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Monday, June 18, 2007

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looks like that crazy!

Guy

The recent anime convention Fanime had a "maid cafe." In that cafe, people dressed up as maids (or least in one case a butler) and served food. I remember seeing a video of one Japanese maid cafe. The "maid" talked about being an anime fan. And I guess some anime fans have an interest in anime characters who are maids. If someone wants to cosplay as a maid that's their choice.
Last year at fanime, two ladies dressed as maids, were selling food. If I remember correctly they said they liked the maid genre of anime. They were trying to raise money for their school club. Someone told them that they were not supposed to be selling food. I think it was competition with the food vendors plus food safety. But apparently they could take donations. I was glad they were there since the food vendors had closed after about 8pm. This year there was a maid cafe, and I was told that those two ladies were on staff. The maid cafe was very popular. I don't know if one could call it exotic dancing. It seemed more like a formal setting. If anything the maid cafe reminded me of what I read in the book GEISHA: A LIFE. The author mentioned that hte Geisha were to provide intelligent conversation, so they had to research the field of their client, such as art or philosophy. The author of that book also did not care for that novel "Memoirs of a Geisha." I guess there are different types
of "maid cafes." Some maid cafes provide an oppporunity for anime fans to cosplay and earn money. In other words work as a waitress and cosplay at the same time.
But other "maid cafes" or "maid services" are somewhat questionable, to put it mildly.
I think the maid cafe were originally intended for Japanese otaku not gaijin. But an article in one magazine said the real otaku would not bother to go to such a cafe. They are hermits. So what happens is foreign tourists go to maid cafes to see Japanese otaku and run into other tourists.
When I took a Japanese history class, the professor mentioned that there places where
women dress up as waiters and pretend to be the ideal man. So I wonder if "butler cafes" came before maid cafes?

Sutanai

Most of my favorite salad dressing are
1. Goma Dressing
2. Wafu Dressing
Yes there are a lot of gaijin in my university, some bad people always take the hold bottle of goma dressing back home.
And i really hate this people, dont ask me to mention what are their nationality.

bshock

I was very curious about the salad dressing recipe. When I read it, though, I had to laugh -- that's my favorite kind. My wife frequently makes this, but she doesn't have a name for it. And I agree that sesame oil tastes very good in this; its rich, smoky flavor works quite well with the soy.

Heidi

As a "Western" woman (North American) the concept of "maid cafe" is very hard for me to understand. Why would ANY woman feel this is all she has to offer?? I have never been to one and never plan to, but I have seen websites about them and it seems that mostly gaijin perverts (anime otaku no otoko no hito) go there just to "fantasize" about and oggle the girls...ISH!!! ~ Totemo hidosugiru (disgusting) desuyo! :(-

Of course in North America there are many women who take jobs as exotic dancers or "hostesses" just like in Japan, but in North America many people find this kind of work very shameful and other women tend to look down on and disrespect women who choose such "work."

Are maid cafes considered "sleazy" by most Japanese, and the women who work there not respected, or this an accepted part of Japanese (Tokyo specifically) culture?

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