Funny Stuffs about a Manga Cafe

And a couple cute girl pics, if you're into that: ^_^

Service With a Wink to a Japanese Fad
[url]http://tinyurl.com/6j4nnn[/url] or
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/dining/25maid.html?partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all>

(No need to login or register; just turn on cookies.)

[url]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/25/dining/25maid-600.jpg[/url]
[url]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/24/dining/25maid.1-650.jpg[/url]


Funny excerpts:

"The concept started off as a club for the loneliest guys in the world,"
said Patrick Macias, editor in chief of Otaku USA magazine. "Here at
last was a place where single young otaku men could go and interact with
kind women, and also get lukewarm hamburgers and lousy cake."

Since references to Japanese gaming culture would be lost on most
Americans, Royal/T focuses on food and art. The maid service is
presented ironically and is not meant to attract actual otaku customers.

(Well, so much for that.)


"Most of the food at maid cafes in Japan comes out of the microwave,
which we don't use here,"

(And they say McD's was bad... Those Japanese cheapskates!)


It's all part of the otaku subculture known as "cosplay," short for
costume play, which centers on dressing up like characters from games,
cartoons and manga comic books. An early model for the maid cafes in
Tokyo was a Hawaiian chain restaurant called Anna Miller's that now has
locations in Japan popular with cosplay aficionados. Waitresses serve
typical American fare in uniforms similar to those worn by maids.


Ms. Hancock, who has never actually been to a maid cafe in Japan, said
there are some important differences between her cafe and ones in Tokyo.
The maids here will not blow or draw on food, she said, and they are not
intended to be pretend girlfriends, as the maids in Japan are for some
gamers who spend hours a day at their consoles.

"Our maids don't call customers master and the girls are sweet rather
than flirty," Ms. Hancock said. "We want customers to come in and feel
like they're in Alice in Wonderland, not Hooter's."

(So really, what's the point? ^_^ )


Laters. =)

STan
--
_______ ________ _______ ____ ___ ___ ______ ______
| __|__ __| _ | \ | | | | _____| _____|
|__ | | | | _ | |\ | |___| ____|| ____|
|_______| |__| |__| |__|___| \ ___|_______|______|______|
__| | ( )
/ _ | |/ LostRune+sig [at] UofR [dot] net
| ( _| | [url]http://www.uofr.net/~lostrune/[/url]
\ ______| _______ ____ ___
/ \ / \ | _ | \ | |
/ \/ \| _ | |\ |
/___/\/\___|__| |__|___| \ ___|

"S.t.A.n.L.e.E" <LostRune+NGs@UofR.SlamSpam.net> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.64.0807050108180.20216@uofr.net...[color=blue]
>
> And a couple cute girl pics, if you're into that: ^_^
>
> Service With a Wink to a Japanese Fad
> [url]http://tinyurl.com/6j4nnn[/url] or
> <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/dining/25maid.html?partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all>
>
> (No need to login or register; just turn on cookies.)
>
> [url]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/25/dining/25maid-600.jpg[/url]
> [url]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/24/dining/25maid.1-650.jpg[/url]
>
>
> Funny excerpts:
>
> "The concept started off as a club for the loneliest guys in the world,"
> said Patrick Macias, editor in chief of Otaku USA magazine. "Here at
> last was a place where single young otaku men could go and interact with
> kind women, and also get lukewarm hamburgers and lousy cake."
>
> Since references to Japanese gaming culture would be lost on most
> Americans, Royal/T focuses on food and art. The maid service is
> presented ironically and is not meant to attract actual otaku customers.
>
> (Well, so much for that.)
>[/color]

They're not meant to - meaning she didn't design them to. What she expects
and what actually happens, though...(hint: You want to keep the actual
otaku customers out, keep the prices up so that it cuts into the hobby
budget).
[color=blue]
>
> "Most of the food at maid cafes in Japan comes out of the microwave,
> which we don't use here,"
>
> (And they say McD's was bad... Those Japanese cheapskates!)
>
>
> It's all part of the otaku subculture known as "cosplay," short for
> costume play, which centers on dressing up like characters from games,
> cartoons and manga comic books. An early model for the maid cafes in
> Tokyo was a Hawaiian chain restaurant called Anna Miller's that now has
> locations in Japan popular with cosplay aficionados. Waitresses serve
> typical American fare in uniforms similar to those worn by maids.
>
>
> Ms. Hancock, who has never actually been to a maid cafe in Japan, said
> there are some important differences between her cafe and ones in Tokyo.
> The maids here will not blow or draw on food, she said, and they are not
> intended to be pretend girlfriends, as the maids in Japan are for some
> gamers who spend hours a day at their consoles.
>
> "Our maids don't call customers master and the girls are sweet rather
> than flirty," Ms. Hancock said. "We want customers to come in and feel
> like they're in Alice in Wonderland, not Hooter's."
>
> (So really, what's the point? ^_^ )[/color]

Any attention at all from staff in most US chains would make me wonder if I
fell into Wonderland.

You left out one of the best bits, Stan:

"Deferential service like that is the norm at maid cafes in Japan, where
competition has led to nearly endless permutations of the form. Mr. Macias
estimated that there have been more than 50 maid establishments in Tokyo
alone. Those have spawned butler cafes that cater to women, and even a
mother cafe, where customers are treated like beloved children. One of the
latest is a sergeant cafe, where diners must salute and say "yes, sir" to
stern waiters in military fatigues."

I want to find one of those last and go into it wearing Colonel eagles.

Aje RavenStar wrote:
[color=blue]
> "S.t.A.n.L.e.E" <LostRune+NGs@UofR.SlamSpam.net> wrote in message
> news:Pine.LNX.4.64.0807050108180.20216@uofr.net...
>[color=green]
>> Ms. Hancock, who has never actually been to a maid cafe in Japan, said
>> there are some important differences between her cafe and ones in Tokyo.
>> The maids here will not blow or draw on food, she said, and they are not
>> intended to be pretend girlfriends, as the maids in Japan are for some
>> gamers who spend hours a day at their consoles.
>>
>> "Our maids don't call customers master and the girls are sweet rather
>> than flirty," Ms. Hancock said. "We want customers to come in and feel
>> like they're in Alice in Wonderland, not Hooter's."
>>
>>(So really, what's the point? ^_^ )[/color][/color]

That's the thing: US fans WANT to be as nervously fetishistic as the
lonely Japanese otaku, to see what it's like, but...we're just *not*,
really.
You can reproduce the symptoms, but not the disease.
[color=blue]
> "Deferential service like that is the norm at maid cafes in Japan, where
> competition has led to nearly endless permutations of the form. Mr. Macias
> estimated that there have been more than 50 maid establishments in Tokyo
> alone. Those have spawned butler cafes that cater to women, and even a
> mother cafe, where customers are treated like beloved children.[/color]

Say, think Disney World has one of those--
("50's Prime Time Cafe", where you're eating in Mom's kitchen with
sitcom clips playing on the wall, and the staff won't serve dessert
until you eat your vegetables.)

Never realized that had its roots in the maid cafe, but come to think of
it...

Derek Janssen
[email]ejanss1@verizon.net[/email]

In article <xIPbk.287$P11.81@trndny06>, Derek Janssen
<ejanss1@nospam.verizon.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
> Aje RavenStar wrote:
>[/color]
[color=blue][color=green]
> > "Deferential service like that is the norm at maid cafes in Japan, where
> > competition has led to nearly endless permutations of the form. Mr. Macias
> > estimated that there have been more than 50 maid establishments in Tokyo
> > alone. Those have spawned butler cafes that cater to women, and even a
> > mother cafe, where customers are treated like beloved children.[/color]
>
> Say, think Disney World has one of those--
> ("50's Prime Time Cafe", where you're eating in Mom's kitchen with
> sitcom clips playing on the wall, and the staff won't serve dessert
> until you eat your vegetables.)
>
> Never realized that had its roots in the maid cafe, but come to think of
> it...
>[/color]
Or the other way around, depending on which came first. Japanese guy
goes to Disney and sees the cafe, and when the Maid fad hits Japan has
his brain storm :) Or maybe Disney Tokyo has one?

--
Chris Mack *quote under construction*
'Invid Fan'

On Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:37:55 -0400, Invid Fan <invid@loclanet.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>In article <xIPbk.287$P11.81@trndny06>, Derek Janssen
><ejanss1@nospam.verizon.net> wrote:
>[color=green]
>> Aje RavenStar wrote:
>>[/color]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > "Deferential service like that is the norm at maid cafes in Japan, where
>> > competition has led to nearly endless permutations of the form. Mr. Macias
>> > estimated that there have been more than 50 maid establishments in Tokyo
>> > alone. Those have spawned butler cafes that cater to women, and even a
>> > mother cafe, where customers are treated like beloved children.[/color]
>>
>> Say, think Disney World has one of those--
>> ("50's Prime Time Cafe", where you're eating in Mom's kitchen with
>> sitcom clips playing on the wall, and the staff won't serve dessert
>> until you eat your vegetables.)
>>
>> Never realized that had its roots in the maid cafe, but come to think of
>> it...
>>[/color]
>Or the other way around, depending on which came first. Japanese guy
>goes to Disney and sees the cafe, and when the Maid fad hits Japan has
>his brain storm :) Or maybe Disney Tokyo has one?[/color]

But no one is doing the Noodle Fighter Miki battle waitressing?

-Galen

On Jul 6, 10:45 am, Galen <ga...@nekomimicon.net> wrote:[color=blue]
> On Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:37:55 -0400, Invid Fan <in...@loclanet.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>[color=green]
> >In article <xIPbk.287$P11.81@trndny06>, Derek Janssen
> ><ejan...@nospam.verizon.net> wrote:[/color]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
> >> Aje RavenStar wrote:[/color][/color]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
> >> > "Deferential service like that is the norm at maid cafes in Japan, where
> >> > competition has led to nearly endless permutations of the form. Mr. Macias
> >> > estimated that there have been more than 50 maid establishments in Tokyo
> >> > alone. Those have spawned butler cafes that cater to women, and even a
> >> > mother cafe, where customers are treated like beloved children.[/color][/color]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
> >> Say, think Disney World has one of those--
> >> ("50's Prime Time Cafe", where you're eating in Mom's kitchen with
> >> sitcom clips playing on the wall, and the staff won't serve dessert
> >> until you eat your vegetables.)[/color][/color]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
> >> Never realized that had its roots in the maid cafe, but come to think of
> >> it...[/color][/color]
>[color=green]
> >Or the other way around, depending on which came first. Japanese guy
> >goes to Disney and sees the cafe, and when the Maid fad hits Japan has
> >his brain storm :) Or maybe Disney Tokyo has one?[/color]
>
> But no one is doing the Noodle Fighter Miki battle waitressing?[/color]

Let alone Variable Geo battle waitressing.

Watson
Who can do without the VG Neo style, thank you very much.