The "Meal" Question

After my tongue lashing about the hair incident, it was time to break for lunch, Thank Goodness! We were reminded several times to be on time, as after lunch the CEO of the company was giving a presentation. We thought we'd hit up a restaurant for the break. Luckily one of the girls in the group had worked for the company previously, so her Japanese was great. We all clung to her like a baby chimp holds onto its mother, holding on for dear life and fretting about what we would do if she ever left our side. The ease of which Japan can be had when one knows the language, is so much more enjoyable and relaxing-Why didn't I study more before I came? once again was the guilt trip I replayed in my mind. Karla was a dime a dozen and we all wanted to befriend her!

Don't leave my side Karla!

We chose a little curry shop close to the training centre. The manager looked excited when the 8 of us approached, his nearly empty restaurant, especially when he heard Karla speaking fluent Japanese. We placed our orders quickly. I had to make the awkward announcement that I was vegetarian and needed Karla's help with ordering. "What, you don't eat me?" said the Australian guy, Toby, sitting next to me. The usual teasing jokes and remarks happened, which I'm used to. When the manager came over to greet us, Karla explained my dietary needs and what was the first of countless experiences, was about to occur. He pointed at the side garden salad, "This is the only vegetarian option". Uhhh! I thought,  it was becoming difficult to be a vegetarian here! I knew a garden salad wasn't going to fill me up, but ordered it anyways as the manager insisted it was a decent sized meal. My stomach was still rumbling by the end of the 'meal' and I knew I wouldn't get the opportunity to eat anytime soon. It felt like the Seinfeld "Soup" episode, where Jerry takes Kenny out for dinner and Kenny orders a soup, which then becomes the question throughout the show, whether a soup counted as a meal or not. I felt the same about my salad, I felt it didn't count and felt cheated by the manager in calling it a 'meal'.

The "Soup" Episode
(Season 6 Episode 7)

 Everyone else scarfed down there 'delicious' Japanese curries, which I may add are completely different to Indian curries. Japanese curries are usually made with a base of beef, chicken or pork which is saturated with other pieces of floating meat and a few speckled vegetables, the opposite of many Indian curries which are made with ease for vegetarians. It wasn't the most appetizing looking dish, in my opinion, it looked like processed gravy soup with a slab of rice on the side. I've never been able to try one, as there is no vegetable-only-curries I've ever seen, but I have heard it is quite good from friends.

A standard Japanese curry.

We quickly headed back to the meeting. None of us we willing to risk being late for the CEO, as there was no other impression that mattered the more than his! As no watches was on the never-ending taboo list, we all became paranoid about time (as only Toby had a cell phone). We hurried back and Brenda and I decided we needed to use the toilets quickly, before entering into the training room. We had five minutes, so we were fine for time, or so we thought...