If you’ve ever wanted to visit Japan, the latest season of the Japanese Netflix series Midnight Diner is a great place to start. It’s set inside a Tokyo izakaya and stars Master, a chef who only opens his restaurant from midnight to morning. He sees customers sort out romantic affairs and family squabbles or settle their work and private lives as they eat crispy bowls of kara-age chicken and slurp steaming servings of hot pot. Based on the manga series by Yori Abe, the show is a look at Japanese restaurant culture.

It’s a groundbreaking piece of culinary manga, a subgenre in which stylized bento boxes, slicing, and seasoning are transformed into tales of fantasy, romance, crime, and mystery. Its live-action adaptation is an excellent example of how graphic novels, comic books, and animated films can be reimagined as dramas, comedies, and competition shows.

Cooking Manga Can Also Be a Live-Action Reality

People found themselves absorbing the many relationship-driven stories that often focus on culinary schools and restaurants through watching hours of Japanese cooking manga adaptations online. One explores the soothing and restorative qualities of home cooking, while others explore the rigors of restaurant cooking. Midnight Diner is a cultural touchstone, but it also demonstrates how cooking manga can transition from a visually stunning illustrated fantasy to a live-action reality (and everywhere in between).

In that imaginative space, people can also come across shows like Netflix’s Samurai Gourmet, a series based on Masayuki Kusumi’s essay and manga of the same name. A recently retired man reimagines his life as a warrior in it. His awakening is bolstered as he slurps bowls of broth and seaweed while watching dried mackerel crackle under a blaze. Each episode is a hypnotic journey through a graphic novel that deftly depicts the nuances of Japanese cuisine.

Other Suggestions

As streaming algorithms detect that you’re watching “manga-based TV shows,” you’ll be bombarded with suggestions like Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman. Think The Office meets The Great British Baking Show, in which the hero obsesses about pancakes and éclairs instead of his desk job, or Wakako Zake, which follows a woman’s journey pairing Japanese food and drinks.

A diner’s duty as a good customer does not start when they enter the restaurant, but instead, good restaurant reservation etiquettes need to be followed while booking your table. As the number of apps providing customers the option to book their table in advance rises, the need for rules regarding the same also does. Here are douche reservation etiquettes every diner should follow!

Gather Before You Check In

Nobody likes a diner who comes in alone and proceeds to wait for 30 minutes for the rest of his 10-people party. According to a host of an Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan, diners occupy the table longer if they’re waiting on friends. If you’re planning to go to a restaurant with other people, make sure to gather all your party before you go as your waiting can lead to loss of business for the restaurant!

Be an Early Bird, or a Night Owl

Another reservation etiquette one can follow is to choose unconventional time slots, like 5:30 pm, while booking your table. According to John Winterman, co-owner of Francie in Brooklyn, dining earlier or later allows restaurants to maximize their revenue as a restaurant needs two turns at a four-seater table to make the math work.

Communicate if You’re Running Late

Sometimes, you’re unable to make your reservation on time. During such moments, always call the restaurant and inform them of the delay. Some restaurants do not hold a table for more than 10 minutes, while others are more lenient. Late arrival is a major cause for loss in business to the restaurant, as your table has been waiting empty from the time you booked till the time you arrived.

Being a No-Show Is a Big No-No

If, for whatever reason, you’re unable to make your reservation, call and let the restaurant know. Try giving them as much notice as possible. Post pandemic, it’s difficult to fill up empty tables as walk-ins have been reduced by a lot. John Winterman commented that in the current climate, a lost reservation is just that, lost.