When to say "go-chisou sama"?

[ddell]

We visited Japan recently and I had listened to many jp101 episodes in preparation.

So, we were listening to see if people said itadakimasu and go-chisou sama before and after meals, but we only heard them spoken once in our whole trip! Do people say it under their breath? The wait staff seemed to react better when I said oishii desu, so I switched to that. I never was clear if I was supposed to say go-chisou sama directly to the waitress, or to myself, or to the other people at my table.

How is go-chisou sama used? Thanks!

[annie]

We visited Japan recently and I had listened to many jp101 episodes in preparation.

So, we were listening to see if people said itadakimasu and go-chisou sama before and after meals, but we only heard them spoken once in our whole trip! Do people say it under their breath? The wait staff seemed to react better when I said oishii desu, so I switched to that. I never was clear if I was supposed to say go-chisou sama directly to the waitress, or to myself, or to the other people at my table.

How is go-chisou sama used? Thanks!

In the jr. high I worked at in Nagano, about 90% of the homerooms would say itadakimasu and gochisosamadeshita in unison. The other few homerooms either had 1 kid who would stand in front and say it for the class, or the students would say it individually/skip it.

The elementary school I work at now, doesn't seem to do it at all.

My host mother would to say gochisosama deshita in restaurants as we walked out the door.

[ddell]

So, is it something that only children say? The one person we heard say it was a school girl.

In the jr. high I worked at in Nagano, about 90% of the homerooms would say itadakimasu and gochisosamadeshita in unison. The other few homerooms either had 1 kid who would stand in front and say it for the class, or the students would say it individually/skip it.

The elementary school I work at now, doesn't seem to do it at all.

My host mother would to say gochisosama deshita in restaurants as we walked out the door.

[seanolan]

It's a very polite set of phrases that are being lost as Japan's culture moves slowly, monolithically, away from such set phrases. Most noticably among the youth, but even adults are moving away from phrases like that, especially in a restaurant, where they often are quite rude to servers. You will, occasionally, hear a "gochisousama desu/deshita as a customer leaves, but not too often.

I do recommend you say it when opportunity presents; you will come across well if you do so.

Sean

[JonB]

You will, occasionally, hear a "gochisousama desu/deshita as a customer leaves, but not too often.

I regularly here both phrases. In the western style restaurants I don't here gochiso sama deshita but in izakaya, yaki tori etc restaurants and the lunch time teshoku places all the time

[Airth]

I still hear it all the time. Sometimes it's gochisosama deshita, other times just gochisosama or gochisosan. And you simply must say it to your host, either when you've been fed at someone's home or you're not the one who paid the bill.

Itadakimasu on the other hand, is something I'm hearing less and less. But it all depends on the people you're surrounded by and the situation you find yourself in.

Anyway, better to say both than not as far as I'm concerned.

[dmr214]

Every time I finish a meal in Japan as we leave, we tell the waiters GOCHISO SAMA DESU! And they all react by saying MADIO Arigatou or a version of that. I hear it everyday and I think it's a very common phrase.

Itadakimasu on the other hand is usually just said to the people at the table they are eating with. No need to say it to waiters or people who aren't involved in your in-group.