The downscale American notion of Japanese food is taking a slab of chicken or beef, drenching it in teriyaki sauce, and serving over rice. That, and sushi made with rice that is somehow not like what one gets in Japan.

In Portland, Oregon, you get "bento," which most people do not realize is the generic term for a packed lunch. No, they think it's oversized bits of chicken on a skewer, served with either teriyaki sauce or Vietnamese chili sauce, on either white or brown rice.

A lot of the "Japanese" restaurants in the States are run by either Koreans or Chinese, and although the Koreans usually do a halfway decent job, it is disconcerting to go into a "Japanese" restaurant in search of a venue for a dinner meeting of local Japanese-English translators, ask the man at the counter if they have "o-zashiki" (tatami rooms), and having him reply, "I think we don't cook that."