JAPANESE RESTAURANT GIVES UP HITTING YOU BEFORE SERVING YOU

A Japanese restaurant has become famous for offering patrons a slap in the face before their meals are served. The Shachihoko-ya izakaya in Nagoya, Japan, offered the punishment as a novelty, but found an increasing number of patrons willing to be slapped. Initially, it was done by just one member of the izakaya staff, but as demand grew, management hired several girls to dish out the slaps and even started charging a fee of 100 yen (90 cents) per slap. The service was popular with both Japanese men and women, as well as curious foreign tourists. According to the restaurant, not only were the patrons appeared to feel more relaxed after getting hit. They would even thank the staff member who smacked them. Eventually, the restaurant decided it wanted to focus more on the food than the slap, so they recently discontinued the practice.
* But now, for a couple bucks, the valet will ding your car.
* They discontinued the practice? What a slap in the face!
* What’s Japanese for “Hey, Moe!”
* I don’t know about slaps, but I’ve eaten at a couple of taco places where I feel I’ve been punched in the gut.
* I can’t help thinking there’s a lesson in American politics somewhere in this story.