Asakiyume mita

Yeah, I think that must definitely be part of it--it's a prompt, and it shows the degree of specificity the researcher is interested in. A lot of times when people have a habit or custom, they don't stop to think about its particulars. Like you say, it seems obvious to them. Of course it's a wooden spoon-what other kind would it be? Or of course it's a red thread--any other color would be bad luck; everyone knows that. And if you can get a person to say that very thing, you've just learned something.