Cultural Reflection

My Experience at a Traditional Japanese Restaurant This past weekend, I went back to my alma mater, which is located in Champaign, Illinois. While in Champaign, I went to a traditional Japanese restaurant named Sushi Kame. Although the name suggests only sushi, they serve multiple Japanese entrees. However, I went with a friend who loves sushi, so that is what we ordered. After looking over the menu several times, we chose five different sushi rolls to try. Our waitress was not a native English speaker, so we had some difficulty ordering. For example, we ordered a roll that came prepared with jalapenos, but wanted to substitute the jalapenos with avocado. We thought the waitress understood, but our rolls came stuffed with jalapeno, showing the obvious language barrier difficulties with everyday interactions between native English speakers and English language learners. Before our meal came, the waitress brought us out two moist, warm towels. I had never had this done before so I began to place the towel on my lap, as is customary at American restaurants. However, when the waitress continued to stare at me, I realized I had done something wrong. My friend, who was a seasoned guest at this restaurant, told me that the towels were for hygienic reasons. I washed my hands and gave the towels back to the waitress. Our sushi came displayed on a wooden boat, which I found very interesting. I am used to my food being served on plates and platters, but the boat added a nice touch. Our waitress brought chopsticks out with our sushi. I broke them apart and started fidgeting with them when I saw that my friend was rubbing his together. I asked him why he was doing this, and he explained to me that it is just etiquette—you rub the chopsticks together to prevent getting splinters. He also showed me how to hold the chopsticks, which was a struggle, but I wanted to get the full cultural experience so I continued to work with them. The sushi was