![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.craigpratsch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_0033.e.jpg\" "\\"casual")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In the US, eating is an experience. An event. \u00a0In Japan, it’s a necessity of life. \u00a0You eat and move on. \u00a0In Japan, you order your food, sit down at long tables next to strangers, have some green tea (free), the server brings you your food, and when you’re done, you walk away. \u00a0If you’re at a place with a menu, you sit down, with or without a friend, they take your order, the check comes before the meal is over, and always\u00a0separate\u00a0checks if there are multiple people, and when you’re done, you walk to the cash register, pay, and leave. \u00a0All prices include tax, there is no tip, so you know exactly how much things cost. \u00a0It’s simple and straightforward. \u00a0In the US, casual dining is a big production. \u00a0You walk into a restaurant, there is a hostess that greets you and she looks at her magical seating chart. \u00a0If you’re lucky, she seats you immediately, and then you look over the menu as you wait for the waiter. \u00a0Then the waiter does the little spiel about who he\/she is, how they’re going to take care of you, what the specials are that their trying to figure out whether or not to put on the menu permanently, etc. \u00a0They take your order, the drinks come, some sort of bus boy actually brings you the food and you eat. \u00a0But have to find the waiter again before getting the check. \u00a0If you spot him\/her, you do the little “writing of the check” hand\u00a0gesture, they bring you the bill, sometimes with a little mint, tell you what a wonderful time it was to serve you in hopes that you leave a bigger tip. \u00a0If your party has multiple people, there’s a bunch of\u00a0confusion\u00a0about the bill. \u00a0How much is the tax? \u00a0In Virginia, it’s only 5%, but in California, it’s 10%. \u00a0If people don’t know the tax, the bill is short and the situation get’s worse. \u00a0But, that’s generally how American dining is. \u00a0I prefer the Japanese way.<\/p>\n
In all seriousness, I think the main reason for the difference in dining techniques, is the amount of people in Japan, which is a fundamental reason why a lot of things are the way they are here. \u00a0If the restaurants don’t move people through the restaurants as fast as they can, there will be too many hungry people waiting in line, and chaos will ensue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I love the casual dining experience in Japan. \u00a0And by casual, I mean something between fast food and high-end sit down restaurants. \u00a0The closest thing I can think of in the States are places that people sit down for a … Continue reading