Food snobs

It has come to my attention that my husband and I are raising two food snobs.(the apple doesn't fall far from the tree) When we yell to the back seat, "girls what would you like to eat?" It isn't usually a fast food joint. The two will never be called a "cheap date." Instead we get, "the lobster place or Dim Sum." However, for the last two weeks it has been that they have wanted the, "Japanese place that cooks in front of you." So since is the first day my husband has had off in two weeks we head to one of the two Hibachi grills in Corpus Christi.
Upon arrival we are asked for our reservation. Reservation???? Oh heavens, the crazy Californians drove for forty minutes to a restaurant that needed a reservation! In SoCal as a party of four we have never had to make a reservation. You just show up. So in my feeble mindedness, I'm thinking this is the middle of nowhere. The weekend before school starts. Tax free weekend in Texas. Everyone should be at the mall. Apparently I was mistaken. Now I had to explain to a 5 and 7 year old that we can't eat here. They were not happy but we promised to try the only other place in town.
Upon arrival at restaurant #2 there was no reservation needed(it soon becomes apparent why) and we were seated immediately(never a good sign). The very white, non-Asian looking waitress takes our order. No problem, I think to myself since about 50% of the time they aren't Asian. However, we knew we were in trouble when our "chef" came out and said, "how ya'll this evening." I quickly look at my children and their eyes said it all. I imagine the dialog in their heads had them rationalizing that this was just the guy who turns on the grill. No such luck. After a few minutes, the oldest couldn't help herself. She leaned over and said, "he's not even Japanese!"
It was by far not our best meal but we managed to choke it down. My husband complains quietly in my ear the entire time and the girls enjoyed the "shows" at the other tables since ours was very lackadaisical. (The 7 yo states that the other chefs are more Japanese-- as if it comes in varying degrees and ours just didn't possess any of the characteristics that makes a person Japanese) The complaining by my husband continues in my ear all the way out the door. Then outside the door it becomes audible to everyone. To this my seven year old retorts: "I've had better but what do you expect. He's not even Asian."
And so they are introduced into how hard it is to be a food snob. Good food is not easily found and when you are new to a town, you must weed all the bad ones out. However, when you find that gem in the rough it is a sweet treasure you hold onto tightly. My husband and I have always enjoyed excellent food and so it is with great pride that I get to welcome the girls to our Food World! The good, the bad and sometimes delectable.