What to do in Japan when I don't like the food I have been served?
I'm not sure whether this belongs on the travel site or IPS, but since I'll be a tourist, I'm gonna post it here.
I'm going to visit Japan soon and I'm a bit of a picky eater. I've already figured out that when I have special food requests I should ask about them on reservation time and not on arrival. I've also read that it's impolite to pick apart your food (same in my country, Germany) and I wouldn't do that.
However, what does sometimes happen is that I get a dish with mostly things I like and one thing that I'd rather avoid. For example, here I might get a Schnitzel, Fries and a Salad with unlucky ingredients. I'm gonna eat the Schnitzel, the fries and just leave the salad be. Or I have a soup with mushrooms and I'll eat the soup but in the end there will be all the mushrooms left in the bowl. (It's not really hard to 'eat around' soup ingredients so I don't consider it picking it apart).
I usually leave things be here (even though I still feel bad) but I wonder if this would be impolite in Japan.
I'm happy to try anything that I'm being given, but I think I'll come across something I just won't like eventually. How do I handle it? Can I say something to the waiter/waitress/host to save the situation?
Best Answer
You're in luck. Many restaurants in Japan, particularly at the cheaper end of the spectrum, have either incredibly detailed plastic replicas of their dishes outside in a display case, or menus with detailed pictures of every dish (chain izakayas, in particular, are great for this and often have English menus too). This means you can get a very good preview of exactly what is contained in each dish, and can pick and choose ones that don't have unpleasant surprises.
(courtesy Lombroso, Wikimedia Commons)
And if you do get something you consider inedible anyway, it's not a big deal to just leave it on your plate uneaten. No, it's not great manners, and yes, some Japanese make a big deal of mottainai, but you're not an elementary school kid who can't go to recess until he has finished everything in the bento box including the pickled squid, you're an adult and a foreign tourist to boot. Realistically, nobody will care.
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Is it rude to not finish your meal in Japan?
Not finishing one's meal is not considered impolite in Japan, but rather is taken as a signal to the host that one does not wish to be served another helping. Conversely, finishing one's meal completely, especially the rice, indicates that one is satisfied and therefore does not wish to be served any more.Why is it rude to finish your plate in Japan?
The Japanese consider it rude to leave food on your plate, whether at home or at a restaurant. It's related to one of the fundamental concepts in Japanese culture, mottainai, which is a feeling of regret at having wasted something.What is considered rude at a restaurant in Japan?
First, at a nice restaurant, it is considered rude to rub or scrape your chopsticks together as this implies that you think their chopsticks are cheap or poor quality. When not using your chopsticks, you should lay them on the \u201chashi-oki\u201d or chopstick rest.Is it rude to leave rice in Japan?
It's considered bad manners to leave even grains of rice behind, so be sure to clean your plate! If there are some foods you cannot eat, ask to have them left out of the dish. Do use the opposite end of chopsticks to pick up food from a shared dish.11 Things NOT to do in Japan - MUST SEE BEFORE YOU GO!
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Answer 2
According to article,
The Japanese hate to be wasteful, and picking things out of your meal to leave aside (bones excluded) is considered disrespectful. It offends not only your host but also the farmers who cultivated the vegetables and the animals who gave up their lives for the sake of your dish. It’s also polite to sample a little from each dish on the table.
Fortunately, a lot of restaurants now have "fake food" put on display in front so that you are able to see what you'll be served and be prepared. Out of respect for the Japanese people and culture, I would try to avoid sending something back to the kitchen. If your Japanese is good, you may try talking with the waitress to determine if you'll like anything on the menu.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, Mat Kedzia, Askar Abayev, Polina Tankilevitch