came in for a dinner in an authentic Japanese Restaurant, I must admit I
was frightened.
Frightened because of two reasons. First, I don’t know how to use
chopsticks and never in my entire life did I get hold of one and second,
because Im not used at dining out with these people and the fear of being
“out-of-place” is killing me. True enough, the host is very surprised that at my age, I still cant use chopsticks. To hide my shame,I bluntly told him its my first time and promised to practice more. I was reminded by my boss who often told me that there are only two rules in the corporate survival- its either you retool or retire. In my case, practicing how to use the chopsticks is a way of retooling.
But the Japanese host is gracious enough to make me feel comfortable.
Being new to the group, he jokingly said that as part of the new team, the
dinner is a welcome gesture for me as an official member of the Japan
Desk family and hearing that from him, give me a sense of belongingness.
As a ceremonial initiation, he made me try the Japanese Sake, a rice wine variant. Not a wine drinker myself, the wine just tasted fine. No difference with the wines Ive tasted before, though, this one has a subtle taste. I like the drinking cup where the wine were being poured and hoped I can bring it home.
Then comes the Shabu-shabu. The word is not new to me as I heard it several times but to be honest, I really dont know what it means. He told us it is a Japanese variant of hot boiling pot, a cook-your-own way of dining. In Japanese culture, it should be the host who will prepare the shabu-shabu for the guest to appreciate.
But what really caught my attention are the several sushi of different toppings like
sea urchin, eel, shrimp, shell meat, sweeteneed egg, milkfish, salmon eggs, etc. The mere sight of them beautifully placed inside a box is enough to create an appetizing appeal. . He kept on telling us that in Japan, the most likely favored and expensive is the one topped with sea urchin. I agreed and found
the reason why when I tasted one. It was absolutely yummy. The sight of
sea urchin brought back childhood memories. I remembered as a kid, we used
to hunt sea urchins in the private resort my grandparents used to stay as
caretakers. The fresh delectable seafood is very abundant at that time and I can
often see people selling bottled sea urchins at a very cheap price. I can
conclude that its being exported to other countries, including Japan, is
the reason why we seldom see them being sold in the street anymore.
But the most satisfying part of the experience, are the valuable inputs the
host imparted on me. He said that being in a department that caters to
Japanese clientele, I should muster to have PATIENCE, emphasizing that as a
virtue, it is very important not only in the corporate world but also to our
personal and family life. He stressed that Japanese people had a different
mindset compared to Filipinos. Japanese always liked to be treated like
kings and queens and they would not take “NO” for an answer.
Though I already knew and heard these things over and over again, this time hearing these lessons and reminders from a top executive in our company, it had a different impact on me.
To cap it all, my first Japanese dining experience is truly an unforgetable bliss. It not only filled my gastronomical craving but it also filled my minds with unforgetable lessons that I can use to survive in this very competitive corporate world.
