# I have never seen a woman do that! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520 "2006-02-21T20:08:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/21 "2006-02-22T08:08:25Z")
You aren’t going to find many female Beni-Hana chefs either: generally all the chefs are male, all the drink servers are female. Let’s face it: it’s sexism. And, in particular in this case, a sexism particular to Japanese culture. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/22 "2006-02-22T15:22:04Z")
I heard a story on NPR some years back wherein some school for sushi chefs in Japan had actually graduated its first female student. It caused something of a ruckus at the time, and someone stated that a female sushi chef would be utterly unemployable in Japan because sushi connoisseurs would be able to tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/23 "2006-02-22T15:24:06Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > The only women I’ve seen working at a sushi bar were [naked](http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/West/11/12/offbeat.naked.sushi.ap/). And those are working as **tables,** not chefs. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/24 "2006-02-22T15:59:41Z")
The other day I had a similar epiphany when my gas was pumped at the gas station by a woman attendant, for the first time ever. Never noticed they are usually all men before. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/25 "2006-02-22T16:08:08Z")
Wow, I don’t think I’ve seen a gas station attendant at all since I’ve been old enough to drive. I wouldn’t know where to find a full-service station. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/26 "2006-02-22T17:18:09Z")
There were female sushi chefs at the sushi bar I went to in Seattle last month. (I think it’s an occupational hazard, though; seemed like every lonely single guy was hitting on her–just like female bartenders.) ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/27 "2006-02-22T18:10:13Z")
> [@cbawlmer](#): > > My hands are female (as is the rest of me) and permanently ice cold. I don’t know many other women with warm hands, for that matter. Is it possible that it’s yet another made-up story to keep girls from doing cool stuff? Surely one of you guys will be willing to hold hands with a bunch of Japanese girls in the name of science… i’ll take one for the team…now let’s see those cute little icicles of yours… ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/28 "2006-02-22T18:28:14Z")
> [@cbawlmer](#): > > Wow, I don’t think I’ve seen a gas station attendant at all since I’ve been old enough to drive. I wouldn’t know where to find a full-service station. It’s illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon (and New Jersey) so every station, even the tiniest ones in the smallest towns have attendants. I’ve been living here for two years and I’m still not entirely used to it and would prefer to do it myself. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/29 "2006-02-22T18:34:22Z")
What’s the reasoning behind self-serve being illegal? Too many people driving off without paying? Using unapproved containers? I’m officially out of theories. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/30 "2006-02-22T18:43:26Z")
A quick google search indicates it was passed in 1951 ostensibly for safety but more likely to create jobs and the people here seem to like it so it’s stayed. While I would personally prefer to pump my own, it \*does \* come in handy when it’s cold and wet (which is often as it’s Oregon) so I tolerate it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/31 "2006-02-22T18:49:47Z")
There’s a Korean place in town which serves, among other things, various types of sushi. The owner and sole chef is a woman. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any male employee there, in any capacity, but it’s a very small place, with perhaps 4 or 5 people total, so perhaps not a statistical sample. Of course, that’s also coming from a somewhat different culture than Japan. Maybe the Koreans are more open to the notion of female sushi chefs. Or maybe, for that matter, the owner came to the US because she didn’t like the social climate of her homeland. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/32 "2006-02-22T18:52:01Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > It’s illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon (and New Jersey) so every station, even the tiniest ones in the smallest towns have attendants. Correct. I live in Deleware now, but lived in Jersey for 6 years prior to that, and still work here in Jersey, where the gas lady in question was. (She also gave me a fortune cookie with my reciept, which is also odd.) Reasons for OR and NJ’s gas pumping laws previously discussed here: > **[Why not pump your own gas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=262806)** > > In this recent thread, I was a bit shocked to learn that people in the state of New Jersey do not pump their own gas. Apparently this phenomenon also occurs in Oregon and NYC. Why? I can’t imagine. It seems a bit strange to me having lived in the... and here: > **[Whoa!! I just learned that there are no selfserve gas stations in OR.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=49591)** > > Why is this? And do you have to pay substantially higher prices because of it? (nothing too conclusive, though) ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/33 "2006-02-22T18:53:24Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Correct. I live in Deleware now, Or Delaware even. Hey, I can’t be expected to spell my state correctly after only 8 months, can I? ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/34 "2006-02-22T19:01:41Z")
> [@](#): > > My hands are female (as is the rest of me) and permanently ice cold. I don’t know many other women with warm hands, for that matter. Is it possible that it’s yet another made-up story to keep girls from doing cool stuff? Surely one of you guys will be willing to hold hands with a bunch of Japanese girls in the name of science… I’ve held hands with 2 japanese girls. Their hands were even colder than european girls’ hands. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520/35 "2006-02-22T21:49:11Z")
> [@Emilio Lizardo](#): > > Many years ago there was a woman, named Opal of all things, who made sushi at a little place in Baltimore’s’ Fells Point neighborhood. The name of the restaurant escapes me right now. [Asahi](http://baltimore.citysearch.com/profile/34347405). Also, a number of Safeway supermarkets prepare decent sushi daily. (Yes, I know the “decent” part is debatable. :rolleyes:, but I always liked it.) I know from watching that the chef at the Canton\* area Safeway is female. \*A neighborhood in Baltimore named after the place in China. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-never-seen-a-woman-do-that/345520.md?page=1)