Forum - View topicMaid in the USA - A Visit to Royal/T
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Sticks
 Posts: 199 |
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OK Guys.... I've actually been to this place yesterday, and here's what I have to say...
The place feels more like a art gallery then a cafe, a simple yet attractive venue to just relax and enjoy the atmosphere. The kitchen part (the food) was not ready yet (they say maybe next week) but they were offering free coffee to everyone who walked in. They did have a simple shop offering items related to the Japanese culture and otaku atmosphere. There were plenty of people there who were bumbed that the kitchen wasn't ready, but from what I can tell they were still having a good time mingling and looking around. AND YES.... there was a very cute Asian maid there (I forget her name, sorry). She was a very kind host greeting people as they walked in and making myself and everyone else feel right at home. People were really taken in with her and she took the time to speak with everyone, even approching me and asking if I would like a cappuccino as I was looking around the gallery. She had a strong asian accent but I couldn't make it out where she might be from (I was embarrased to ask in the fear that I might insult her  ), but it didn't really matter cause I was enjoying myself. Her outfit was very simple but not ment to be sexually suggestive, none of this "me love you long time" nonsense that some people here could be suggesting. Until you actually meet these girls, don't be so quick to judge them as to what they could represent to the "dirty" minds out there.
The art gallery area, which takes up about 80% of the place, was a collection from many artists influenced by Eastern styles. Only some were influenced by the otaku stereotype, but most were original pieces that just stood out as very unique. There was some very soothing modern eastern music playing everywhere (not music from anime shows), that felt really relaxing, especially sitting down while drinking my cappuccino. It kinda felt like I was at Starbucks with friends. The shop was small, but the items were unique, they wern't selling Mangas and there was only one DVD selling there, but most things there were more for decorating your house, not feeding your Anime/Manga rush. Overall, I really like it there. I plan to go back after the kitchen is up and running and try it out. I would say that anyone expecting this place to have anime or mangas falling of the selves will be disappointed, and if people can't get past that then their missing the point of the place. If I were to say anything bad of the place it's that the place could be a little bigger or more artwork be present. Besides that, it's worth the effort to check it out. 
In any case, this is just my opinion.
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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So you're saying that every restaurant, bar, airline, retail store, and casino that tells their waitresses/attendants/employees to wear a skirt is bad? I could spend hours naming places that require women to wear dresses, skirts, uniforms, high heels, etc, but I don't see anything sinister about it. It's the same thing as requiring male employees to wear collared shirts and nice slacks. If a woman didn't want to work at a maid cafe, she could work at Starbucks or something. No one's forcing her to work there. Employment in the US may be down, but not enough that retail/food service industry jobs aren't still available. |
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mistress_reebi
Posts: 735 Location: Canada |
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Fewer women over the years are wearing dresses to work. When was the last time you saw a nurse wearing a skirt on the job? I went to see the Phantom of the Opera last year and the women ushers /servers were wearing a suit and pants. Where are those places that require women to wear dresses? It's sexist to make a woman wear a dress and skirt to work. I don't mind skirts but dress pants and collared shirts are the trend for women in the workplace. Maid Cafés are Japanese so I don't understand what the US economy has to do with Japanese employment. Maybe that woman has children to feed and doesn't have college/university education so a job with tips will help her pay her bills. Women who work degrading jobs get more money in tips and maybe she needs that extra money to make ends meet. No one is forcing women to work those jobs but people need money to survive. Minimum wage isn't enough to survive. |
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Moomintroll
 Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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Clearly the deliberate choice of a fetishised uniform (and one with an overtly servile dimension to it at that) is quite distinct from that of a regular uniform - it's not like the maid thing was chosen at random and next month they're all going to be dressed as brain surgeons or construction workers or ANN reviewers or something.
You could, but unless the context was the same - i.e. an allegedly cultural establishment such as an art gallery or museum on the one hand and an incongruous fetishistic uniform on the other - there wouldn't be much point in doing so.
Er, well, no, not really. Not unless shirts and trousers have become inherantly fetishised in California and nobody told me about it. Banks generally require their male staff to wear a shirt and trousers but I'm guessing you'd be at least a little bit taken aback if you walked into a bank and found all the female staff had been instructed to dress as maids. No?
That's true. Of course there are vast numbers of working practices that are now considered to be unthinkable and the people in those jobs weren't forced to do them either. Still, if you're fine with the 1950s then that's all well and good - I hope you'll be very happy there. Personally, I think I'll hang on to the past five decades of social evolution. |
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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I think in the case of Royal/T, though, which is an art gallery- the maids are there more as a "teehee, look what Japan can do!" The owner is a female who thinks that Japanese pop culture is cute, and who thinks that maids are cute. Yeah, maybe she's thinking, "I sure hope men come in here to breathe heavily and get served by women," but she might also be thinking, "Maids are so cute!!!"
When you walk into an Express, all the women are wearing skirts and high heels. You aren't allowed to wear flats as an Express employee. Heels make women look more feminine. There are still a lot of restaurants that require women to wear skirts because it makes them seem more feminine. And, it increases male customer satisfaction. I'm not saying that maid outfits aren't fetishist-- all I'm saying is that there are plenty of non-maid outfits that are just as pandering towards sexuality. Maybe people don't fetishize Ruby's employees, but their uniforms were designed to be flattering (even though they're not ;p).
Because in this case, we're talking about a maid cafe in the US. That certainly ties it into the US economy, doesn't it? Japanese maid cafes are totally skeezy. They're just as skeezy as all the hostess clubs out there, but I think it's different in the US when the maids are used more as a cultural nod than anything else. "We want something Japanese-- let's have maids!" There will be customers at Royal/T who are going to be there to be served by maids, but there will probably be a lot more who are there for the art and atmosphere, and for whom the maids will be nothing more than a gimmick. |
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Moomintroll
Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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According to the article the maid idea originated with the design firm she got to outfit the place. Nonetheless, she cheerfully signed off on it and I still think it's in poor taste regardless of the intent.
I'm English. I have no idea what those places are or what their staff wear. But I take your point that there are other establishments that are in similarly bad taste. I'm just not sure how that makes the place in question any better and I don't think we should be rushing to endorse it purely because it has a connection to Japan. I am aware that in this "community", views like those of mistress_reebi and myself are very much in the minority and I don't suppose we're liable to change any minds but I felt it was worth registering my dissent if only for my own peace of mind. |
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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I didn't read your location, sorry, so I just assumed you were from California based on a previous comment, but I see now where the misunderstanding came from.
As a female, I don't have any desire to ever go into a maid cafe, but at the same time, I also think the outfits are very cute. In a native setting, where maid cafes are for lonely otaku who want to pant at waitresses, I think it's pretty gross, but I just think US maid cafes are a lot more innocent, because for them, it's more gimmick than substance. I'm always complaining about how unprogressive a lot of anime is, and I think there's a fair amount that's degrading to women-- in this case, I was just arguing that not all maid cafes are degrading. I think context has a lot to do with it. Whether something is supposed to be sexual, or just plain cute, makes things different in my mind. |
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daxomni
 Posts: 2650 Location: Somewhere else. |
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[Comments Removed]
Last edited by daxomni on Sat May 03, 2008 5:38 am; edited 1 time in total |
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gyrbot
Posts: 4 |
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Nice one Sticks. And this what I kind of predict for a better recipe for success. Use maids as a side attraction to your main goal which is to show fine art and culture. Although this may ruffle a few Otakus' feathers on catering to hipsters.
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Moomintroll
Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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SakechanBD -
That's a reasonable viewpoint. Personally, I don't like gimmicks at the best of times and I'm still more than a bit dubious about the whole thing. If something similar opened up in my neck of the woods I wouldn't be visiting it (despite finding the art being exhibited interesting) but I can see where you're coming from. daxomni - I don't know what I should be more disturbed by. Your strange and illogical conflation of entirely unrelated issues? Your worrying persecution complex? Your apparently straight-faced belief that the majority of anime fans don't enjoy prurient material (  ) or are remotely bothered by misogynistic attitudes in the media they consume and the culture from which it originates? Your failure to appreciate the irony that as a 30-something otaku you'd be that much more reviled by most Japanese people than by your oh-so-intolerant American peers? It's all very confusing but if your intention was to make my head hurt, you certainly succeeded.
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Sticks
Posts: 199 |
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Thanks for the compliment, gyrbot. That's keeping an open mind on the subject. Through all this, it kinda bothers me that some people would jump to conclusions about what "THIS" place is about without even walking through the doors to see for themselves. Although I respect a persons opinion, what's the point of having a preconceived one about the place BEFORE you even look inside. I will be the first to admit that I never visited Japan and have never been to a Maid cafe before, so I could never make a fair observation about what their like and won't until I walk in the doors and see for myself. The only observations I have are relating to Royal/T (weather you want to call it a Maid cafe or a art gallery) because I took the time to visit, and I live in Orange County (a good 40 minutes away depending on traffic). So I'm taking my fiancee with me next time, she's intrigued with the whole idea and wants to check it out. I won't challenge a persons viewpoint, but all I ask is if you have a chance, stop on by and have a look around for yourself. And if you feel justified about your opinion, or if you feel that you may have a different opinion, let us know the same way you have been telling us already .
On a personal note:.. After meeting the girl dressed as a maid, I don't think she would be working there if she didn't want to. I mean, we're all adults (most of us anyway) and no one makes us do things we don't want to do... right??? 
Last edited by Sticks on Sat May 03, 2008 4:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
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daxomni
Posts: 2650 Location: Somewhere else. |
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I’m my own worst critic, by far, so whatever you may try to dish out is likely to pale in comparison. Hopefully this was just a one-off occasion and the next time you address me you’ll bring more to the table than just another laundry list of poorly executed personal attacks. |
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Ariolander
Posts: 66 |
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I am strangely disappointed and happy at the same time |
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Sticks
Posts: 199 |
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Others who might have been there may have a different viewpoint other then mine. Hopefully they'll add their two cents here too .
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samuelp
Industry Insider
Posts: 2231 Location: San Antonio, USA |
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I they ever do open up a more "traditional" maid cafe in the US, they just need to make sure to take to heart the lesson of the other similar successful business in America, Hooters. And that lesson is: spoiler[ Make sure to have really tasty hot-wings.]. That'll be sure to bring in the customers.
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