I am so beautiful!
I worked from 11 to 11 today. It was the most exciting day I've had in a long time.
I'm laughing at myself. It's funny, guys. It's funny. So I wake up at 9, watch episode 7 and 8 of Saiunkoku (I'm not up to translating that far I'm just addicted to the show so I want to keep on watching it), took a shower, and got lost on the way to work. Again. It's POURING out and I get to the restaurant at 11, and no one is there. I stand outside the locked door helplessly for the while, check the back, come back around to the front and see this guy in a hood at the door. He looked Asian but even I have a hard time telling some Japanese people from others so we stood staring at eachother for a few moments before he sticks out his hand and's like "I'm Sugi." I tell him who I am and he's like oh you're the new girl, I've heard about you, and I was like wtf if you didn't know when you shook my hadn?! Is offering to shake hands typical protocol when you bump into strangers?! He's another of the sushi chefs. So we go into the dark barren restaurant together and he smokes and eats a donut in the back and I have NO idea what to do.
And yet, that wasn't even half as awkward as what happened later. Me and Sugi are good friends now and he makes me sushi and kind of hits on me in a way that's like okay you're hitting on me right? Like if you weren't 35 this would be totally creepy right? But because he's 35 year old even though if it were anyone else it would be totally obvious he was hitting on me because it's him I can't really tell so I don't want to jump to conclusions but still. During the lunch shift it was only Harumi (3? year old Japanese guy waiter), Sugi (35 year old sushi chef), Ko (43 year old sushi chef/kitchen chef), and me (18 year old white girl). It was awesome. Those guys fucking love me. They think that me being able to speak Japanese is the most novel and adorable thing in the world. So when the lunch shift ends Harumi was like "What are you going to do Marti?" and I was like "Well it's too much of a pain in the ass to go home so maybe I'll just go get icecream" so he asked me if I wanted to go put up posters with him.
I wasn't really sure what he meant but I was like okay sure whatever and so while Sugi and I were sitting at the bar eating cooked albacore he brings over a marker and has me write up a 'Help Wanted' poster for us to post up at the local college. This is when I started to think, huh, is it really a good idea for me to get in a car and go driving to some unknown location with this 30-something year old Japanese man I've known for two days? Oh well, he looks vaguely like an Asian Johnny Depp, so it's all good.
It wasn't nearly as weird as I thought it would be. He drove by Dairy Queen for me and got me some icecream since he knew I wanted some and then while we listened to shitty Japanese hip-hop he smoked out the car window and we talked about the Mitsubishi car company and Gackt. He's a really cool guy. I <3 Harumi-san. And I didn't get raped! Huge plus! We get to the college and we have no idea where the main building is and even when we find it the lady's like WE CAN ONLY ACCEPT ONE POSTER so that was disappointing but oh well.
We get back late leaving the dinner-shift kitchen staff to wait on customers and the roster then is the lunch staff plus Daisuke, the 20 year old Japanese kid who looks almost creepily like Takeo, Leo, the 20 year old Brazilian kid who is really the reason I'm writing this post, Julie, the 27 year old red-head who works the cashier, and some crazy Chinese lady who works in the kitchen. I met Daisuke and Leo the last day I worked, and they're pretty good kids. The girl who helped train me on Sunday is Maria, who is this absolutely sweet adorable 20 year old Philipino girl who I'm 99% sure is dating Daisuke, but she works on Thursdays-Sundays.
Okay so on Sunday, when I first met Leo, I was trying really hard to talk to him because he's Brazilian and doesn't speak much English and he seems like a really sweet kid. Not to mention that when I was back in the kitchen with him he asked if I have a boyfriend, and I laughed and said no, and he told me
"Why? You're so beautiful."
I just laughed. Like I don't even think I thanked him. I just laughed awkwardly. I appreciated it, and it made me feel good, but it was weird. I've been called 'cute' before by a French guy, so maybe it's just a foreign thing to compliment girls like that, so I didn't think much of it; I wasn't like OMG YOU'RE HITTING ON ME or anything like that, I just took it in stride. Not to mention I've been asked if I have a boyfriend about TEN TIMES in the past TWO DAYS. Ever since I started work, I swear to god, people suddenly care.
So after 10 hours of being in that restaurant and serving people and actually not screwing up that badly I was in the back talking to Ko-san. The crazy Chinese woman who always sounds angry comes over to me and tells me to put some Perrier and beer into the fridge, and Daisuke helps me carry the boxes over. Don't get me wrong; me and Daisuke aren't buddies or anything. He kind of just avoids me and doesn't talk to me, but I make dumb jokes to him and sing really loudly in the back so I guess it's only fair. This is where this post becomes worth the time I've put into writing it.
While I was lining the Perrier bottles up in the fridge Daisuke, out of fucking nowhere, suddenly says to me "I know this is really awkward but.."
And he pauses, and I stare at him, and he's like "umm..this is weird and umm..hard for me to ask, but..can I have your phone number?"
For a few seconds it was really cute. I'm almost positive he's dating Maria so it wasn't like oh man he's interested it was just like he wants to have my number as a friend but it's hard for him to ask so he's being shy about it aww cute. But then he says
"Leo wants it but he's too embarrassed to ask."
Time just stopped between us. It was the most awkward moment of my life. Okay, it's not that Leo can barely speak English. It's not that he's ugly either; he's a cutie. It's just that
WHO THE FUCK ASKS SOMEONE TO ASK FOR A NUMBER ANYMORE?! Didn't the pilgrims do that or something?! Wasn't there some story about John Alden and Pricilla Mullins from the 1700's about how that doesn't work?!
Leo could know only 2 words of English and if he had the balls enough to ask for my number himself I'd be more interested than if he knew English fluently but couldn't even handle talking to a girl. I'm sorry, but shy introverts aren't really my thing. I asked Daisuke if he was kidding but he laughed like he wanted to kill himself for asking me and I told him that he was a better friend than I am because I'd never do that for anyone.
10 minutes later Daisuke is giving me the eye from across the room and motioning to Leo and I grimace and he, I swear to god, puts his hands together and bows repeatedly like Japanese people do when they apologize. OH WHAT DAISUKE, ARE YOU JAPANESE NOW?! EVEN THOUGH YOU IGNORE ME WHEN I TRY TO TALK TO YOU IN JAPANESE?!
But I figured that now that it's come to it I had no choice but to give Leo my number so I ask him to give me his phone so I can put in it. I do and give it back and he DOESN'T EVEN THANK MEEEEE. ARJKRDSFDSJFSDEIFDjkdfslkjalskdfafs. He just nods. YOU'RE WELCOME LEO. You're welcome. On the way out of the store after that I punched Daisuke in the side. I know it's not his fault. But it felt appropriate.
What the hell is he going to do? Call me? Call me and what? He barely speaks English! Will he invite me to go somewhere? HE CAN'T EVEN ASK FOR MY NUMBER HOW CAN HE HANDLE CALLING ME!?
My favorite part of the job is by far Harumi, Sugi, and Ko. I love old Japanese men. They make it worth it.
But 12 hours of work..I am so fucking exhausted. I made $100, give or take a few dollars. I have to work tomorrow knight and another 12 hour day on Friday as well. I'm sleepy and I want to..sleep. So sleepy. And watch more Saiunkoku Monogatari. That show insults my intelligence on so many levels.
You know you have a problem when cartoons make you feel stupid.
I'm laughing at myself. It's funny, guys. It's funny. So I wake up at 9, watch episode 7 and 8 of Saiunkoku (I'm not up to translating that far I'm just addicted to the show so I want to keep on watching it), took a shower, and got lost on the way to work. Again. It's POURING out and I get to the restaurant at 11, and no one is there. I stand outside the locked door helplessly for the while, check the back, come back around to the front and see this guy in a hood at the door. He looked Asian but even I have a hard time telling some Japanese people from others so we stood staring at eachother for a few moments before he sticks out his hand and's like "I'm Sugi." I tell him who I am and he's like oh you're the new girl, I've heard about you, and I was like wtf if you didn't know when you shook my hadn?! Is offering to shake hands typical protocol when you bump into strangers?! He's another of the sushi chefs. So we go into the dark barren restaurant together and he smokes and eats a donut in the back and I have NO idea what to do.
And yet, that wasn't even half as awkward as what happened later. Me and Sugi are good friends now and he makes me sushi and kind of hits on me in a way that's like okay you're hitting on me right? Like if you weren't 35 this would be totally creepy right? But because he's 35 year old even though if it were anyone else it would be totally obvious he was hitting on me because it's him I can't really tell so I don't want to jump to conclusions but still. During the lunch shift it was only Harumi (3? year old Japanese guy waiter), Sugi (35 year old sushi chef), Ko (43 year old sushi chef/kitchen chef), and me (18 year old white girl). It was awesome. Those guys fucking love me. They think that me being able to speak Japanese is the most novel and adorable thing in the world. So when the lunch shift ends Harumi was like "What are you going to do Marti?" and I was like "Well it's too much of a pain in the ass to go home so maybe I'll just go get icecream" so he asked me if I wanted to go put up posters with him.
I wasn't really sure what he meant but I was like okay sure whatever and so while Sugi and I were sitting at the bar eating cooked albacore he brings over a marker and has me write up a 'Help Wanted' poster for us to post up at the local college. This is when I started to think, huh, is it really a good idea for me to get in a car and go driving to some unknown location with this 30-something year old Japanese man I've known for two days? Oh well, he looks vaguely like an Asian Johnny Depp, so it's all good.
It wasn't nearly as weird as I thought it would be. He drove by Dairy Queen for me and got me some icecream since he knew I wanted some and then while we listened to shitty Japanese hip-hop he smoked out the car window and we talked about the Mitsubishi car company and Gackt. He's a really cool guy. I <3 Harumi-san. And I didn't get raped! Huge plus! We get to the college and we have no idea where the main building is and even when we find it the lady's like WE CAN ONLY ACCEPT ONE POSTER so that was disappointing but oh well.
We get back late leaving the dinner-shift kitchen staff to wait on customers and the roster then is the lunch staff plus Daisuke, the 20 year old Japanese kid who looks almost creepily like Takeo, Leo, the 20 year old Brazilian kid who is really the reason I'm writing this post, Julie, the 27 year old red-head who works the cashier, and some crazy Chinese lady who works in the kitchen. I met Daisuke and Leo the last day I worked, and they're pretty good kids. The girl who helped train me on Sunday is Maria, who is this absolutely sweet adorable 20 year old Philipino girl who I'm 99% sure is dating Daisuke, but she works on Thursdays-Sundays.
Okay so on Sunday, when I first met Leo, I was trying really hard to talk to him because he's Brazilian and doesn't speak much English and he seems like a really sweet kid. Not to mention that when I was back in the kitchen with him he asked if I have a boyfriend, and I laughed and said no, and he told me
"Why? You're so beautiful."
I just laughed. Like I don't even think I thanked him. I just laughed awkwardly. I appreciated it, and it made me feel good, but it was weird. I've been called 'cute' before by a French guy, so maybe it's just a foreign thing to compliment girls like that, so I didn't think much of it; I wasn't like OMG YOU'RE HITTING ON ME or anything like that, I just took it in stride. Not to mention I've been asked if I have a boyfriend about TEN TIMES in the past TWO DAYS. Ever since I started work, I swear to god, people suddenly care.
So after 10 hours of being in that restaurant and serving people and actually not screwing up that badly I was in the back talking to Ko-san. The crazy Chinese woman who always sounds angry comes over to me and tells me to put some Perrier and beer into the fridge, and Daisuke helps me carry the boxes over. Don't get me wrong; me and Daisuke aren't buddies or anything. He kind of just avoids me and doesn't talk to me, but I make dumb jokes to him and sing really loudly in the back so I guess it's only fair. This is where this post becomes worth the time I've put into writing it.
While I was lining the Perrier bottles up in the fridge Daisuke, out of fucking nowhere, suddenly says to me "I know this is really awkward but.."
And he pauses, and I stare at him, and he's like "umm..this is weird and umm..hard for me to ask, but..can I have your phone number?"
For a few seconds it was really cute. I'm almost positive he's dating Maria so it wasn't like oh man he's interested it was just like he wants to have my number as a friend but it's hard for him to ask so he's being shy about it aww cute. But then he says
"Leo wants it but he's too embarrassed to ask."
Time just stopped between us. It was the most awkward moment of my life. Okay, it's not that Leo can barely speak English. It's not that he's ugly either; he's a cutie. It's just that
WHO THE FUCK ASKS SOMEONE TO ASK FOR A NUMBER ANYMORE?! Didn't the pilgrims do that or something?! Wasn't there some story about John Alden and Pricilla Mullins from the 1700's about how that doesn't work?!
Leo could know only 2 words of English and if he had the balls enough to ask for my number himself I'd be more interested than if he knew English fluently but couldn't even handle talking to a girl. I'm sorry, but shy introverts aren't really my thing. I asked Daisuke if he was kidding but he laughed like he wanted to kill himself for asking me and I told him that he was a better friend than I am because I'd never do that for anyone.
10 minutes later Daisuke is giving me the eye from across the room and motioning to Leo and I grimace and he, I swear to god, puts his hands together and bows repeatedly like Japanese people do when they apologize. OH WHAT DAISUKE, ARE YOU JAPANESE NOW?! EVEN THOUGH YOU IGNORE ME WHEN I TRY TO TALK TO YOU IN JAPANESE?!
But I figured that now that it's come to it I had no choice but to give Leo my number so I ask him to give me his phone so I can put in it. I do and give it back and he DOESN'T EVEN THANK MEEEEE. ARJKRDSFDSJFSDEIFDjkdfslkjalskdfafs. He just nods. YOU'RE WELCOME LEO. You're welcome. On the way out of the store after that I punched Daisuke in the side. I know it's not his fault. But it felt appropriate.
What the hell is he going to do? Call me? Call me and what? He barely speaks English! Will he invite me to go somewhere? HE CAN'T EVEN ASK FOR MY NUMBER HOW CAN HE HANDLE CALLING ME!?
My favorite part of the job is by far Harumi, Sugi, and Ko. I love old Japanese men. They make it worth it.
But 12 hours of work..I am so fucking exhausted. I made $100, give or take a few dollars. I have to work tomorrow knight and another 12 hour day on Friday as well. I'm sleepy and I want to..sleep. So sleepy. And watch more Saiunkoku Monogatari. That show insults my intelligence on so many levels.
You know you have a problem when cartoons make you feel stupid.