For one, rice is served at almost every meal in Japan; think of it as how potatoes are served in the US. Another big difference is that in America food is served together on one big plate and in Japan each item is served in its own separate bowl or plate.
The reason for this is that the Japanese don't like different foods to touch each other, they enjoy experiencing the pure taste of each item, which leads into out next big difference. In the US people love to drench their foods in gravy and sauces and this is just not done in Japan; as a matter of fact, the Japanese think of it as an American stereotype to do so. If they see you pouring soy sauce on your rice, they will automatically brand you an American because the Japanese even eat their rice plain.
Another big difference is that up until around the 1860's meat was rarely eaten by the Japanese, while they ate plenty of fish, they abhorred the consumption of animal flesh. The eating of any four-legged creature was considered unclean and avoided but since it was not a religious choice, when opening their boarders to Westerners meat became common place in Japanese meals.
Table manners are also very important in Japan. Like how Catholics say a short grace, the Japanese begin each meal by saying "itadakimasu" which translates into "I humbly receive." It is also good manners to compliment the person who made the meal by saying "oishii" after sampling the food. Oishii means delicious. After eating the meal, you thank the preparer of the meal, or the server if you are at a restaurant, by saying "gochisosama deshita" or just gochisosama which means "It was a feast." The sama is an honorific that bestows great respect for the preparer of the food.
So remember those phrases the next time you visit your local Japanese restaurant, although to tell you the truth, they probably won't understand a word you are saying since most Japanese restaurants are not run or do not employ actual Japanese people in America.
Except Ko Ko Ro... They were 100% authentic... Served their food exactly like this. I really want to go to Japan and sample the foodstuffs now...
ReplyDeleteWell if they can speak Japanese and you say "itadakimasu" pronounces e-ta-dak-e-mas and "gochisosama" pronounced go-chi-so-sama, they will be impressed by your politeness.
DeleteYeah, it's funny. You're more likely to find Chines or a mix of Asian people staffing Japanese restaurants in America. One time as a friend and I were leaving Sapporo in New Brunswick, he tried to "impress" the hostess saying "Origato" to her as we left. But since I could tell she was actually Chinese, I just smirked and said "sheuh-sheuh" (Thank you in Chinese- best phonetic spelling I can come up with) and gave her a wink and she full on blushed.
ReplyDeleteI think that is mostly b/c people leave China and come to the US b/c they can have a better life in the US; when Japanese people move to the US it is b/c they move there for their job. So most Japanese living in America are high paid professionals, not working in resturants.
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