November 4, 2009

While dining at a Sushi restaurant, an elderly Japanese lady comes and sits on the chair next to me and orders a few items from the chef. As we wait for our food, we strike up a conversation. She can barely put together a sentence in English and I haven't the slightest clues beyond Konichiwa and Sayonara.

My dragon roll arrives followed by a few pieces of sashimi which I gobble up in no time. As I am sipping hot green after my main entree, her plate with an assortment of rolls arrived.

To my surprise, before taking a single bite herself, she offered the plate my way to pick a piece I liked best.

What a wonderful reminder of dining etiquette for my 19 years of race towards a "Mine", "Me" and "I" civilization.

I remember in coffee shops from my childhood, the person pouring the milk or passing the sugar - typically the host, was the last one to take it himself in case it ran out before others had a chance to partake.

All I could think was - "I let my mom down today".
Thank you Madam Michiko for teaching me values I cherish but often forget to practice.

My thought of the Day comes from Sigmund Freud
"When we share - that is poetry in the prose of life."