What to do in Japan when I don't like the food I have been served?

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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.

Upvote:9

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.

enter image description here (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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