“Can I just eat oden?”
At Sanukiji in Toyokawa, the answer was yes. An udon shop without ordering udon: first hurdle cleared. I had come for oden while waiting for a game update at 17:00.
It was self-service, but on a first visit even “What do I take?”, “Where do I go?” and “When do I pay?” need answers.
Self-service, with someone explaining every step
A first-time visitor still has to learn what to take, where to go and when to pay. My mobile payment slowed down because of the connection, so the older staff member stepped in: “Do this, then this.” Somehow the conversation expanded into mobile carriers and smartphone networks.
In an “all self-service” shop, I talked to a human more than I might in a normal full-service restaurant. He was like the character in a game who shows you how to play, except he was guiding me through the meal.
The daikon changed my verdict
At first it was “pretty good.” Then I tried the daikon: “Oh, that is really good.” The broth-soaked radish was my favorite that day.
The hanpen fish cake was close behind, followed by the egg and konjac. That is my ranking of this meal, not a universal oden league table.
Broth in a thermos? In summer?
The broth was good enough to inspire: “Can I put this in a thermos?” Then reality returned. It is summer. Hot outside, hot inside the thermos, hot human in the middle. This becomes “Is Your Order a Burn Injury?”
One more item means paying again
Once payment is done, adding another item means ordering and paying all over again. A ¥300 extra can feel as if it carries ¥500 worth of hassle in my head. So the backup plan became takeout dumplings from another restaurant. Except that restaurant takes phone reservations, and I was still sitting inside this restaurant.
The same person helps with the final step
Meal finished. I could not see a clear dish-return sign. For a moment I wondered whether this was the one part that was not self-service. I asked: “Where should I put these?” “Here.”
I looked. It was right there. There just was not an obvious label. The same man had now guided me through the final step of the meal, too.
A nearby couple also reacted along the lines of “Oh, it’s self-service?” New visitors were still working out the rules.
A second visit would probably be easier. This time, though, the same staff member guided me from serving myself to returning my dishes. An all-self-service meal turned out to involve plenty of human help.
The daikon was excellent. So was having someone there to explain things.
