science

The staff ate it later

The staff ate it later is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand The staff ate it later rather than just read about it. In short: "The staff ate it later" (Japanese: この後、スタッフが美味しくいただきました, Hepburn: Kono ato, sutaffu ga oishiku itadakimashita; more fully translated as the staff ate and enjoyed it later) is a caption shown on screen in a Japanese TV program to indicate that the food presented during the program was not thrown away after filming. Some have questioned the authenticity of displaying the caption.

Key takeaways

The staff ate it later belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect The staff ate it later to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of The staff ate it later from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

"The staff ate it later" (Japanese: この後、スタッフが美味しくいただきました, Hepburn: Kono ato, sutaffu ga oishiku itadakimashita; more fully translated as the staff ate and enjoyed it later) is a caption shown on screen in a Japanese TV program to indicate that the food presented during the program was not thrown away after filming. Some have questioned the authenticity of displaying the caption.

First appearance It is thought TV stations first began showing the caption to protect themselves against complaints from viewers who disliked food being handled without consideration in TV variety shows. It is uncertain when this note was first used, but TV producer Kenji Suga stated viewers complained about the waste of food when a performance using small watermelons was broadcast in Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! on Nippon TV. The TV station then showed this note on screen the following year in response.

Authenticity There are various claims as to whether or not staff actually eat the food that appears in the programs.

Supporting reports According to AOL News in 2014, the crew on one information program claimed: "It's sometimes impossible for the reporter to eat all the food provided by the restaurant. The reporter is told not to eat it all, but the crew will eat the rest out of consideration and a feeling of obligation towards the restaurant." Food comic artist Raswell Hosoki claimed in Meshizanmai Furusatonoaji (Meshizanmai Taste of Hometown) that the note is true. Eriko Miyazaki, a reporter and TV personality for food shows, also claimed the note is true and stated: "The crew eats the rest of the food, at least at the shows I appear in." In January 2018, Miwa Asao, former professional beach volleyball player and TV personality, posted photos on her blog of staff eating food after recording "Saturday Night! Otona na TV". She wrote: "This is an on-site photo. The staff ate the rest of the food."

Refuting reports Hitoshi Matsumoto, a comedian and TV host, was asked by sociologist Noritoshi Furuichi about this note in 2014 during the "Wide na Show" (Fuji Television). He said: "To be honest, I've never seen the crew eat the food. But that just means I haven't seen it. They might've eaten it." Takeshi Kitano (also known as Beat Takeshi), a Japanese comedian, actor, and filmmaker, referred to an instance where cake was smeared on the floor and said in his book Bakaron: "Liars. Who's going to enjoy cake they splattered all over the floor?" Commentator Tsunehira Furuya also stated that the food featured in the show is not eaten by the staff later and is instead simply thrown into garbage bags.

Reception Commentator Tetsuya Uetaki has commented on displaying the note, saying: "Producers have become more aware as viewers have become more critical after issues such as the Aru Aru Mondai (a natto shortage caused by a program claiming eating natto would make people lose weight), and it's fine as one method for dealing with that." However, Uetaki went on to say: "This shifts responsibility onto the viewers. We can't let it end as simply an empty concession. I want to see variety shows strive to properly handle information and properly put the show together, from the moment they start building it." Broadcast writer Sotani commented on the fact that production teams have become more sensitive to this in programs and have begun displaying such notes as an attempt to preempt criticism. He claims this sort of extreme self regulation risks leading to a decline. TV producer Kenji Suga claims it is necessary for programs to be disconnected from real life and society, to be "dumb and idiotic" to produce laughs. Columnist Takashi Matsuo argues that adults, not TV shows, should teach children the ethics surrounding the importance of food. He also argues that if a parent is uncomfortable with what a comedian expresses on TV, the right course of action would be to change the channel or turn off the TV, not send a complaint to the TV station. Matsuo also points out the inconsistency that "the staff ate it later" caption is not displayed when large numbers of tomatoes are thrown at the festival of Tomatina in Spain or when athletes spray each other with champagne in celebration of a victory.

See also Ethical eating – Moral food consumption choices Itadakimasu – Japanese phrase – "to humbly receive" Mottainai – Japanese term translates as "What a waste!"

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The staff ate it later

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The staff ate it later claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to The staff ate it later before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about The staff ate it later ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of The staff ate it later

In research: The staff ate it later appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses The staff ate it later in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: The staff ate it later is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Food and drink television, Food waste, Japanese cuisine terms, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The staff ate it later outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study The staff ate it later in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what The staff ate it later means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain The staff ate it later out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is The staff ate it later in simple terms?

Why does The staff ate it later matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study The staff ate it later?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on The staff ate it later.