Another of them there fun culture threads

[scoobydoo 0]

The setting - a meeting.

 

I say:

"I don't want coffee.

I don't even really like coffee.

No thanks. I don't need a drink"

 

2 minutes later, coffee in front of me.

 

What is getting lost in translation?

[HoTRoD 2]

Ah I seem to get that a lot. That or tea. But I'm foreign so I usually get the coffee.

[Ocean11 0]

It's the same with plastic bags and wrapping. Sometimes I have to slap busy little hands away after I've said for the fourth time I don't need extra wrapping on my already wrapped item.

 

I guess ultimately people's livelihoods depend on providing all these needless services. These service industry zombies fear getting bawled out by a manager who only sees their failure to provide the standard service offering, and doesn't hear why the service isn't welcome. So it's safer not to piss off their immediate customer (the manager) and piss off the final customer instead (the real customer).

 

That's my take on it anyway.

[HeatherLocklearRocks 1]

People seem to go out of their way to serve me coffee, thinking I will not like the ocho - which I would actually much prefer.

[indosnm 0]

God, I wish I got served coffee more.

I always get served English tea... I hate it but would prefer Japanese tea...

[silly-sausage 0]

Why don't people ask before serving, thats what I want to know.

[yamayamayama 2]

A good friend of mine is a teacher and sometimes had to go to all the students homes to speak with the parents. She said one day she had 12 cups of coffee and 11 of ocha!!

[Bonio 0]

Whats wrong with English tea then eh?

 

RAHHHHH!

[yamayamayama 2]

Does any English tea come from England?

[rach 1]

You saying she had 23 drinks of tea or coffee in 1 day?!

[Oyuki kigan 0]

At my welcoming party for the city Eikaiwa i do, we went to a sushi bar. Me, being a vegetarian, was expecting to have to eat nothing but kappa maki for an entire evening. But they had tempura on the menu, so i asked them nicely to just bring veggie tempura. I told them to forget the tsuyu (dipping sauce), but the waitress looked puzzled. I said that there was probably fish stock in it, but she disagreed, and checked with the kitchen. After she discovered that there indeed was fish stock in the tsuyu, i ordered the shiitake shishkabob, without the bacon from her. At this point, i thought it was clear that i don`t consume fish or meat.

When it finally came, the shiitake were covered in fish flakes. Why is nothing edible in Japan without it being first covered in fish or cooked with lard?

[scouser 4]

I remember once at an enkai actually pretending to take a sip of beer (or maybe it was just the tiniest sip possible) so someone could "fill it up" for me.

 

I remember I wasn't feeling too well that evening and rather than cause a fuss I'd just do what the Japanese did when they didn't want more. I'd normally feel a right nob doing that but...

[bettyx 0]

bought a milk coffee from the 711 this morning.

 

reached for a straw, dropped it in the plastic bag with my supplies & the clerk freaked out, soo apologetic for not giving me a straw - she actually bowed at me.

 

crazy.

[gamera 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by scoobydoo:
The setting - a meeting.

I say:
"I don't want coffee.
I don't even really like coffee.
No thanks. I don't need a drink"

2 minutes later, coffee in front of me.

What is getting lost in translation?

Ahh this is probably "Enryo" and "Coutesy" matter.

When you have some visiters in your place,
we Japanese are educated that we need to serve something - tea, coffee etc EVEN when the visitors say "no,thanks". Because this "no thanks" might be "Enryo (reserve?)" or a social politeness what we Japanese call "shakoh jirei"社交辞令。

Shakoh jirei is some comment which shows your social side.
In our culture, "Enryo" is one of important thing. If you talk with someone whom you have met for the first time, you need to be polite, can't be rude, need to pay deference to the other. Otherwise you will be recognized as a candid person. But enryo is different from hesitation. You can express your opinion, but not 100%. The border is really sensitive.
I think if the person visited you on a business purpose, you had better make everything clear talking enough. But if it's casual purpose, it's not always the best. Sometimes you have something you had better not say.


And if the host didn't serve anything EVEN when the guest say "No thanks" to the offer, the visitor might feel the host being lacking of coutesy to treat their guests.

A bit hard to explain completely though.

Gotcha?

[Ocean11 0]

gamera, it's "Geddit?" not "Gotcha?" (Except nobody ever says that.)

 

It's probably about time that the remaining half of Japanese people started taking a few things at face value. It would save the other half a lot of trouble.

[gamera 0]

Ocean11, I think Gotcha=Got it ya!.

Am I only one says that? lol

Hum... but I think I've learned it from someone.

[nzlegend 1]

Plastic Bags? I have the staff at the convenience store next to my work well trained, the dont even ask anymore they know the drill.

 

As for being a strict vegetarian? Oyuki you have my commiserations, this country is tough for herbivores, couple of friends just gave up on being Vegetarians in the end for their sanity. They tried to avoid meet and fish were possible but ate it when they made a mistake on the menu etc.

Sloppy Vegatarians they were.

[nzlegend 1]

 Quote:

Originally posted by gamera:
Gotcha=Got it ya!.

gotcha is generally assumed to mean
" I have got you!"
some English accents would say "gotchu"

Here is one idiom for you Gam-man
"gotcha by the short and curlies!"

[Oyuki kigan 0]

This is the best country to be vegetarian if you know the old recipies. But eating out is retarded.

I got alot of the staff at the supermarkets and conbini`s where i am trained in the plastic bag department too.