Eating in Osaka

Osaka is famous for food. Overwhelmed by the choices and masses of people on Dotombori - think Canal Street meets Times Square - I finally settled on an okonomiyaki restaurant that seemed popular. (Osaka is famous for its okonomiyaki, which is different that Hiroshima's equally famous version.) Here's a translated approximation of my conversation with the waiter:

Me: So...I'm vegetarian. The guy outside said it would be ok to make an all-veggie okonomiyaki. Is that ok?
Waiter: So you want a pork okonomiyaki?
Me: Well, a pork okonomiyaki, but without the pork.
Waiter: So...you just want a beer then?
Me: A beer, and okonomiyaki.
Waiter: Seafood okonomiyaki?
Me: No, no seafood, no pork [making the "X" with index fingers that in Japan means no, bad, or forbidden]
Waiter: So...just a beer?
Me: Umm.......How about a pork okonomiyaki, but without the pork. And a beer.
Waiter: OK. A pork okonomiyaki, without the pork. And a beer.
Me: Yes, thank you.

p.s. It was delicious.