How to behave at a sushi restaurant

[Chris]

I lived in Japan nearly six years and didn't know all this, most I just picked up just by watching.


How to Order

Either tell the staff your budget to receive a specially designed course from the chef, or make your requests from the menu. Keep in mind that it’s best to start with lighter flavors and then move on to stronger flavors as the course progresses.

While “toro” (supple, fatty tuna) is a popular choice for many people, ordering it in bulk and dismissing all other choices is considered bad form. A well-rounded order with a few different varieties is a much better way to get on good terms with the chef.

They say you can test the flavors of a sushi restaurant by their egg rolls but the “anago” (conger eel) and the “konoshiro” (gizzard shad) are also great ways to see the chef’s talent and try distinctive flavors.

When the “makimono” comes out, it’s a sign that your specially designed course is at an end. Make any additional orders now if you’re not full.

How to eat

—Eat the sushi as soon as it’s placed in front of you.
—Eat it with one hand or with chopsticks; either is no problem.
—It’s important to eat the sushi in one mouthful. If you think the sushi might be too big, then ask for it to be cut or molded into a smaller portion.
—When dipping sushi into soy sauce, do it so the sauce only touches the “neta” (the fish topping) and not the rice. You don’t have to totally turn the sushi over to get the job done; just tilt it to the side and dip the tip of the “neta.” As rice soaks up the soy sauce, it’s likely to crumble.
—“Gunkan” sushi might spill and fall apart if tipped, so a bit of sneaky sauce on the rice is forgiven here, as long as you aim mostly for a seaweed dip.

What to avoid

—Don’t drown your sushi in loads of soy sauce. Taste the fish and rice.
—Don’t take the “neta” off the sushi rice; dip it in soy and then return it to the top of its rice bed.
—Don’t wear a strong smelling fragrance if you plan to sit at the counter
—Don’t show off half-hearted sushi knowledge. Show some humility to the chef and he’s sure to treat you in kind.

@ How to behave at a sushi restaurant (http://www.japantoday.com/category/food/view/how-to-behave-at-a-sushi-restaurant)

[junie]

damn, now i am hungry! :smiley20:

[BillyBob]

I don't need some sushi snob telling how to eat. I'll eat it the way I wanna eat it.

I throw a nice big piece of ginger on top, load my soy sauce with wasabi and dunk it rice side down so it soaks up lots of sauce. However, I usually eat sashimi.

[junie]

I don't need some sushi snob telling how to eat. I'll eat it the way I wanna eat it.

I throw a nice big piece of ginger on top, load my soy sauce with wasabi and dunk it rice side down so it soaks up lots of sauce. However, I usually eat sashimi.



of course you will, bob... of course you will...



2594

[BillyBob]

Mindless drones need someone to tell them how to eat. Pathetic.

[Chris]

I knew a guy like you, BB. He kept talking about how he knew to eat sushi and wasabi was his favorite. So we went to a sushi place for lunch. When he skipped the wasabi I pushed the little bowl with it toward him. He took the whole thing, poped it with a sushi in his mouth, started to chew, turned beat red, and nearly choked. Even he laughed, between tears. We returned to work and he went home sick.

[BillyBob]

I love wasabi! I don't usually eat sushi because the rice is a filler. I prefer sashimi. Ever try uni [sea urchin roe]?

[Chris]

I love wasabi! I don't usually eat sushi because the rice is a filler. I prefer sashimi. Ever try uni [sea urchin roe]?

Yep, favorite is taco sushi, or taco and cucumber salad.

[BillyBob]

You mean 'tako' [octopus]? There is a cucumber salad called sunomono, when you add octopus to it, it's called 'sunomono tako su'. Very tasty.

[nic34]

Yuck

[Chris]

You mean 'tako' [octopus]? There is a cucumber salad called sunomono, when you add octopus to it, it's called 'sunomono tako su'. Very tasty.

Yes, very good.

[Chris]

Yuck

Is that one of those California sushi rolls? Yuckisushi?

[oceanloverOH]

Have never had the nerve to try sushi....raw fish is a turnoff for me. Fish are bottom feeders who eat the waste products of other aquatic animals, so not cooking their meat before eating it........bleh. However, I love Japanese teppanyaki, where the table is a griddle and the chef cooks the meats, vegetables, and rice while you watch. Yummy!

2597

[BillyBob]

Octopus [tako] is cooked.

[nic34]

Have never had the nerve to try sushi....raw fish is a turnoff for me. Fish are bottom feeders who eat the waste products of other aquatic animals, so not cooking their meat before eating it........bleh. However, I love Japanese teppanyaki, where the table is a griddle and the chef cooks the meats, vegetables, and rice while you watch. Yummy!

2597

You got it!

[Chris]

Have never had the nerve to try sushi....raw fish is a turnoff for me. Fish are bottom feeders who eat the waste products of other aquatic animals, so not cooking their meat before eating it........bleh. However, I love Japanese teppanyaki, where the table is a griddle and the chef cooks the meats, vegetables, and rice while you watch. Yummy!

2597

Try tuna, not a bottom feeder.

[Chris]

Octopus [tako] is cooked.

Poached a bit. Same with ebi sushi.

[Sytha]

I love sushi and sashimi.

When we first started eating sushi we sat at the bar and let the chef give us things. Most of it we liked and some of it we hated, lol.

[Sytha]

Have never had the nerve to try sushi....raw fish is a turnoff for me. Fish are bottom feeders who eat the waste products of other aquatic animals, so not cooking their meat before eating it........bleh. However, I love Japanese teppanyaki, where the table is a griddle and the chef cooks the meats, vegetables, and rice while you watch. Yummy!

2597


do you enjoy oysters? The "raw" part is more of a head game then anything else.

[Greenridgeman]

I don't need some sushi snob telling how to eat. I'll eat it the way I wanna eat it.

I throw a nice big piece of ginger on top, load my soy sauce with wasabi and dunk it rice side down so it soaks up lots of sauce. However, I usually eat sashimi.

[Greenridgeman]

do you enjoy oysters? The "raw" part is more of a head game then anything else.


There is only one thing that rivals a raw oyster for sheer delight, and I don't think we can talk about that here!

[oceanloverOH]

do you enjoy oysters? The "raw" part is more of a head game then anything else.

Nope; but I did try one once, on a dare....it was like slurping down a slimy raw egg.....*shiver* Only by sheer willpower did it stay down.

And no rare meat of any kind; medium is the best I can do. Just have a mindset about cooked animal flesh, I guess.

[junie]

Nope; but I did try one once, on a dare....it was like slurping down a slimy raw egg.....*shiver* Only by sheer willpower did it stay down.

And no rare meat of any kind; medium is the best I can do. Just have a mindset about cooked animal flesh, I guess.




probably because the albatross and the whales, they are your brothers... :dontknow:

[jillian]

I lived in Japan nearly six years and didn't know all this, most I just picked up just by watching.



@ How to behave at a sushi restaurant (http://www.japantoday.com/category/food/view/how-to-behave-at-a-sushi-restaurant)

mmmm..... unagi don ...

[junie]

mmmm..... unagi don ...



mmm indeed... we've gone out for sushi a few times in the past two weeks cuz i had a craving. love it ALL!

[Greenridgeman]

My sushi rule, one only:

1. Don't puke watching others eat it.

[BillyBob]

My sushi rule, one only:

1. Don't puke watching others eat it.


That's a good rule for porn, too. Especially when watching it with a friend.

[roadmaster]

raw oyster Love them steamed, with a twist of lemon on half shells., with a salad and make this into a meal. Sushi is good and I love tuna.

[GrassrootsConservative]

My own favorite sushi rolls are eel (forgot the Japanese terminology for it), spicy dragon roll, and rainbow roll.

I didn't know all that "sushi manners" stuff, but it probably doesn't matter because all my sushi comes from a local Asian buffet I go to eat at every once in awhile.

And yes, I spread my wasabi on thick.

[Chris]

Follow up, how to use hashi...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k3vBqX1NTBc

:grin:

[BB-35]

Not too fond of eating bait...roll it in cornmeal,and fry it,well that's another thing

[Common]

I do not eat anything I cant identify. Sushi is a not a chance for me, im not eating raw fish rolled up with other stuff that I have no clue to. Im not eating raw oysters they sicken more people worldwide than most other foods. You cant trust getting anything fresh from the sea anymore.
I used to eat clams on the halfshell by the bushel, I no longer eat them either. Its a shame that Ive lost trust in alot of things I once ate without a thought.

You are far better off nutritiously and safety wise buying and eating seafood thats caught and fileted and flash frozen right on the boat at sea. If you buy fresh seafood, from the time its caught and you buy it in the store at least 5-9 days have gone by. Its not like it was before when there were small fish stores all over that went to the fish market in the morning and bought fish to sell, that fish was 2 days old.