Once I was sent to Tokyo. The language barrier was difficult. As a European I'm used to the idea I can figure out French, German, Spanish, etc. But the symbo

Once I was sent to Tokyo. The language barrier was difficult. As a European I'm used to the idea I can figure out French, German, Spanish, etc. But the symbols were just alien. One day we were looking for food and found a small place which had pictures on their menu. Perfect I thought. I can see exactly what I'll eat, with no confusion and no complicated discussions. I ordered a burger. Or I thought I did. What I got was a fish-cake in a bun. And that's exactly why picture menus fail. A bowl of soup? How do you photograph that? If it is green does that mean pea soup? Does it mean asparagus soup? Does it mean lentil soup? They will look identical. Similarly a chicken-burger, vegetarian-burger, fish-cake in a bun, or hamburger will look identical. You need the text to differentiate them. (Not to mention the text is more concise. Just imagine "jacket potato with toppings such as: tuna, cheese, beans, salad, tomato." How many pictures do you include before you just give up and say "More available"?)