Netanyahu Insults Japans Prime Minister By Serving Him Dessert In A Shoe

Fact checked

The Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and his wife were served dessert in a shoe during dinner at the Israeli prime minister’s residence.

The culturally offensive move has been slammed by diplomats from both countries.

“This was a stupid and insensitive decision,” a senior Israeli diplomat said “It is equivalent to serving a Jewish guest chocolates in a dish shaped like a pig,” adding “there is nothing more despised in Japanese culture than shoes.”

Japanese etiquette stipulates that shoes should be kept outside of one’s home and office, so on the dinner table would not be acceptable

Japan has, coincidentally, expressed its support for Iran nuclear deal…and Abe has also pledged that his country will not be relocating its embassy to Jerusalem.

RT reports:“No culture puts shoes on the table,” a Japanese diplomat told the Hebrew newspaper. “If this is meant to be humor, we do not find it funny. I can tell you that we are offended for our prime minister,” the diplomat said.

Abe and his wife dined with Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu on May 2, during Abe’s second official visit to Israel. The meal was prepared by Israeli celebrity chef Segev Moshe.

In a photo shared on Moshe’s Instagram page the shoes can be seen laid on placemats on the table as the Prime Ministers and their wives pose for the camera, apparently unperturbed by the cultural faux pas.

Another post by the celebrity chef explains that the shoe is made of metal and shows the chocolate praline selection inside.

The odd choice of dessert bowl substitute didn’t only baffle diplomats, with many social media users also expressing their bewilderment at the concept.

“What a stupid idea, shoes at the table!!” one commenter wrote. “So you knowingly served the Japanese prime minister a dessert in a shoe. First that isn’t creative. Secondly it’s offensive. What are you smoking?” another added.

While few cultures would appreciate having an actual shoe on the table, this goes double for Japanese etiquette, where street footwear is not permitted inside at all. People do not wear shoes in the home or the office and visitors are expected to comply by removing their footwear before entering inside.

2 Comments

  1. the Pharoahs Curse is being fulfilled upon the innocent but the wheels of Justice will continue to go round.As the saying goes, the ones you meet on the way up are the same ones you see on the way down.

  2. If he was serving Filet of Sole, I might understand the joke. But this was a direct insult to the leader of a culture that leaves its shoes outside. Bibi is ‘over the top’, but if this was offensive to Abe, why didn’t he and his wife get up from the table? The photo shows everyone smiling. This story is missing some context.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.