated) story of the origins of the term here. [...] [...] Dr. Beth then told me she had found a longer (and much more interesting but unsubstantiated) story of the origins of the term here. [...]

]]> By: Adamu http://www.mutantfrog.com/2005/11/05/the-origin-of-viking/comment-page-1/#comment-25639 Adamu Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:11:09 +0000 http://www.mutantfrog.com/2005/11/05/the-origin-of-viking/#comment-25639 Don't confuse me!!!!! I just ate at one of the breakfast buffets around here and now I'm all creeped out -- thanks a lot!!!! Don’t confuse me!!

I just ate at one of the breakfast buffets around here and now I’m all creeped out—thanks a lot!

]]> By: Gaijin Biker http://www.mutantfrog.com/2005/11/05/the-origin-of-viking/comment-page-1/#comment-25637 Gaijin Biker Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:40:41 +0000 http://www.mutantfrog.com/2005/11/05/the-origin-of-viking/#comment-25637 That's not right. What happened is, one of the first hotels to set up a smorgasbord got lots of questions and complaints about the possibility that food left out in the open would attract bacteria, or <i>baikin</i>. While the hotel staff tried to assure guests that the food was safe, the name stuck, and soon acquired a trendy "-ing" ending from hip young Japanese desperate to make anything sound Western. Hence, the name <i>baikingu</i>. Obviously, this was bad for business, so hotels began to say that the name <i>baikingu</i> actually referred to Vikings. This explanation gradually took hold, and today no Japanese person thinks twice about eating a pile of food originally named after the bacteria that's supposedly breeding in it. Actually, I just made all that up. That’s not right. What happened is, one of the first hotels to set up a smorgasbord got lots of questions and complaints about the possibility that food left out in the open would attract bacteria, or baikin.

While the hotel staff tried to assure guests that the food was safe, the name stuck, and soon acquired a trendy “-ing” ending from hip young Japanese desperate to make anything sound Western. Hence, the name baikingu.

Obviously, this was bad for business, so hotels began to say that the name baikingu actually referred to Vikings. This explanation gradually took hold, and today no Japanese person thinks twice about eating a pile of food originally named after the bacteria that’s supposedly breeding in it.

Actually, I just made all that up.

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