A Fukuokan's Notes from Sapporo

When eat at restaurants or café of any kind in Japan, don’t you think the portion size is an equivalent to that for children or sampling food in your country?  

The other day I went to a café to have a waffle.

I sometimes crave for a simple waffle served hot with butter and syrup, not ones sandwiching whipped cream and sometimes fruit and sold cold.

I knew a café in a department store served the American-style waffles (similar to ones often served as a “courtesy breakfast” in not-so-expensive hotels).

In the menu, I found “half waffle with something to drink” at JPY 648. Reasonable for a tea and a nibble in city centre, I thought at this point.

Then, firstly, came a tea and a small packet of cocoa-coated peanuts.

Finally, my waffle arrived. “Sorry for having kept you waiting,” the waitress cheerfully said, bringing a big plate…and tiny pieces of waffle on it.

Yes, I actually ordered “half waffle” but is this “half”? I would call it “miniature.”

Look at the blank space on the plate! Even though we do have a kind of aesthetics to appreciate some blank on plate when it comes to Japanese cuisine, waffle is not the case.

I miss the generous amount of waffle served at American inns (for free!), with no extra space on the plate . Even though it was served (self-served, to be more precise) on a styroform plate, I don't mind. 

The taste? It was too small for me to comment. It was almost sampling food (not for free!).

I shouldn’t blame the café for being so stingy. I haven’t eaten out recently so I completely forgot how small our portion size was.  I should have been prepared for order one (or two) more plate (even though the amount would have been still smaller than “full-size”).