Eating Sushi in Style

As a soldier stationed in Japan, I was told by my superiors that I represented the U.S. and as such, it was my duty to learn and respect the Japanese culture. When I returned to the states, I quickly learned that the customs and rituals I learned about dining in Japan didn.t always apply when dining in a Japanese restaurant in Chicago. Here in the states, a returning customer is gold, so if the customer decides to eat sushi with a fork, then so be it.

However, if you want to impress the wait staff and cook (itamae) of a Japanese restaurant, as well as show a little class while out on your ideal date, here are a few suggestions:

If your plan is to enjoy sushi, ask to be seated at the sushi bar. Here you can acknowledge the itamae and introduce yourself. This will set the stage for the meal. You may want to order a sake as an aperitif before and/or after your meal. During the meal, order beer or tea. If you don.t wish to imbibe in an alcoholic beverage, simply order tea or water.

When you are ready to order sushi, depending on your budget, you may want the itamae to make the sushi choices for you. On a limited budget, you can order right off the menu, but for a wonderful experience, you should consider ordering the omakase. The omakase is a very expensive option, and if that is outside your budget, simply ask the itamae to prepare a set of three or four selections for you and your date.

Prior to the meal, you may be presented with a warm towel. Use the towel to wipe down your hands, fold the towel back neatly and return it to the waiter. At this time, examine your chop sticks. If they need to be pulled apart, do so. Do not rub the chop sticks together unless the wooden ones have splinters (be sure to be discreet). There may be a small raised place setting that may appear to be useless; rest your chopsticks there when not in use. If you don.t have such a setting, you may rest your chop stick across your plate.

Before you get your first selection, you may be served soup in a small bowl with no spoon. Simply take the bowl in one hand and drink the soup directly from the bowl. You may use your chopsticks to push some of the soup items to the edge of the bowl as you drink.

There will also be a small bowl or container that is used to hold soy sauce for dipping. You won.t need a lot, so pour just a little at first. You may add more later if you need to. There will be another plate that will have slices of ginger and a glob of green paste. The paste is most likely horse radish with green food coloring. This is a reasonable substitution for wasabi, but if you want real wasabi, you will have to ask for it. It will cost a little more, but some people swear by it. Technically, the paste is used to add flavor to the sushi. In Japan, you would take sushi, dip it in the soy sauce, and then brush it onto the wasabi before eating it. However, many in the states take a small amount of the paste and mix it into the sauce.

If the selection you have is sashimi (small pieces of raw fish), use your chopsticks to pick up the piece, dip it and place it into your mouth. If the selection is nigiri (a piece of fish on a clump of rice), you may pick up the item with your fingers. Be sure to dip the nigiri into the sauce without the sauce touching the rice. The only exception to this is if the nigiri is topped with something. Then eat the item as is.

If you are sharing sushi from a single dish, take the sushi using the opposite end of your chopsticks (the end that doesn.t go into your mouth). It is bad form to take an item and give it to someone else. After each sushi item eaten, use your chopsticks to grab a slice of ginger and place the slice in your mouth to chew in order to clean your palate.

There is a lot more to the ritual of eating sushi, but if you follow these simple steps, you will be revered as one who is prim and proper in this Japanese cultural event.