Terry Ito Column Vol.45 My impatience won't go away

Even when I drink coffee at Starbucks, I can't stay there for more than 10 minutes. I leave as soon as I've finished. In the summer, I order an iced latte, but I finish it quicker than a hot coffee, so I stay even shorter. My behavioral patterns are the same even at family restaurants. When I go to a restaurant, once my food arrives, I can't help but look toward the kitchen, hoping for the next dish to arrive soon. I always choose places like yakiniku restaurants or conveyor-belt sushi restaurants where I can eat at my own pace, because I enjoy it less and get less frustrated. In the lunch rush, just seeing someone waiting for a seat makes me eat quickly, thinking I have to give them a seat. At their worst, I sometimes pay at the register while still munching on something. I'm just impatient. People who have the mental strength to stay in the same place for two or three hours at Starbucks deserve respect.

When ordering food, I almost never look at the menu. I point to a recommended dish or a dish with a picture and ask, "What do you recommend?" and "I'd like this, please." In the worst cases, I just ask for the quickest dish. When ordering something like Spanish paella, which takes more than an hour, you have to be prepared. Looking back, the average time is 15 minutes at Starbucks, 40 minutes at a family restaurant, and 1 hour and 45 minutes at a restaurant. From the restaurant's perspective, this may seem like a good turnover rate, but it's not something to be praised for. It just means you're too concerned about what others think or are restless.

It's not just cooking. Even when choosing clothes, I often make decisions on a whim, rather than carefully. When I was younger, I was impatient and made snap decisions when it came to women. I was surprised when we started dating, thinking, "Wow, she's like that?" I asked her out on a date, thinking she seemed innocent at first glance, but she had a huge love for spicy food, bringing her own shichimi and Tabasco sauce. At a Japanese soba restaurant, she poured so much shichimi on the tempura udon that you couldn't even see the tempura, and at a pizza place, the Tabasco turned the quattro cheese pizza into a sea of ​​red. Since we'd only just met, I couldn't tell her off, so I just stared blankly. We had a chance to kiss afterwards, but I remember quickly breaking up because I imagined the smell of her stomach acid reflux.

Let's get back to the point. So why do I leave bars so quickly? I asked my friends around me why. "Terry doesn't drink alcohol, so he's not used to staying in one bar for long," they answered calmly. That's true. I often hear stories of people drinking from the evening until late at night, but I leave early after about two hours. There's no way I can drink again now, and I'm at a dead end. My ordeal continues...

Terry Ito (director)

Born in Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1949. After attending Waseda Jitsugyo Junior and Senior High School, he graduated from Nihon University's School of Economics.
In March 2023, he completed the Master's program at the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University.
He joined the television production company IVS Television, where he worked on variety shows such as "Tensai Takeshi's Genki ga Deru TV" and "Neruton Benikujidan."
He then went independent and worked on planning and directing a number of television programs, including TV Tokyo's "Asakusabashi Young Clothing Store."
His book "Comedy North Korea" became a bestseller, and he subsequently made numerous media appearances under the name Terry Ito.
In addition to his work as a director, he is also active in a variety of fields as a producer, entertainer, and commentator.
YouTube channelTerry Ito's Comedy Backdrop'
Currently writing a column in LALALA USA
https://lalalausa.com/archives/category/column/terry