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I often use the restaurant cards from Triumph Dining when eating out 
at ethnic restaurants.  I think these cards do an excellent job of 
covering many idiosyncratic issues related to specific cuisines -- 
and they are really great.

However, even my Japanese Triumph Dining card didn't see this one coming!

I sat down to order dinner, and asked for hot green tea.  It was 
super steaming hot, but it was a cold night, and I managed to whisk a 
couple of sips off the top right away.  And I set it down to cool.

I had given the dining card to my waiter, and he had, in turn, given 
it to the sushi chef who was going to prepare my order.  The chef 
even came out to speak to me at our table -- and, although he didn't 
understand much English at all, he did understand the card very well 
(which is also written in Japanese).

I put in my order, still trying to drink some of the very hot tea and 
once again set it aside to cool even more.  Suddenly, the waiter came 
bounding out of the kitchen, and grabbed my tea, saying, "tea is no 
good -- will make you a new one -- just plain."  Apparently, they 
were doing "something different" with the tea that night, and had 
mixed the green tea with some "other kind of tea" -- which I now 
assume (after doing a bit of research) to have been "mugicha" tea, 
which is roasted barley -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugicha.  He 
was panicking, and I actually really couldn't tell what he was trying 
to say to me -- except that he clearly did not want me to drink any 
more of the tea, and he was going to specially brew me some "plain 
green tea."

And then suddenly it all came back to me -- a tea I'd had many years 
ago, in the home of some Japanese business associates, that was mild 
and smooth, with a special roasted flavor to it ... and that I was 
told that it came from a grain, not tea.  I hadn't even thought about 
this tea in literally decades.  All I can do is be thankful that the 
tea was so darned hot, I was only able to get a few sips -- but, even 
with that, I am truly paying the price today.  I hate to imagine what 
I'd be like, had I drunk the entire cup (and, no doubt, more).

Otherwise, I was so pleased with my sushi -- special orders the chef 
was able to make for me as GF.  But I think I will put a little piece 
of white tape on my card that had written on it: "No mugicha!"  And 
make sure they see it before I pour me any tea.

Although, in retrospect, I guess I really do have the Triumph Dining 
card to thank.  I'm sure I never could have personally communicated 
so clearly about barley without the card -- and it was them looking 
over the card so carefully that made them realize I was drinking 
something toxic to me!  I have eaten in this restaurant a number of 
times before, but it was the first time I had gone there with my 
Japanese card.  Thankfully, this coincided with the "new kind of tea" 
incident.  Otherwise, I would have had no idea what hit me.

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