Saturday, October 3, 2009

Thinking Outside the Bun in Tokyo



Went to a burger joint in Kichijoji called Village Vanguard for lunch today. Since I don't eat beef, but I was in the mood for a sandwich, I asked if they could take the herb chicken that was on the menu and just put it on bread for me, and add a little cheese and onion (there was no "chicken sandwich" on the menu, just beefy all beef-beef burgers). Since this is Japan, and nothing out of the ordinary is ever tolerated, let alone requested, three wait staff and two cooks spent 10 minutes discussing the feasibility of my request (which entailed taking a few items already on the menu, and using them to create something slightly different). In the end they took a chance and I ended up with one of the tastiest sandwiches I have had in my life.  This is progress I think. 10 years ago they would have just made that familiar sucking sound through their teeth, tilted their heads and said: "chyotto...."

Picture via "bantus"

1 comments:

s. said...

i'm afraid this can be a british thing too. an american mate of mine went to a posh mexican restaurant in covent garden and asked if they could make his margarita with a different tequilla, which they also had (used in different cocktails). apparently not. so he asked for a virgin margarita and a shot of the tequilla he wanted, so he could do it himself. also banned!

there is a reason the japanese and the brits get on, after all ;)