[/floatr]Asahi: Terrified of being seen alone, students eat in toilets
While ghost stories and myths abound in schools, the one about a notice banning the consumption of food in university toilets is more sad than scary. A little research sheds light on a growing phenomenon: Some students are so lonely they shut themselves inside toilet cubicles to eat. The notice, with the same message, the same design and the same warning but with different school names, has been posted over the last few months in toilets at numerous universities. "The following activities are banned in toilet stalls," says the notice, citing smoking, graffiti and eating. All schools flatly deny putting up the warnings, raising the question of who did it and why. Some officials say the message is absurd, while others suspect it may be a student prank. The mystery of the notice aside, eating in public toilets is all too real, especially among students, according to Daisuke Tsuji, an associate professor of communication studies at Osaka University. The habit is called "benjo-meshi," literally toilet meal. Students who eat hiding in restroom stalls are isolated on campus, Tsuji said. Seeing other students happily chatting with friends increases their sense of isolation. For these students, it is better to eat in a toilet than to be perceived as friendless and spotted dining alone in the school cafeteria, he said...more...
