Ordering food in Japan when you have Social Anxiety

He describes severe anxiety ordering food: family, friends, and ex-girlfriends usually order for him; he sometimes points instead of speaking. In Japan, unfamiliar service questions overwhelmed him; after a convenience-store misunderstanding, he researched phrases and avoided food requiring heating. He prefers Japanese touchscreens and ticket machines; as a teenager, repeated “yes, please” at McDonald’s exposed his communication panic.

Automated ordering reduces his social anxiety, while ambiguous questions and unfamiliar names trigger avoidance.