it’s not only an ice cream (culture rant)
I was in Shinbashi and decided to order an ice cream cone at this small shop.
I ordered coconut milk, and this extra topping of caramel sauce. There was a young man who took my order, and a young girl behind a window who was making it. Just as the girl finished making it, I noticed that she put lots of whipped cream on the top. I don’t like whipped cream, so I asked if they could just take it off.
The young man said to the girl, “Oh, the customer doesn’t like whipped cream, please make another one without it.”
It took me a second to catch this exchange, but then I saw the girl getting another cone.
“Oh, wait,” I called loudly, so they could both hear. “It’s okay, you don’t need to make a new one, just take the whipped cream off of that one….”
The girl glanced at me, and continued moving, getting the ice cream scooper. The man said, “Don’t worry, it’s okay.”
“It’s NOT okay, I want that one, just take off the cream! It’s a waste.”
The lady ignored me. She goes to scoop new ice cream.
“STOP!” I shouted. “I don’t want a new one, I want that one!”
IGNORED.
“Excuse me, please, it’s a waste! No!!!!”
She scooped out new ice cream into a new cone. No going back. I COULD HAVE SNEEZED On the blob of whipped cream and it would have fallen off. NO NEED to make another whole one! WTF
The man said, “It’s okay, the stafff will eat it…”
“It’s not okay!” I said loudly. “I don’t want it!”
Like hell they will. They’re working, they’re not allowed to. That sucker was going in the trash the second my back was turned, and that infuriated me.
“I don’t want it!” I said. “Stop!”
IGNORED. The man looked uncomfortable.
I fumed. I tried to tell myself, “Just relax, it’s Japan, you’re getting a new ice cream, just let them waste it. They’re obviously fracking morons who obviously don’t care about profits, or making the customer happy.”
But I knew there was no way I was going to be able to enjoy that ice cream, I was so ticked off. But I had already paid my 500 yen. I considered walking out, but 500 yen is expensive for ice cream. And then there would be TWO wasted cones instead of ONE. AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON A DIET, so I felt like 10 times guilty. Or else I would have demanded both of them. LOL Actually considered taking the one with the cream and running, but I wasn’t fast enough and I couldn’t reach it.
fcking Japan and fsking inflexible rules piss me off so freaking much. It’s just a stupid ice cream, nothing to get worked up over. However, it really embodies major issues I have living in the culture. WHY CAN’T PEOPLE HAVE A LITTLE COMMON SENSE?! Common sense in Japan is NOT common sense in the US, and it’s REALLY HARD. _< Today it was ice cream. Five years ago a hospital employee turned me away from an emergency room when I had a fever of 104 and was FCKING BLEEDING FROM MY GUMS. He told me that I just had ‘a cold’ and come back tomorrow because the hospital is closed at 9 PM. (I went to a second hospital by taxi and an dental specialist told me I had a serious blood infection and put me on an IV for two days. Bless him)
RETURNING to my story.
After I finished my cone, which was absolutely delicious but I didn’t enjoy it AT ALL, I went back and explained to those stupid, young whippersnappers the following:
“The ice cream was delicious! (they smiled) But I have something to say. I think customer service in Japan is the best! (smile) However, you didn’t listen to me in the end, so it actually made me feel very bad. So I wish you had listened to me in the end, because I’m a very unhappy customer now.”
The man said, “But it’s alright.”
“Actually, it’s not alright at all,” I said. “Please tell the lady in the back,” I said, and walked off.…