Stop Seven

Our lodging the second night was at a business hotel in Nagano city so we stopped for dinner at a soba restaurant on our way into the city. U wasn't so sure about the restaurant we chose, there were only two other cars in the giant parking lot. But we headed in anyways. We were shown to our table and asked if we wanted hot tea r cold water. U answered tea, I answered water. A minute later two glasses of water were placed in front of us.

We opened the menu as the waiter apologized and said they only had the 100% soba noodles left, having sold out of the 80% noodles. I wasn't bothered either way, and quickly decided on soba to be dipped in a warm soup with duck, onions, and mountain greens. U decided to order the same and I flipped through the menu as we waited for the waiter. As he approached the table he nervously said they weren't offering the dishes I was looking at. I assured him this didn't matter and U ordered our noodles. The waiter bowed repeatedly and asked us to wait as he checked on whether or not they had two servings of the duck left. Minutes later he reappeared, a grin on his face, as luck would have it there were two servings left.

Shortly after we got our noodles a fily of four arrived and started going through the menu. First they were told about the noodle availability, then that only sets were being served. When the young boy tried to order a pork cutlet rice bowl a hunched over elderly lady came out of the kitchen and chastised the waiter (her son?) as the pork would take way too long to cook. The waiter apologized and the old lady badgered him a bit, telling him to have the family order a tempura rice bowl or tempura shrimp rice bowl. She then stood at the entry to the kitchen, watching the ordering process.

The noodles were good but not particularly amazing and as we finished up U asked for tea. The waiter bustled off and returned immediately with one cup half-full of lukewarm tea. He apologized to me and said they had "finished" serving tea and there was only one glass left.

I barely managed to keep a straight face at this information but couldn't help myself when a woman from the only other group in the restaurant got up to go to the bathroom and the waiter pointed out the way, calling after her that she would have to turn on the lights as they had been turned off...

As we drove off U told me that he hadn't been able to flush when he went tithe bathroom as it appeared the water had been turned off too!