Japanese Etiquette

[Kisuke]

Hey guys, just joined and have loved what I've seen so far from this site.

Got a few questions for those in the know...

Me and my partner will be going to our first Japanese restaurant in the next few days and was just after basic etiquette and phrases that may come in handy.

Now, we're not complete idiots and know very basic stuff like greetings, before/after praise, politeness etc. But was just after any other advice somebody could throw in there.
Also, we're both vegetarian so how could we translate that?

Of course.... they're going to speak english since it's a local restaurant and all, but we were just wanting to make it a little more fun by knowing a few additional things

All advice is welcome!

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by Kisuke

Hey guys, just joined and have loved what I've seen so far from this site.

Got a few questions for those in the know...

Me and my partner will be going to our first Japanese restaurant in the next few days and was just after basic etiquette and phrases that may come in handy.

Now, we're not complete idiots and know very basic stuff like greetings, before/after praise, politeness etc. But was just after any other advice somebody could throw in there.
Also, we're both vegetarian so how could we translate that?

Of course.... they're going to speak english since it's a local restaurant and all, but we were just wanting to make it a little more fun by knowing a few additional things

All advice is welcome!

unless your going to a totally americanized japanese restaurant... ._.''''
expect a relatively limited menu selection >.>''''

[TalnSG]

Once again this issue has crept up on me.
I know that it is acceptable to drink from a bowl of soup, though not by western standards which I consider rather dumb and wasteful on this issue.

But if you are in an Aisan restuarant in the U.S. and a spoon is provided, do you need to use it?

It is provided for the convenience of the gaijin or would the restaurant actually be encouraging you to use spoons and discouraging drinking from the bowl?

[Crani]

Originally Posted by Kisuke

...
Also, we're both vegetarian so how could we translate that?
...

"Watashi wa Bejitarian desu."
Since they don't have the "V" sound so they say "Bejitarian".
And you can see this site for other helpful expressions:
Here

[Ichirin]

I dunno about in restaurants or stuff, but i DO know some about going to some else's to eat.

- don't ever say you had enough, that's to drink or to eat.
- eat everything on your plate
- make alot of annoying slurping-noices when eating any type of noodles, this will tell the host that you're enjoying the food.
- train your chopstick skills, having a poort chopstick-technique will make you sort of an enemy to their culture.

That's a few things that i can come up with atm, it's been a while for me so

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by TalnSG

Once again this issue has crept up on me.
I know that it is acceptable to drink from a bowl of soup, though not by western standards which I consider rather dumb and wasteful on this issue.

But if you are in an Aisan restuarant in the U.S. and a spoon is provided, do you need to use it?

It is provided for the convenience of the gaijin or would the restaurant actually be encouraging you to use spoons and discouraging drinking from the bowl?

japanese traditionally don't use spoons x]
you drink the soup from the bowl, using hashi to help.

unless i order shabu shabu or something...
i NEVER touch a spoon in a japanese restaurant x]

chinese and vietnamese restaurants however........
i find spoons totally acceptable~
though with chinese cuisine i prefer to just pick the food off the plate w/ my hashi x] instead having to put them down, grabbing a spoon, then picking them back up again =.=''''
even though the latter is more polite and considerate >.>'''

and at the vietnamese places.....i find it more enjoyable to dual wield a spoon w/ hashi to eat pho x]
or bun bo hue, or whatever ^_^

[TalnSG]

Thanks, because I have had two encounters with waitstaff that were at oppostie ends of the spectrum, and both in Japanese restaurants.

Once many years ago I asked for a spoon and was "instructed" by the waiter as to how only westerners use them. (grimace) This same jerk also took it upon himself to tell me that as a westerner my knees would not survive the way I was sitting/kneeling. At that point even if it had crippled me I would have not changed my position and I wanted to pour the soup over his swelled head!

Then the other day I was drinking my miso from the bowl and the waitress came over and showed me where the spoon was as if I hadn't seen it. I just nodded and still never picked up anything but the hashi. This one didn't bothered me that much because she is always so nice and we've had a few conversations about mutual tastes in KPop. I guess she never noticed me doing that before.

[Miyavifan]

Huh. Doesn't it get confusing, different restaurants doing things differently?

hashi means chopsticks? I'm still learning, so if I'm wrong, please don't laugh.

Just correct me privately.

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by Miyavifan

Huh. Doesn't it get confusing, different restaurants doing things differently?

hashi means chopsticks? I'm still learning, so if I'm wrong, please don't laugh.

Just correct me privately.

haha, if your curious about something, just ask
if you've got something wrong, we'll (or at least i) will correct you x]
if you know something, and would like to share, never hesitate ^_^

anddd...i say screw what the restaurants say =.=
stick with what you believe to be the truth.
(unless...the restaurant has credentials.... >.>'' and also, you're unsure of yourself x].... lolz )

[MMM]

Originally Posted by yuujirou

unless your going to a totally americanized japanese restaurant... ._.''''
expect a relatively limited menu selection >.>''''

Why would you say that?