妻「娘のことなんですけど、転職したいらしいの。あなたの会社の部長さんに紹介していただけないかしら」
夫「そんなこと、朝飯まえだよ」
Asameshi Mae
Tsuma: Musume no koto nan desu kedo, tenshoku shitai rashii no. Anata no kaisha no bucho san ni shookai shite itadakenai kashira.
Otto: Sonna koto asameshi mae da yo.
Wife: About our daughter, it seems she wants to change jobs. Could you perhaps introduce her to one of the managers at your company.
Husband: Sure, that'd be no problem; a piece of cake.
* * *
To refer to a task as asameshi mae means one thinks it can be accomplished easily or, as a literal translation of the expression puts it, even before sitting down to breakfast. (Many people today stay up so late that they end up heading off to work or school without breakfast at all...)
Though it's not certain when the expression originated, it dates to at least the Edo period. Then, without the convenience of electricity, people rose with the sunrise, went off to work until sunset, and then returned home to be in bed by around eight.
Breakfast obviously played a weightier role in their lives.
Meshi refers to "food, eating, a meal" and is only used in the speech of Japanese males. Indeed, one often hears salaried workers inviting each other out to eat with "Meshi kui ni ikoo" ("Let's go eat"). Since it is only used between intimate friends and/or toward one's juniors, its use requires special care.
As with meshi, asameshi mae is also generally reserved,for the speech of men. In fact, of course, many women today lead busier lives than large numbers of men and so it wouldn't be too strange for them to use the expression. I don't use it, however, unless I'm joking. The lines for this week's conversation are thus not reversible.
So what can a women say instead? "Sonna koto kantan yo" ("That'd be a cinch") is one possibility. In any case if you are fortunate to be a man, you can use asameshi mae. More than likely, you will find people praising you for your good Japanese.
A: Suimasen. Kono Nihongo, Eigo ni yakushite itadakemasen ka?
B: Ee, ii desu yo. Sonna koto asameshi mae desu.
A: Excuse me. Could you please translate this Japanese into English?
B: Sure, OK. There's nothing to it.
A: Kondo no nichiyoobi tenisu oshiete kuremasen ka?
B: Ee, ii desu yo.
A: Watashi demo, joozu ni naru deshoo ka?
B: Anata nara kitto asameshi mae desu yo.
A: Would you teach me how to play tennis this Sunday?
B: Sure.
A: Do you think even someone like me can become 4 good player?
B: For you, it'll really be a cinch,
A: Tornodachi no denwa bangoo wo nakushite komatteimasu.
B: Juusho to namae ga areba asameshi mae desu yo.
A: I'm having some trouble because I've lost a friend's telephone number.
B: If you have the name and the address, it'll be a piece of cake finding the number.
It's best, however, not to use the expression in the following way :
A: Nihongo no shinbun ga yomemasu ka?
B: Ee, asameshi mae desu.
A: Can you read a Japanese newspaper.
B: You bet. Nothing to it.
Japanese clearly prefer someone who is humble to someone who brags.