Japanese Culture Shock
 

I know this is not related to Japanese food, but it is food.

In Japan there is a saying to not be wastefull and people usually stick to this lifestyle choice which makes sense. If someone else treated you to food, regardless of culture, you wouldn't want to waste it!

But what some people don't realize is when they come to the US and since there is a stereo type of American people("the eating lots" stereotype) people assume that you're supposed to eat everything that is put on their plate at a retaurant. You all know that the United States is notorious for big hamburgers, right?

Well, big hamburgers really aren't a big part of the people's lives. Sure if you go to a real restaurant or a fancy one, you will get a decent sized hamburger but you are not supposed to eat it all at once! At every restaurant there are boxes for you to take food home....normally people just eat the left-overs for lunch the next day and what a few of my friends have noticed is there is a lot of restaurants in Japan where you can't take food home.

Besides, if you cook at home, you don't really make THAT much food. My friend who came to the US was suprised because McDonald's hamburgers were the same size as the ones in Japan. But another friend came to the US wanting to have a BIG burger and so she went to a place like Chiles and got a hamburger but she ate the whole thing! I feel sooo sorry for her because anyone would have had to push themselves to eat it all! Normally when I go out to eat, I barely eat half of my dish....and I've noticed all my friends are the same.

Did anyone have the same kind of experiences?

No,
I'm actually smart enough to realise how much food I'm ordering and am extremely cautious of the amount of food I order.

I understand a lot of your points and the japanese mindset of 「もったいない」"mottainai" as in not to be wasteful. I think because of that, partially, that japanese end up forcing themselves to eat bigger portions here and also because they do not know of/are unaware of our "doggie bags" so to speak. In japan there isn't really this sort of system to get "a box to go" with your left overs. My girlfriend loves it, cos, being that she's here in America anyways and is getting served American sized portions, she can both not force herself but also bring whatever's left home to eat :ywave:

So combine bigger portions + not to be wasteful mindset + not knowing about to-go and I think you'll find your answer.

As to the reasons why they don't have this in Japan, I could only speculate...

liar, everything's big in texas! :mtongue:

I so agree with that one too. But for my friends, it was their first time here so I don't think they quite realized what restaurants are like. I guess that would have been a failure on my part :/ I should have asked them first....

can't really deny that our servings tend to be of greater quantity....
but how am i lying?:confused:

HAHA. Texas is a WHOLE different story.

meh >.>
generally when eating out at non-american restaurants...
i make a point to place one order less than the size of the party
Ex. For a party of 5, I only order 4 dishes.

This is because most people rarely finish an entire entree themselves >.>

maybe you just eat a lot and somehow maintain that super skinny body :confused:

super skinny? lmao
my waist is freaking 28"
=.='''

you just proved my point :mtongue:

When I go out to eat with friends, we order appetizers for each person and then just share the whole thing. Ceaser salads are awesome:cool:

eww ceaser salad
i prefer bruschetta
or a beef carpaccio if they have it x]

you ignored my first post :chikasfrown:

i have high standards =.=

I don't know what you are talking about. Anything less than a 1/2lb of beef is a normal to small burger. It isn't big until its over 3/4lb. And if you ordered a burger that size you better eat it all in one sitting. :D

But seriously, in my family if it was on your plate you were expected to eat it. Now whenever I eat, with the rare exception of really bad food, I finish everything that I made or ordered. While in Japan, several times when I went out with Japanese people the all were willing to leave food unfishisehd. So I would say your observations don't come down to national cultural norms but family level norms.