The Guide to Restaurant Etiquette

As Americans on Okinawa we do have some familiar food joints. We have a Burger King and Subway on Camp Courtney as well as a Chili's and Macaroni Grill if we drive to other bases, but if you want any variety at all you must travel off base. Matt and I must be more adventurous than I thought because we love trying new local places and deciphering a translated menu to see what we end up with. The food here is very tasty with a surprising number of places serving familiar dishes such as pizza or burgers with fries. However, the experience is very different from what I was used to in the states!

First of all, if the seating is western style you can leave your shoes on. Western style will have tables and chairs lifted off the ground. Traditional style will have mats on the ground with very low tables. You are expected to remove your shoes before you enter the restaurant. It will be an obvious choice if there is a large shelf of shoes right outside the restaurant. My example for this guide will be Exit Cafe which has western seating.

Once you are seated you will be handed a menu. Many places have English translations under the Japanese labels, but if not you will be given a menu with large pictures that you can point to when the waiter takes your order. Exit Cafe only has five tables in the whole restaurant, so they can tell when you are ready to order. Larger restaurants have a buzzer system. Our sponsors told us the first time they went out to eat they waited for forty-five minutes with no waiter to take their order. Finally a local couple at the next table over began pointing to the buzzer on their own table to show them what to do! This does not stem from the wait staff not paying attention, but rather the cultural idea that patrons in a restaurant do not like to be disturbed. Therefore, they will not take your order until you signal that you are ready.

When you are seated you are also given a small glass of water and a towelette. You are expected to wipe your hands before the meal. I also keep my towelette close by during the meal since the restaurant napkins here are itty bitty. The water glasses are also tiny. You must conserve your liquids when dining out in Okinawa! Always order a drink off the menu. Once your drink is gone and your water glass is empty you are out of luck. There are no free refills of sodas here, and while you could receive more water in theory waiters do not check on you during the meal so there is no opportunity to ask for more. Again, they assume you do not want to be disturbed so they do not come to your table and ask if you need anything. Matt and I ended up thirsty before we learned to drink very slowly with our meal.

When eating out you will be asked if you want the "set." This is like a "combo" but instead of fries you are brought soup and salad before the entree. The set at Exit Cafe includes the traditional soup and salad as well as ice cream for dessert and a drink. Just a warning to my family: they do not (I repeat do not) serve Diet Coke at most restaurants. Your choices are Coke, Ginger Ale, Melon Soda (which is bright green) and unsweetened tea. The good news about the tea is you are also given liquid gum sugar so that you can sweeten it to taste.

When you are finished with your meal they will not bring a check. Instead you walk up the the cashier and tell them what you ordered. The will find your ticket and add up the total cost. Always have yen ready because cards are not accepted. You do not leave a tip on the table. If you enjoyed your meal you complement the staff as you leave. They will thank you and bow, and you have the option to do the same. Be warned: the pattern of bowing and thanking will continue until you are out the door!

Some final notes about what NOT to do. Do NOT stick your chopsticks upright in your food. Lay them on the table when you are done. Do NOT pass food from one set of chopsticks to another. Both of these are used in their funeral ceremonies and would basically be reminding the people around you off all of their deceased loved ones. Do not worry if you can't eat with chopsticks well. Cafes give you an option of silverware or chopsticks, and if you have to eat with chopsticks slurping your food is not considered rude so as long as you can get part of the noodles in your mouth you are ok.

We have had a few miscommunications over our orders, but overall pantomimes work out great and we have tried some delicious local cuisine. Once you know what to expect you can relax and enjoy the food and view.

The view on a sunny day!

The Cafe Called Exit

On a gray and misty Saturday afternoon Matt and I discovered the Exit Cafe, and we now have a new favorite lunch spot.  The restaurant obviously used to be a small home with the living room converted into the dining space and a few tables on the patio outside. There was already one vehicle in the tiny driveway, so we parked at an empty house for sale in the same neighborhood and walked. There was only one other family inside, so we were shown a table immediately. We kept pointing to the window to indicate we wanted to sit outside. We were shown the table near the window. We kept shaking our heads and pointing. When the owner realized what we wanted she looked aghast. "Cold!" she told us and rubbed her arms to pantomime freezing. The day was cloudy, but still in the low sixties. I was comfortable in a jacket, and Matt did not need one at all. We still wanted to sit outside, so she showed us the way.

We wanted to sit closer to the view of the ocean and mountains!

The people here in Okinawa are truly hospitable. The owner brought out lap blankets so we would not be cold. We were touched, but also amused because the weather was comfortable to us - just not to people born and raised on a tropical island.

My hot pink fuzzy lap blanket!

I ordered a shrimp pizza that came with soup, salad, a hot drink, and a dessert. We accidentally ordered a pie instead of the ice cream that came with the meal, but that happens with a language barrier. Even though we had to pay extra, I am glad I got to try their apple pie. They decorated the plate with smiley faces in chocolate!

My cute little teapot!

My pie was smiling at me!

Matt and I felt so welcomed into this little home/restaurant with the beautiful views. We are coming back!

The Cape

This previous Saturday Matt and I decided to explore a new part of the island: the west coast. Our home base on Camp Courtney faces the Pacific Ocean, but if you drive just a few miles (excuse me, kilometers) west on our skinny island you reach the East China sea. Our destination was Cape Zampa which has a trademark lighthouse. We could not tour the lighthouse, but the views were still astounding. The day was cloudy, but the water was the deepest blue I had ever seen the ocean. It crashed against the cliffs sending spray flying. The cliffs themselves were made of igneous rock (sorry, my science major is showing) and therefore so jagged and pitted that it seemed as if we were walking across the surface of the moon.

The most surprising aspect of this trip was the lack of supervision or signs. Cape Zampa is a park full of families with children and dogs, but nowhere did you see railings limiting access to the edge of the cliffs. The only rope and sign I saw informed you that the lighthouse was closed. Everything else was free game. Nowhere in the states would you see such trust in (or lack of concern for) people. I have been to Stone Mountain in Georgia multiple times, and there are chain link fences around the mountain for safety. I was terrified that I could get as close as I wanted to the edge of these cliffs, and I always maintained at least five feet of distance.

While Matt stayed by the lighthouse with his camera, I climbed the next cliff by myself so that I could get a picture way up high. I was surprised there was no direct to path to follow after so many tourists had gone the same way. I had to pick my way across boulders that were still sharp to the touch, not at all worn down from the wind or the footsteps of people. I did make it to the edge (five feet away actually for safety) and got my picture!

I was more scared of falling on sharp rocks than anything else. 

Can you still see me?

How about now? That little speck on the cliff is me!

Matt joined me at the top, and we wondered at the view that was previously hidden. Cliffs along the shore in the foreground and the rest of the island in the distance. Breathtaking. 

A helpful couple of Americans took a picture of the two of us together. When you are in a foreign country, everyone that speaks English is an automatic friend. I am so glad I was able to experience such a view only a few miles (grr...kilometers) from my new home. 

The Bull Fight

Matt and I attended an Okinawan cultural staple: a bull fight! There are many different arenas throughout the island, and we only had to drive a few minutes down the road to the dome in our county. The cost to enter the event was only 1000 yen ($10), and you step into an open air arena with a dome for shade and concrete stadium seating surrounding a circle of dirt. I should mention that bull fighting here is not one bull against one armed human (as in Spain), but rather one bull against another. They lock horns and push against each other. Each has either a red or white ribbon tied around his tail so you can choose one to root for. The fight is over when one bull turns and runs away. No bloodshed!

In fact, the whole sport reminded me a lot of the high school wrestling matches I watched growing up. The "coaches" (I guess owners) yell encouragement and instructions at the participating bulls. The fights are divided up by weight classes so that the two competitors are the same size. Some matches are slow with the bulls at a standstill in locked horns like two heavyweights whereas others are fast with one bull ducking under the horns of another.

We saw many instances where if the bulls do not want to fight, they simply give up. While the first match lasted over thirty minutes with two very stubborn bulls, the championship match did not ever properly begin. One bull simply refused to make eye contact and turned away at the first possible moment. Nothing happens to the losing bulls. They are led out of the arena. However, there is a celebration for the winner. Music is played as the owner is presented with a bottle of sake. Blue ribbons are placed over the bull's horns and a banner over his back. The children of the owner are lifted onto the back of the bull to pose for pictures. They immediately are lifted off the bull (thank goodness), and the bull is paraded around and out of the arena.

I got hungry and decided to visit the snack stand. I was immediately confused. There were no labels in English so I did not know what the food was. I also could not tell where the line began or ended. After about fifteen minutes of confusion I admitted defeat and had Matt accompany me back to the stand. He took action - grabbing the food and holding out the money which they accepted. He made it look easy. Matt pointed to a hot dog, but instead of a bun they put it on a stick and handed it back. I purchased some kind of dumpling (I could not read the label). I found out when I bit into it that it had a sweet potato filling - the orange kind! Food in a foreign country is always an adventure!

My dumplings and program. I could read neither. 

The only part of the whole experience that made me wince was the rope through the bull's nose. There was no ring - the owner just slipped a rope through his nose and pulled. Ouch! I repeat though - no bloodshed, so overall the sport seemed very humane. 

The overall champion bull was huge! He was over 1000 kg which is over 2200 lbs. We stayed after the  match to take our picture right by the edge of the dirt circle with the winner in the background. I really enjoyed my first experience with this unique sporting event!

The New Year's Eve Celebration

The local people do not really celebrate Christmas. While Christmas lights abound school is still in session Christmas day and everyone goes to work. New Years is a different story. Everybody celebrates, including Matt and me and all of our neighbors. Friends from our tower had a bonfire on Camp Courtney overlooking the ocean. We roasted marshmallows as the sun went down and the lights came on in the town across the bay.

Yep, this is the view from our base!

When it grew too cold (relatively speaking, of course), we packed up our stuff and headed back to the tower. We threw on some more layers and met again on the roof of our building. You cannot see the ocean, but you have a panoramic view of the neighboring town, Uruma. We counted down to midnight, and watched five different firework shows off in the distance.

2013 was an awesome year! Matt and I moved from Virginia to North Carolina to Okinawa, and now 2014 is our time to get settled in one place for a while. But that doesn't mean our adventures will slow down!