Just one more example of why you should always be nice to food service employees.

The Japanese language is filled with phrases to use as social niceties in specific situations. For example, at the beginning of a meal, it’s considered polite to say “Itadakimasu,” literally “I humbly receive,” as a show of gratitude to the person who prepared or provided the food, as well as the plants and animals that gave their lives to become the tasty ingredients.

Likewise, at the end of the meal diners with polished manners will say “ Gochisosama desu,” or “It was a fine feast.” Despite the literal translation, gochisosama desu isn’t reserved used for gourmet extravagances, and courteous diners will say it at the close of every meal to either the friends and family who cooked for them, or the restaurant staff that served their food.

Still, even in famously polite Japan you’ll sometimes encounter rude behavior, which brings us to the tale told by Twitter user @kazu_kaguya1029.

https://twitter.com/kazu_kaguya1029/status/907659023196897280

@kazu_kaguya1029 works part-time at a “family restaurant,” the class of eateries in Japan in which includes Denny’s, Jonathan’s, and other inexpensive eateries that may or may not end in an “-‘s,” but will definitely have plenty of entrees priced around 1,000 yen (US$9). On a recent shift, @kazu_kaguya1029 was working the register when a man and woman who’d been eating together came up to pay their bill.

“So this couple (I guess they’re a couple) paid their bill, and the woman said ‘Goshisosama desu’ to me. Then the guy said, “Um, this is a family restaurant, remember? It’s not like you need to say ‘gochisosama’ or anything, right? Seriously, that’s weird.”

So how did the woman react to her companion snickering at her politeness? @kazu_kaguya1029 continues his report:

“So then the woman slugged the guy, and super-hard. I think I fell in love with her in that moment.”

While it’s rare for violence to be the way to a man’s heart, several other online commenters felt a similar admiration for her gesture of gratefulness and fists of steel.

“When someone says ‘gochisosama’ to me at my restaurant job, it puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day.”

“Unless they screwed up your food something awful, shouldn’t you say thank you to the staff as a matter of course?”

“I work at a sushi restaurant, and when the old ladies who come in to eat smile and say ‘gochisosama,’ it washes away any stress or negative emotions I’d been feeling.”

“I’m really shy and get tongue-tied easily, but even I give the staff a big “gochisosama” when I’m leaving.”

“That woman deserves a round of applause. There’s nothing for her to gain by spending any more time with that guy. Dump him immediately.”

The woman seemed to at least partially agree with that last bit of advice. After she delivered the blow she stormed off, leaving the flustered ingrate to chase after her, and also leaving behind a cautionary tale for anyone who isn’t appreciative of how hard restaurant employees work.

Source: Twitter/@kazu_kaguya1029 via Jin
Top image: Pakutaso