I was standing on a relatively crowded late afternoon train, quietly eating a sandwich when I heard in slow, but perfect, English: "It is thought . . . impolite . . . to eat . . . while standing . . . in Japan."
The voice had come from the gentleman sitting in front of me, whose face was hidden behind a fully opened newspaper.
This raised a dilemma.
I certainly did not want to offend, but my short amount of time on the train was the only break that I had between my day and evening job.
If I didn't eat now, then I probably didn't eat.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, I came up with what I believed was a reasonable compromise. "Can I have your seat then?", I asked.
There came no reply and the paper never moved.
I happily finished the sandwich, which for some reason seemed much tastier than before.
-- Kevin
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