Job Discussion Forums

[Nagoyaguy]

The weird rules thread got me thinking. IMHO, service in Japan in restaurants is generally very good. Better than home, in fact. The big sticking point is flexibility, though. If , god forbid, a customer should come up with an unusual request, it creates consternation in the ranks like you have never seen.

Went to Denny's for breakfast the other day with the family. Ordered the usual set breakfast- a pretty good deal at 690 yen. But, being a fat *beep*, I assumed the quantity would be lacking. So, I requested an order of pancakes as a side dish. You know, 'kanpin de' as the locals say. The waitress froze up and got real quiet. Suddenly, she stopped talking to me and started talking to my wife instead. THis pisses me off, especially since I had just ordered breakfast for the family, successfully, in Japanese.

I found out that , at Denny's, you CANT order pancakes at breakfast. They have "caramel pancakes", but they are a dessert item covered in ice cream and caramel sauce. Not really what I had in mind. COULD have tried to order caramel pancakes minus the sauce and ice cream, but that would have been another stressful conversation. Plus, cost an arm and a leg.

I finally could order pancakes, but off the kiddie menu. FOrtunately, my son was with us so we could use the kids menu, otherwise I would have been SOL. SO, I got pancakes that look like Mickey Mouse with jelly candy for eyes and a scoop of ice cream on top.

hmmmm.

[Gordon]

There's a Denny's in Japan?


I always find it strange when you ask for ketchup after ordering fries. They look at you like you just asked for a condom. Then after a few minutes they come out with a tiny bit of ketchup squeezed onto a plastic cup container. "Excuse me, I'll have 5 more please."

[bshabu]

How about in Mc Danalds at home. 10 minutes before lunch and they make you wait for a burger. 10 minutes late ande you can't
get an egg mcmuffin to save your life.

I haven't had much trouble at the local eating establishments in Japan. My weakness is for tonkatsu. As always, they gave a awful small amount of karashi(spicey mustard). This I used on one bite. Other places, I have caused some stressful situations with ordering something minus one ingredient. Something that all ways works is to say you have an allergy to said item.

[denise]

I have had few problems, which is remarkable given my limited vegan diet and other wacky limitations. I regulary ask for items to be omitted, and only rarely have I been given uncomprehending looks or told it could not be done. (Of course, I only go to places where I think there is a likelihood that I can get what I want.) And the folks at my local Mos Burger often bring me a little cup of ketchup without me having to ask for it. Yay!

d

[Nagoyaguy]

Denny's is all over Aichi! At least 10 that I can think of. Another strange thing about Denny's here- you can't get a hamburger there! Sure, you can get a ground beef patty with weird brown sauce on it and some veggies on the side. But a real hamburger- on a bun, with cheese and bacon, no way.

A lot of places have trouble with wine. Red wine, specifically. It is stored in the fridge- you cant get a glass of red wine served at room temperature, it's all chilled.

Oh well, there IS good news on the horizon. The local McDonald's has started to stay open late. Drive-thru is open until 300am now!

[ntropy]

The Denny's in Gifu City used to have a sign out front saying "Always Open." Underneath it, they posted the hours (9am-11-pm? I forget) they actually were open. As with many English things in Japan, the sign was a decoration, not meant to communicate anything.

[shmooj]

[Nismo]

Denny's is as big as McD's in Japan. They also have Bob's big boy - that restaurant doesn't even exist in the U.S. anymore. Much like McD's, Denny's menu in Japan is altered to fit the preferences of Japanese consumers. I make a point to never ask for modifications on my food, because it's just not done in Japan.

On a sidenote - MOS Burger is the second best fast food chain in the world, second only to In 'N Out. Oh, and I prefer Jonathan's to Denny's.

[Longing for Nippon]

Mmmmmmmmm In N Out, I wish we had them in the UK. Great burgers.

Some of the things japanese eat are really gut churning. Live fish and baby octupus in a oner. Extremely fresh sashimi where the the fish has been filleted but is still alive and staring at you on the plate.

I suppose its how you think about your food really, most of us westerners like to remove ourselves from the reality of slaughtering our food. Its all nicely packaged and processed for us.

Another shocking article I read recently on the BBC tells of a town who hunt and eat Dolphin.

Interesting thread this, I often think about the weird things people eat arond the world. Do they really eat Dog in Korea? I heard they boil them alive to gain a better flavour? Does Indiana Jones style Monkey brain eating happen in China?

I cant pass comment on what people eat, being a Scot I am obligated to eat Haggis. A truly nasty mixture of offal!

[king kakipi]

[azarashi sushi]

Sorry to hear about your pancake experience Nagoyaguy. I guess that's why it's called a "set breakfast".

Perhaps it's a message from the universe telling you to go on a diet.

I don't know how it is in your home country, but in Australia it's not customary to alter the menu in fast-food type establishments either.

[denise]

[Nismo]

[spidey]

Nismo,

As a counter to your statement in referrence to "Japanese tastes."

I find that Japanese people find it very exciting to try authentic foreign foods and dishes. When given the chance.
Most establishments here cater to the expected tastes of their customers. People in general have no choice but to order the closest thing to "real foreign food" that they can find. As I said they have no choice. The authentic food establishments that I have visited were very popular in their respective areas.
Again, when given a chance to explore new tastes and textures, I find that the Japanese and all people for that matter will jump at the chance.

S

[Nagoyaguy]