CARNE ES MUY MACHO, SI

    Tonight I had dinner at one of my old reliables, the Japanese noodle joint Sapporo, at 152 W. 49th Street between 6th and 7th, where I've been going for at least 25 years.
    I usually go during the daytime or early evening; at that time of day, they always have Japanese chefs.  But the much less busy late-night shift is all Hispanic men.
    I sat down at the counter, which looks right onto the kitchen, and ordered my usual, miso ramen with no pork.  The waiter dutifully went behind the counter and announced the order to one of the chefs, who in turn repeated the order back to the waiter, something like "miso a la mujer."  In other words, "miso, woman-style."
     Wow, so avoiding meat is effeminate.  That runs so deep, I don't have time to unpack it all.  But it's pretty telling, huh?