Hummingbird and Sparrow

Recently hummingbirds have been coming to my backyard every day. I hung a hummingbird feeder on my terrace two months ago. One month after I hung it, hummingbirds became guests of my backyard. They are kind of like pet hummingbirds. If the artificial nectar runs out, they fly and chirp above my head. I make nectar for them once a week. They are so cute. I love them.

Hummingbirds live in South America and North America including Alaska. I had never seen a hummingbird before I came to the U.S. However, I knew the name “Hummingbird” from my early years. I learned the term in English class at my junior high school. On the other hand, I didn’t know the English term “sparrow” until recently.

Sparrows are commonly seen everywhere in Japan. Even though it’s a popular bird in Japan, I didn’t know its English name because I had not had an opportunity to talk about sparrows in English until recently. I never learned the word “sparrow” during my school days.

I have many experiences like this. I know a lot of English words for things I have never seen. Here are animals I can name in English, but have never seen:

Anteater, hippopotamus, platypus and so on…

Here are animals I saw often in Japan, but couldn’t name in English before I moved to the U.S:

Wild boar, raccoon dog, flying Squirrel, mole, and so on….

When I explain Japan or Japanese culture, I sometimes stumble over English words. “Sparrow” is one of typical example. I think that most Japanese people who are acquiring English skills are probably like me. During my school days, I studied English more than 8 years. I focused on reading articles because reading skills were the most important for passing the university examination. These days, I really think that I should have interacted with native English speakers wherever possible in Japan and tried to explain something by myself. To me, English was just a subject needed for getting a good score on entrance examinations and regular examinations. If I had kids, I would give them an English education as a communication tool.

Extremely Thick Ramen Soup

If someone asked me what I would like to eat first when I go back to Japan, I would answer ramen. When visitors from Japan ask me what I would want if they brought something from Japan, I would say ramen. In the beginning of August, a friend of mine visited from Japan to California. He brought some vacuum-packed ramen.

There is a unique and famous Japanese ramen chain restaurant. The name is “Tenkaippin.” This name means “out of this world.” He brought Tenkaippin’s vacuum-packed ramen. It was really great.

The reputation of this ramen is quite controversial. This is one of those “love it or hate it” items. Of course, the reason is its taste. The soup, which is made from a strong chicken broth, is extremely thick. The texture and viscosity are like turkey gravy. The company’s ad says its thickness is from the natural collagen that comes out after chicken bones are boiled for more than 14 hours.

Among my friends, the reputations are literally “love it or hate it.” Many of my friends are hooked on the soup. Also many of my friends never want to eat it again. Can you imagine this taste? What does it taste like to me? It’s like potage. Try it! There is a branch in Oahu, Hawaii.

I tried the packed ramen and soup at home. The taste was almost the same as at the restaurant in Japan. It was amazing. I crave this packed ramen pretty much on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, it’s not exported to the U.S. I had not eaten this for about 2 years. Once I have this after a long time, I am increasingly eager to eat it. I think I should take a vacation to Hawaii or Japan to eat this ramen. Hawaii sounds great!

Tipping at Restaurants

Tipping is one of the most difficult customs in the U.S. for Japanese people. In Japan, service fees are included in bills or are free. In America, tipping is confusing. For example, I’m confused about what percentage I should tip at restaurants. Also, where should I leave my tip, on the table or at the register?

One day, I discussed tipping with colleagues while we went for lunch because one of them recently had a bad experience in Orlando, Florida. He said that the restaurant had charged him 30% gratuity even though he was in a small party. The service there wasn’t great, and he didn’t want to pay 30% gratuity, but he paid it. He also said that he was asked for gratuity when he left a buffet restaurant even though no waiter/waitress served him.

Another guy said he still doesn’t have the right answer to tipping at Sizzler. Sizzler customers order and pay first at the register at Sizzler. Sizzler is a kind of buffet. Customers take their meal from the salad bar by themselves. If they order meals, waiter/waitress will bring them to the table, but if they order only the salad bar, customers will not be served by a waiter/ waitress.

From our conversation, I found that tipping is sometimes difficult even for Americans. It was an interesting discussion because everybody in my office had his/her own idea about tipping. One person said 7% was for beverages and 8% for the meal. Another said 10% for bad service, 15% for normal service, and 20% for good service. In my case, I always pay 15% for gratuity when I sit down at a table and someone comes to take my order.

I know more about tipping at restaurants now than I did last year, but I’m still confused about what to do at a hotel, for example what do I tip housekeeping, room service and the porter service. I don’t have exact criteria for what kinds of situations I should tip. In addition, I’m not familiar with face-to-face tipping. From my Japanese cultural background, I feel that handing money directly is not polite.

I have heard a lot of opinions about tipping at restaurants from colleagues. Next time we go to lunch, I should ask them about tipping at hotels or airports.