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From: ahearn@convex.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.veg
Subject: Re: geo.osawa - (nf)
Message-ID: <56000007@convex.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 18-Aug-84 12:26:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: convex.56000007
Posted: Sat Aug 18 12:26:00 1984
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Nf-From: convex!ahearn    Aug 18 11:26:00 1984

#R:ucla-cs:-81500:convex:56000007:000:2456
convex!ahearn    Aug 18 11:26:00 1984

About Georges Ohsawa:

1. According to his wife, Lima, he died suddenly one morning, apparently
   of a stroke (my interpretation). He was 76. The account of his death
   was included in one of his posthomously published books. If anyone is
   *really* interested, I'll post a reference. There was no mention of
   cancer in Lima's account of his death.

2. Ohsawa did smoke cigarettes like a fiend. Many macrobiotic people do.
   The rationale is that tobacco is "yang-izing" (constrictive) and will
   therefore help one avoid yin diseases. (There is more fear of Yin dis-
   ease, since most macrobiotic folk tend to believe we Americans eat too
   much Yin food.)

3. Ohsawa apparently ate huge amounts of sea salt, miso, and tamari. He 
   nearly died of tuberculosis at 19, and he attributed his recovery and
   subsequent good health to an incredibly Yang, highly restricted macrobiotic
   diet. It is alleged that he occasionally sweated small crystals of salt.
   (Is this even possible?)

4. After his recovery, Ohsawa by all accounts was a man of prodigous activity.
   He took at least one degree in science at a French University, traveled 
   widely, published hundreds of books and pamphlets, lectured, conducted sem-
   inars, and worked fr several import-export trading houses. He wrote some-
   where that he was capable of working for days on end with little or no 
   sleep. This ability he also attributed to macrobiotics.

My perception is that Ohsawa is now something of an embarrassment to macros.
His regimen is almost impossible to maintain (even Ohsawa "binged" on
hamburger, eggs, whiskey, and candy) and his teaching by today's standards
appears restrictive and misogynistic. Nevertheless, he is the founder and 
chief proselytizer of an international movement that apparently has done a
lot of people a lot of good. I don't know what to do with him. Sometimes I
read his books and think he's really onto something, other times I throw his
books against the wall.

I would reccomend *You Are All Sanpaku* as introduction to the Ohsawa brand
of macrobiotics. It's well-written, funny, and useful. For a real treat, pick
up some of the pamphlets he wrote about fruit, marijuana, or drugs.
Hysterical apocalyptic nightmares about eating citrus fruit and smoking
joints. Highly recommended to fans of the bizarre.

----------------------------------------------------

Joe Ahearn    {allegra, ihnp4, uiucds, ctvax}!convex!ahearn