Recording summary · March 2017
Ordering food in Japan when you have Social Anxiety
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Overview
Daniel experiences anxiety and discomfort when ordering food at restaurants and fast food establishments due to speaking to waitstaff and pronouncing unfamiliar or foreign food names, often relying on pointing at menus or having dining companions order.
Ordering food in Japan and Korea creates additional stress because of complex katakana names and extensive questioning by staff, leading Daniel to stop buying heatable food in convenience stores and to avoid KFC entirely.
Daniel strongly prefers automated systems, including ticket machines, touchscreen ordering, and izakaya touch panels at chains like Sukiya, Matsuya, and conveyor belt sushi restaurants to eliminate verbal interaction.
During a working holiday job at a Japanese convenience store, Daniel struggled with required routine customer questions and loud greetings, and currently works at a petrol station in England where mandatory customer greetings are absent.
During secondary school, friends handled ordering food and buying train tickets due to Daniel's fear of speaking to strangers, while an ex-girlfriend handled tasks during Daniel's time in South Korea.
Themes
Anxiety and coping strategies when ordering food at restaurants and fast food chains.
Language barriers, routine questioning, and automated ordering solutions in Japan.
Retail and customer service work experiences in Japan compared to England.
Secondary school experiences with social interactions and strangers.
Experiences in South Korea and plans for future video content.
Developments
At a McDonald's in Japan, Daniel wrote an entire order down on paper to avoid follow-up questions from staff.
Daniel ordered a bento box at a Japanese convenience store and was unable to understand the clerk's question about heating the meal.
Daniel spent the full first day of convenience store training practicing shouting irasshaimase after supervisors noted Daniel's voice was too quiet.
At a Chinese restaurant in Japan, Daniel told a waiter that ordering was complete before his girlfriend had ordered, requiring the waiter to be called back.
When required by friends to order independently at McDonald's during secondary school, Daniel repeatedly answered 'yes, please' when asked for a drink selection.
Daniel indicated that future videos would cover more embarrassing experiences from Japan.