Growing up I have always loved going to hibachi restaurants. Every year since I was about ten years old, I have asked to go out to dinner for hibachi on my birthday. If you love it as much as I do, you know about the cheesy performance that the cooks put on. If you have ever been to a hibachi restaurant, you know the gist of the performance of every hibachi restaurant in the country. The first hibachi restaurant was opened in the 1940s in America, and the performance hasn’t developed much since then. Whether you go to a single restaurant nearby or a chain restaurant like Benihana, the food may be a little different, but the cooks perform the same tricks.
First, they get warmed up by making a huge fire in the center of the stove (pun intended).
Next, they will probably throw a piece of a vegetable into each person’s mouth. If you’re shy like me, this is the embarrassing part because everyone stares and expects you to catch the vegetable.
Then the cook usually does some tricks with his utensils, such as juggling, or using them to make a beat like drumsticks. Then he starts the best part: the cooking.
The cook will take the rice and make it into the shape of a heart, and then have it beat by putting his utensil underneath the rice.
Without fail, he’ll put the onion’s layers into a “volcano” shape, and then light the center on fire as if it is exploding.
At some point, he’ll take the man off of his cart that squirts out water to make it look like he’s peeing on us. If you're not so lucky, the cook may squirt the water into your mouth. Along the way, the cook might catch an egg in his hat or shirt pocket, or maybe squirt some saki into someone’s mouth.
I remember watching the performance and being in awe as a child. Now, I still love it, but in the sense that it is slightly embarrassing. Not to mention the amazing fried rice. Still, it is really interesting to think that so many hibachi restaurants over so many years do the same exact tricks over and over. I guess the saying, "If it's not broke, don't fix it" fits in perfectly.
