Ricer!

The term Ricer is a term used by Australian bogan types to refer to some brands of car in what appears to be a derogatory way. The etymology of the word is probably something to do with the noun 'rice' being made into a verb, then back into a noun, but this time to describe machines that do whatever the verb means. What is it they are doing then? Well, as best I can deduce, they are being associated with countries in North East Asia, usually Japan, where rice is considered a dietary staple.

The term, however, does not appear to be applied universally to all vehicles originating from Japan. For example, I recently overheard a conversation in which a young man was advocating that his friend buy a Subaru, but then, when his friend said he was considering a Nissan, he denounced Nissans as 'Ricer cars.' On another occasion, I heard the same thing, but with Toyota and Mitsubishi substituted respectively.

One possible explanation for this apparent inconsistency is that the bogans wish to emphasise the foreign nature of vehicles which they deem to be in some way inferior. Subaru and Toyota offer exceptional engineering, it's true. However, both Nissan and Mitsubishi have high end models which should be sufficient to dispel any possible perception of inferiority: the Nissan Skyline GTR has an engine manufactured in a laboratory and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has driving aids that would make an L player look good round a race track. Anyway, if inferiority was the key, then surely Korean cars and Peugeots would be called Ricers almost universally, which does not appear to be the case.

Another possibility that should not be discounted is that the term is chosen not based so much on the origins of the vehicles, but on the perception that more people from rice staple cultures are likely to own and drive them. This would imply a great deal of racism on the part of the bogans using the term and, as there doesn't seem to be any readily available data linking vehicle manufacturer preference to dietary staple or culture of origin, it would not be fare to level such an accusation without further research.

For now, let us simply consider that the term Ricer is a quirky linguistic anomaly and that, though I have to say it makes me cringe, I have very little idea what it means.

このオーストラリア人は音楽を聞いて、運転するのか好きです。

ラルク アン シエルと言う音楽グループが好きです。いつも夜遅く仕事から帰る時、大きい声でそのグループの歌を聞きながら歌って、車ではしります。僕の歌う声はあんまり聞きやすくないかもしれないけど、誰も一緒にいませんから楽しんでもいいだと思います。


今乗っている車は１９９０年のピンターラTRXと言うやつなんでちょっと古いけど、メンテナンスが簡単のでだいたい自分でできます。ピンターラは日本のU12ブルーバードと大体同じだけど、LSDもついてるし、KA24eと言うもっと大きいエンジンがあって、その時代の車と比べると早いだといえると思います。


この車の走り方は本気のスポーツ・カーと違います。FFの車だからFRみたいのパワー・スライドやドリフトは無理みたいです。しかし、僕の家は田舎の所で、仕事から帰る道で砂利道も従います。砂利道のコナーでハンドブレーキを引いて、カウンター・ステアリングをして、横向きにコーナリングの感じがして、すごく楽しいです。


来年お金をためって早いFRの車を買うつもりです。日本の車はこちらでいっぱいあるフォードやGMの車よりずーとかっこいいだと思いますから、絶対に日産やトヨタの自動車にきめます。