3. In the US

The most big difference is to leave a tip. Usually, we have to leave 15 or 20 percent of the price In Minnesota, most people go to restaurants 1 or 2 times a week. This result was the same as Japan. However, one difference between MN and Japan is the variety of restaurants which are liked by people. There are many kinds of restaurants in MN. Kumamoto students answered about 10 kinds of restaurants as popular kinds of restaurants. In Minnesota, there were Mexican, Chinese, Greek and Japanese restaurants, and they have even more kinds of restaurants. In the questionnaire, Minnesotan people answered 16 kinds of restaurants: for example there were Mexican, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Greek, and so on. There were many kinds of ethnic restaurants. Those are not common in Kumamoto. Each style of restaurant has its own atmosphere. For example, the Mexican restaurant had many Mexican decorations and music.
Minnesotan people spend money around 800~1000 yen for lunch, and they spend around 1000~2000 yen for dinner. The highest price which someone answered is 2500 yen. As might be expected this result was affected by age. The answerers are students of KGU so the average of age is 19 to 22 years old. The answerers from MN are our host parents so they would be around 30 years old or more. It makes a little difference. In addition American portions are more　bigger than Japanese portions and this may be another reason why they are a little more expensive.
Polite manners at the restaurant were all connected with being kind to the waiter or waitress: For example, say ‘Thank you,’ and ‘Please’ to them. We have to be gentle with each other anytime. A different manner from Japan is of meal.[1]
Most of the restaurants in Minnesota don’t have example foods in the show window like Japan, but some restaurants do have similar style show windows. In the show window, there are many kinds of foods and we can choose what we want to have. The clerk asks us and serves the dishes. When you want to pay, you will call the waiter or waitress to your table. Almost all people paid by credit card in MN. People ask the price to the waiter or waitress and then pay for the meals.
The waiters and waitresses are very kind to customers in Minnesota. They always take care of us and talk to us. They ask ‘Do you need something more to drink?’ ‘Is everything ok?’ even after they finished serving to us. At some restaurants when we order something to drink, we can have refills for free. It is not every drink but it is possible for some drinks.
Another big difference between Minnesota and Kumamoto is how restaurants treat children. Many restaurants in Minnesota have some good service for children. For example, they have their own menus for children. They are cheap and small, and a desert comes with the meal. Many restaurants give some crayons and paper to children on which is written coloring or easy arithmetic questions or easy games and so on. Those are fun for us too. Children love these papers. They play with the papers until their meals are served. If the questions are difficult for the children, they ask their parents. It also makes good relationships between children and their parents.
[1] At a restaurant, my host parents paid for the meals and went out but they left some tips. My host father, Fred had a book which can learn the way to fold paper money. It was like Origami, so he left some animals which were made by paper money on the table.
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