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I’m a waiter at everyone’s favorite Aussie themed restaurant chain, and just about finished with Season 2 here.
While I’m at work there’s not enough time to do flash cards, or review grammar or anything of the sort. The down time I get is usually in 10-20 second bursts, and it’s irregular at that.
That said, I’d like to do something while I’m working that keeps my “Japanese brain” in gear. While my hands are almost always busy, my mind almost never is.
The only mental exercise I’ve brought to the table is trying to write as many kanji as I can on my order pad before the customer can give me their full order, or converting my co-workers’ names into katakana (which I write all pretty-like on the back of receipt paper in magic marker and give to them as keepsakes, haha).
I’ve even taught the busboys/hosts a few small phrases so I can greet them and be greeted in turn in Japanese–it’s pretty cool :)
So, I’m looking for more (better) ideas on what I can do while I’m carrying trays, pouring drinks, plating food, etc–times when my hands are full but my mind is empty. Thoughts?
There’s an Aussie-themed restaurant chain? For that matter, someone’s figured out what on Earth Australian cuisine is?
Oh, gosh, no, they don’t have any actually Australian cuisine. They just have, like, boomerangs and stuff on the walls. And they do silly things like call their cheesy chicken dish “Alice Springs Chicken,” or the filet steak, “Victoria Filet.” Or the classic “Bloomin’ Onion.” People constantly ask me what the “Aussie Fries” are–they’re just french fries. It would be awesome if the food reflected actual Australian food (limited as that might be), but it’s just an American brand making bad jokes at the expense of another country :-P I’ve spent a decent amount of time in Oz, so I’m constantly disappointed at the lack of authenticity–or, at least, the lack of any attempt at authenticity. Where’s the vegemite? Where’s the Milo? How about some kangaroo steak? Sausage rolls? Tooheys, Victoria Bitter anyone?
I don’t eat kangaroo all that often, really, though it is becoming more available in supermarkets these days. Usually we just eat cuisine from every other country – apparently spaghetti bolognaise is the most-often cooked meal in the home. =)
The Aussie restaurant I went to in Osaka was tragic. African objects were seemingly passed off as Aboriginal.
I just Google Mapped the Outback in Osaka and went to streetview. Looks exactly like the one’s back here. “America’s No.1 Steakhouse!” lol They even have the same hours. Wonder if I could get a job there…. :D
Try making an anki list (or any other form of flash cards or study list) of work-related vocabulary words. And just try to think of them while working. Maybe thinking small sentences about what you’re doing. Or learn what sort of convos Japanese people would be having while giving food / taking orders etc. Some basic phrases like enjoy your meal, or what would you like to order, etc. you can think about them (but don’t accidentally start talking in Japanese to your customers lol)
Do you deal with numbers? like with money or inventory or anything? I’ve gotten great at counting in Japanese by practicing at work (but I count quite a bit at work) Of course, if you’re too much a beginner then you should also count in English so nothing important gets messed up :p
If you get bored with co-workers names, try writing other words in katakana. like food items, or customer’s names. Or the name of the restaurant. Even if they aren’t real words, sometimes it’s fun to katakana-ize words.
anyway those are my thoughts. sort of what i do at work. i also have one co-worker who is learning Japanese also which is nice when we can converse about grammar or say simple sentences to each other.
=^..^=Thanks zeldaskitten! Great advice–I think I’ll set it up today for my shift tomorrow :)
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