Ramen Tuesday III

Inspired by the original hit series in Silicon Valley, Ramen Tuesdays recreates the traditional Japanese group business dinner for everyone in the Portland startup scene.

DINNER DETAILS
Ramen Tuesday offers a set meal that includes the following:

• One complimentary beverage of choice, plus communal sake to be shared throughout the meal
• Light snacks upon arrival
• An assortment of family-style appetizers
• Sushi roll of choice
• Choice of main course: one of three hand-made ramen options, or one of three classic Japanese entrees
• After-dinner green tea service

The event is open to everyone in the Portland startup scene, along with up to one guest per person.

Registration fee: $35 per person. Pre-register here. (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ramen-tuesday-february-24-2015-tickets-15527370784)

APPROXIMATE SCHEDULE

7:30: Arrive
8:00: Appetizers & Jiko-Shokai
8:30: Ramen arrives
9:00: Tea Service
9:30: Dinner Concludes

IGYOUSHU KOURYUKAI WALKTHROUGH

Ramen Tuesday observes igyoushu kouryukai, the tradition of Japanese group business dining. Please read this guide to familiarize yourself with the rituals and etiquette involved.

Arrival & Seating

Please arrive between 7:30 and 7:45 PM. We meet in the tatami room in the back of the restaurant.

• When you arrive in the tatami room, remove your shoes (but not socks) and find a place to sit

• Upon sitting, you'll find light snacks to enjoy, along with sake. Pour sake for others as described in the sake section below.

• Everyone orders off of a pre-set menu, which you'll find in front of your table seating

• When prompted, choose a sushi roll, ramen dish, and personal beverage of choice

Jiko-Shokai: Introductions & Opening Ceremonies
After we’ve settled in, found a spot for ourselves at the table, filled each other's sake cups, and placed our ramen orders, the dinner commences in the traditional opening manner, with jiko-shokai.

The term means “self-introdution,” and in Japan, one gives jiko-shokai on a fairly frequent basis, particularly when a new group of people gather together.

Jiko-shokai consists of a simple sequence of facts that one shares about oneself, with a little bit of etiquette thrown in. The introduction is given one person at a time, in a sequence that adheres to the following order:

• A brief greeting — “Hi everyone, nice to be here with you,” etc.
• Your full name.
• Your company and title

After giving jiko-shokai, end with "it's nice to meet you" (or "yoroshiku onegaishimasu"), bow to the group, and receive bows in return.

Sake Etiquette

We will have several large bottles of sake to share with the group. Sake etiquette is vital to a traditional Japanese business dinner. Here are the protocols to keep in mind: • Do not fill your own cup.

• Do not let another person's cup go empty.

• Do not finish your own cup completely — this causes those around you to lose face — but feel free to come close.

• To drink, raise your cup with both hands, the right palm gently placed beneath the cup, and the left hand holding the cup’s side. Keep your cup close to your body as you raise it, and when it reaches your lips, tilt the cup to an appropriate angle while keeping the hand positions intact. To see how this looks in practice, watch this video.

• When receiving a pour, raise your cup slightly off the table and hold it there steadily — again, using both hands. To signify that the cup is filled to your satisfaction, maintain the grip on the cup with your left hand, and raise your right hand in a slight, brisk, upraised gesture. Should you want your cup to be filled completely, wait until it gets close, and then, rather than lifting your hand, give a small nod of appreciation as the refill concludes.

• If you've had enough to drink, leave your glass mostly full, which non-verbally signifies your contentment. If you are offered a refill anyway, it is best not to say “no” outright, since this can be seen as impolite. Instead, offer a small wave of your hand while making an elusive “aaa-h”-ish verbal sound.

• Whenever sake is involved, avoid the temptation to make an explicit Ask or Offer, and try instead to make the process as subtle, nuanced, non-verbal, and gesture-based as possible, throwing in a bit of back-and-forth playfulness once you get the hang of it.

• Lastly, upon receiving a refill, take a look at your companion’s cup to see if they need a refill as well. At this this point it’s appropriate to reciprocate, again without explicitly offering or asking. Note that this gesture can be deployed strategically: if your cup lingers near-empty for too long, simply offer someone around you a refill, and you’ll find that your own cup will soon rise to the level of theirs.

Appetizers

The dinner begins with a presentation of appetizers curated for us personally by Shigezo’s executive chef, Takashi Higuchi. Here’s how to enjoy them:

• Appetizers arrive shortly after we toast kampai. Wait until all the appetizers arrive before taking any action. Once they’re placed, serve yourself a modest portion, using either the serving utensils provided with the dish, or with the top-end of your personal chopsticks.

• Wait until everyone has served themselves before starting to eat. Once everyone is served, we will together begin the eating by all clapping our hands together twice, then enthusiastically exclaiming “itadakimasu!”, which is pronounced somewhat like “eat a duck I must!”, followed by a bow that everyone does in unison with the hands remaining clasped at chest level.

• It isn’t necessary to pass plates around one at a time; rather, it’s fine to reach politely with your chopsticks, lifting food from a central serving dish over to your plate.

Ramen

Here’s where it really gets fun.

• You’ll be presented with a choice of ramen options at the start of the meal. There will be both vegetarian and meat-based options. The noodles are made in-house daily, and are based upon a closely-held recipe from Tokyo, where the chefs are originally from.

• One’s ramen is to be enjoyed from the moment it arrives, rather than waiting for everyone to be served.

• The best way to eat ramen is to grab some noodles with your chopsticks, lifting them up above your bowl, and inhaling them with a loud, enthusiastic, slurp-like motion. Breathe in as you slurp, which will prevent the noodles from flailing around and splattering broth on your neighbors.

• When you’re left with only broth, pick up the bowl and drink some. Some people enjoy drinking all the broth, which signifies to the chef that you particularly enjoyed the dish.

• Once you finish the ramen, you’ll have some time to socialize and hang out before the meal winds down. At this point you are free to move around the room and adopt a more informal air. It’s fine to sit anywhere in the room, whether at the table or on the surrounding mats, but please don’t stand or move to other parts of the restaurant.

Agari & Meishi-Koukankai

Once everyone has had their fill of ramen, socialized a bit, and enjoyed sake to their satisfaction, the meal winds down with a sequence of closing ceremonies.

After finishing our ramen, we will be served agari, green tea traditionally served at the end of a formal meal. There is no need to wait until everyone has been poured — simply enjoy the tea as it arrives, and continue to enjoy the freedom to move around the room.

During this time we will also offer the opportunity for meishi-koukankai, the traditional exchanging of business cards. Here is how to exchange cards properly:

• Similar to most business receptions, there is no need to give cards to everyone. Rather, if you’ve kindled new relationships over the course of the dinner, and want to offer your card, use this time to initiate the exchange.

• To give someone a card, hold it with both hands, with the card facing up and in the direction of the recipient.

• To receive a card, hold it with two hands as well on the opposite end. At this point both parties bow to each other.

• When you receive a card, continue holding onto it with both hands. Take a moment to read through the card completely, then thank the person who gave it to you.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

The dinner is $35 per person, inclusive of appetizers, sushi rolls, hand-made ramen of choice, tea service, communal sake, and a personal beverage of choice.

Space is limited and pre-reservation is required. Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ramen-tuesday-february-24-2015-tickets-15527370784