For the past two years I have lived in Japan and for the past four months I have been nursing. Perhaps what is the most difficult for me is that I already feel so conspicuous since I am a fair-skinned, blue–eyed woman living in a relatively homogeneous Asian nation. Nursing in public makes me feel even more conspicuous.

Japan is pretty friendly for breastfeeding moms, there are nursing rooms specially set up in most malls, museums, department stores, etc. But, for places wear those spaces aren’t available, I just do my thing. I’m still not sure if it is proper, but I have had to let it go. My son needs to eat and I need to not be stuck in the house.

Danielle’s last blog post..Claim

On the other hand, I sometimes get the feeling from your comments that you don’t have much respect for the culture of Costa Rica. Calling CR “sex-obsessed” and talking with seeming condescension about how the “ladies dress” seems less than respectful, for one thing. I would also challenge the validity of “sex-obsessed”. I always say, before you criticize another culture, first look to your own. While the U.S. is puritanical in one sense (about the bodily function of breastfeeding), it is also sex-obsessed, IMO, to a greater degree than Costa Rica. There are cultural differences in the *way* in which sexuality is expressed, but not in degree, IMO. In the US, in NYC, there was a huge billboard just in the past week or so that depicted group sex between a woman and multiple men. Not sex-obsessed? I think not. Just visit a US children’s clothing store and you will likely note the girl’s clothes that look like they belong on a prostitute. It seems a little biased to be criticizing the sexuality of Costa Ricans without painting a full picture of who you are comparing them to.

On Dos Pinos milk: I just wanted to point out to my readers that the national brand of milk does come in both ultra-pasteurized boxed versions and in regular refrigerated gallons or half-gallons (which taste fine), just like in the US. While I don’t like the taste of ultra-pasteurized milk, this type of milk may be valuable for family in CR that live either with no electricity, or who have unreliable electricity. I’d rather see a baby drink fresh ultra-pasteurized milk than a bacteria-laden substitute. I’d like to see babies nursed for the full 2 years or more that the WHO recommends, but if a family chooses to wean earlier, at least there is a safe option for nutritious drinks, in the form of ultra-pasteurized cow’s milk, for the 1-2 year old (or older kids) in the event of no electricity. Considering I had a whole half-gallon of milk go bad in my fridge the other day, after having a 4-hour blackout, I can well understand the value of “that heinous” boxed milk.

I also don’t really like how talk about how gringas are “special and desirable”. While it may be true that *some* Costa Rican men might find a gringa’s breast exciting, it feels disrespectful to assume that the vast majority of Costa Rican men are just waiting for a glimpse of gringa breast. I think we should probably be respectful enough to men not to assume they are just out for sexual kicks all the time. I actually have not had any CR men leer at my breasts in this country as of yet. In the US, I’ve been cat-called more times than I can count on my fingers and toes.

I just want to make sure that my blog isn’t painting a biased picture of any culture or gender group. Every culture has it pros and cons. That is true here in Costa Rica, just as it is true in the US and everywhere else.