Anyone who’s ever worked in the food service industry knows that far from every customer is going to be kind, polite, and decent. Sooner or later, you’ll run into someone rude and entitled. But it’s arguably worse to wait on someone who is completely clueless about what establishment they're at.
Redditor u/tanksandthefunkybun, who works at a sushi restaurant, went viral on the r/Serverlife subreddit after venting about customers who don’t even understand what sushi and sashimi are. They show up, they order expensive dishes, and they’re flabbergasted when raw fish gets brought to their table. Read on for the full story about just how ignorant some folks can be.
Unfortunately, there are people out there who order dishes without understanding what's in them
Image credits: Ivan Samkov (not the actual photo)
One sushi restaurant employee vented about a couple of customers they recently served who were clueless about sushi and sashimi
Image credits: Towfiqu barbhuiya (not the actual photo)
Image credits: MargJohnsonVA (not the actual photo)
Image credits: tanksandthefunkybun
It's not hard to use the internet or ask your server if you know nothing about the dish or ingredient
According to u/tanksandthefunkybun, they’re flabbergasted by the “stupidity or ignorance” of some customers. “Most of it has to do with when people freak out that the fish is raw. Yeeaaahhhh dude that’s literally what sushi is,” the OP ranted on r/Serverlife where their post got over 13.3k upvotes at the time of writing.
The author of the viral post explained how one couple, in particular, really got their blood boiling. They ordered a multi-course set with sashimi, sushi, and dessert. However, when they got their sashimi, they seemed confused and asked the chefs to cook it. They used a blowtorch on the fish.
After their first course, the couple decided that they’d had enough. This then sparked a conversation among the members of the restaurant staff: some of them wanted to charge the couple for the full price of the multi-course set while others argued that they shouldn’t have to pay for everything.
In u/tanksandthefunkybun’s opinion, it is ridiculous to order something you know nothing about. And in this day and age, it’s incredibly easy to do some quick research about sushi as a genre in and of itself. Nearly everyone has a smartphone in their pocket, after all.
But let’s say that you don’t have your phone with you: it’s still very peculiar that the customers didn’t ask the staff members about the dishes they were going to get. It only makes sense to find out what you’re ordering if you’re going to end up being confused when the food finally arrives.
'Sushi' used to refer to vinegared rice, but the word is now popularly associated with raw fish
Though these days most people think of raw fish when they hear the word ‘sushi,’ the term originally referred to vinegared rice that’s served with different fillings and toppings. As time went on, however, sushi became more associated with the fish than the rice in popular culture.
‘Eat-Japan’ notes that vinegared rice was originally used to store and preserve fish. Back in the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, when sushi is said to have been created in China, the rice itself would be thrown away, and people would only eat the fish. However, in the 16th century, the idea to eat the rice, too, was first introduced.
By the start of the 19th century, people in Japan began sprinkling vinegar on rice to make nigirizushi (aka edomaezushi because seafood from the bay of Edo, now Tokyo, was used). This was also when chefs started placing the fish on top of the rice, instead of wrapping it inside of it.
Sushi stalls began spreading in the 19th and 20th centuries, but after the Second World War, they were moved indoors where the conditions were more sanitary.
The sign of a great server is that they'll make their customers' time memorable
As we’ve covered on Bored Panda previously, the main thing that helps a server stand out from the crowd is how they treat their customers. “The essence of being a good server is making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a nice time. The essence of being a great server is making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a memorable time,” one server, who works at an upscale restaurant, previously told Bored Panda.
“I’m always on the lookout for anything extra I can do to make the night special for our guests. If I overhear a birthday mentioned, we bring out a piece of cake. If someone comes in wearing a Dolphins jersey, we’ll turn on that game if they’re playing. We take pride in our work,” the server told us during an earlier interview.
Meanwhile, another server shared with Bored Panda that the main thing that keeps the customers happy is the staff’s attitude toward them.
“People loved my attitude and how attentive I could be. I also anticipated any of their needs,” the server said. “My regular customers liked me because I would talk to them, get to know what they liked, and I would joke with them.”
The author of the post later shared some more background info
Here's how the internet reacted to the story. Some commenters even shared a few similar tales
