Japan: Dinner At A "Shokudo"

One of the evenings, Ah Yu brought us to "Moriya Shokudo" for dinner. When I looked at the word "shokudo", it literally meant to me in Chinese a canteen at a school or a company. In the reality, it was not.

The spaces of the car park in front of the restaurant were reserved for low-cc cars. I wondered if it was to reduce the risk of bumping into the building by a high-cc vehicle since Japanese drivers liked reverse parking.

If you have a good habit of washing your hands before putting anything into your mouth at home, you will also look for a sink first before you start eating your food at a restaurant. I regret to observe that it is often one of the most neglected facilities for the customers, next to the toilet, in food service locations in Malaysia. Either you doubt the quality of their soap, or you are reluctant to use their towels which seem to have more germs than your hands.

In many of the restaurants we went in Japan, a clean sink with its nice accessories and decorations was the first one to greet us as soon as we stepped in.

The "shokudo" was actually a cafétéria-style restaurant where a variety of food was available at the food counter. We just slid a tray down the line, selecting which dishes in small plates we wanted. We also ordered two omelets and waited while they were quickly prepared. Then, we paid based on the price per item. The bowls of rice cost the same regardless of the three different portions.

Next, we proceeded to another corner to heat up our dishes with a microwave and take our unlimited free drinks : plain water or green tea.

It was still early. There were no other customers besides us.

As we were in family, it was more practical for us to settle at a table to share our dishes. When we had finished our meals, we were to return the empty dishes to another counter and mop our table for the sake of the next customers. How many customers in Malaysia would do that?

According to Ah Yu, the "shokudo" was a popular restaurant in Moriya because of its reasonable price and home-dishes. It reminded me of an economical rice restaurant near my house in Batu Pahat where a bowl of hot soup would be served free to each customer.

Hot dishes? Wait for them to invest in a microwave.