Yeah, being a dick about being kind is exactly the point.

It sure takes the wind out of your sails. For me, figuring out who “deserves” kindness undermines the idea that it is kindness.  I did take a short break from going out of my way to be kind to that particular subset of the population, but in the end I came down to that principle. If someone wants to be hateful for a…

You’re part of the problem

The investigation’s not, but the consequences (through Congress) are.

Is there any other kind?

Thank you for taking the time to reply! Full disclosure, I am partly of Cantonese descent as well but I didn’t want that fact to color your answer, which is richly detailed in a way that any reader might find useful. I am used to taking from the communal food plates on the Lazy Susan and eating from your bowl, but I…

Reading a travel guide for your own country is so interesting. It really highlights things that you don’t realize are unusual or unique because you’ve lived with them your whole life.

Those cards are commonplace, and Japanese understanding of allergies has come a long way in the recent decades. A few very traditional places warn that they can’t guarantee the safety of people suffering from allergies, but most are willing to accomodate, at least as long as you don’t commit a faux pas on the level of…

Another person here had a very good option for that sort of thing: cards for you to show at restaurants that summarise your dietary restrictions: http://justhungry.com/japan-dining-out-cards 

Great article!

I just cannot believe there are monsters out there who add sugar to green tea.

Same here.

Something for guests of Japan to remember: Service people (like waitstaff) speak an inordinately polite type of Japanese that even conversational speakers (like me) may not fully comprehend. You’re usually not missing much information, though.

Ditto.

I’m Indonesian so I know what you mean.  We usually also put all of them together on a spoon before sending it into our mouth, but I guess that’s not possible if you're using chopsticks instead of a spoon.

Being a Malaysian, it’s normal for us to mix rice and the dishes together on the plate, and then put in into our mouth.

Fun fact: the camera in the lead photo is an Olympus OM-1 35mm SLR film camera introduced in 1972. The picture has been edited to remove the brand name from the body and lens. It troubles me that I know these things.

Does this mean I can get tourists to sit in traffic on 405 and go to work for me too? All part of the LA experience!

I’m trying to not stereotype the stereotype.