Last week I took my girlfriend out on a date to our favorite Japanese Curry House in Los Altos, CA. Upon arrival, Akiko, the hostess, promptly greeted us by name with a wonderful smile and reassuringly said, “We’re very busy tonight, but I’ll try to get you a table as soon as possible. It’ll take 15 minutes at most.” Our waitress also greeted us by name, and asked if we wanted our favorite dish — Chicken Katsu Curry. After placing our orders, she came....