Extracurricular Dining

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......and About Dining In General in Japan

Im getting along pretty well with the Koreans. Its pretty tough communicating with them as you may expect, given the double language barrier. But as Japanese class progresses, our repertoire of language and potential of understanding increases, so our progress quickly shows. I had a funny thought that, for the first time, time spent hanging out with your friends is now time also spent studying. What better way to practice what we've learned in class than to just hang out and talk to your friends?

We went out to a restaurant and took turns cooking our dishes in the center hotplate. Koreans like to share their food. Its custom to order something, then everyone share their plates and have a bit of everyone's food. Its kind of cool if you want to get a feel of a little things on the menu, its like a mini-buffet. The bad thing is, if you really like your food, don't get your hopes up; you wont be spending too much time with it. I ordered my usual hot(atsui) sake and everyone ordered a bunch of cold ones. With the help of Kim's electric dictionary(jisho), I was able to keep up for the night. It was quite a good time.

As to be expected, dining is done a little differently in Japan. There are even types of restaurants that don't exist back home. Also, foreign franchises, such as fast food, sport completely different menus.

An important note to make is that the cheapest food available here is actually relatively healthy. Ramen and curry shops are as indigenous to Japan as our McDonald's and Starbucks at home. They can have a large variety of food to choose from to suit your tastes and usually serve alcohol. So if someone goes to McDonald's, its usually to satisfy their fast food fix, rather than for convenience.

Food service can be a lot less socially interactive here. The ramen and curry shops sometimes have vending machines, where you put in money, press what you want, grab the ticket, and then give it to the cook. Waiters don't get tips here, so the relationship between the guest and the waiter is kept to a minimum. Instead, they have a call button installed near your table so you can call them if you need to, instead of them constantly checking on you. Also what's cool is that the waiters carry electronic order books, so they just input your order straight from the get-go!

A popular dining establishment that litters the city sprawls is what is called "izakaya". The closest thing we have at home to that is a sports bar or pub. They tend to flow with traditional japanese aesthetics, be really fancy, and require you have to take off your shoes when you go in. Most of the tables are prepared for large groups, like 6 and above. The layout of the restaurant is arranged in a maze like manner, or have shrouds or sliding doors installed to provide privacy. They cater to groups of people who want to drink and have a good time, but not be engrossed in the bar scene where its quite noisy and not good for conversation. They have a full bar, and also have an array of "appetizers" and other tasty treats. Your even allowed to smoke in alot of them, and most other restaurants in Japan. I really enjoy them, bars always got on my nerves.

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Photos

Our Chef
She took it upon herself to cook and serve every meal. What a nice gal.

Kanpai!
Cheers done in Japan

Electric Note Pad
What next?

Call Button
Sometimes its on the table too...

Japanese McDonald's Menu
McPork, Shrimp Burger, Teriyaki Burger??

Comments

[malena]

hola amor
pj y por que no te tomas fotos, y coje todas las ideas so tu puedes poner un mcdonal aqui