Eating sushi may seem intimidating at first, especially if one is unskilled with chopsticks. However, it is a process you can quickly get used to and enjoy--Japanese dining is all about visual presentation and atmosphere as well as the texture and taste of the food. Everyone is inexperienced once...so follow these tips to enjoy your sushi dinner worry-free.
The chopsticks are probably the first and worst barrier. To hold them, place a chopstick between your thumb and index finger, and the other with the tips of your thumb, index and middle finger. One is always held stationary while the other is manipulated to pick up food.
Chopstick etiquette isn't extensive, but is extremely important to the Japanese. Never lay your chopsticks flat on the table--they should be laid on provided chopstick rests, and you may notice that they point to the left. Chopsticks that point to the right are a symbol of bad luck.
Between courses, always set your chopsticks on the rest, and never leave them in your bowl or on your plate. (If you are eating ramen or have not been provided with a chopstick rest, it is acceptable to set them on top of your bowl.)
Never stick your chopsticks into a full bowl of rice or other food.
If you are choosing sushi or another food from a pot or plate at the center of the table, turn your chopsticks around and pick up the item with the fat end.
And the most important rule is to never, ever suck on your chopsticks. This is the biggest taboo in Japanese dining.
Tea, in particular green tea, is a staple of Japanese food. It refreshes the mouth in between bites and will be served even if you are enjoying soda or wine as well with your meal. To drink in the Japanese style, place one hand on the bottom of the cup with your hand facing right or left (depending on which hand you use) and curl your other hand around the cup as if you were holding a glass, only let your thumb wrap around the cup as your fingers are and support it with your other hand. Tip the cup upwards and enjoy the aroma of the tea before drinking.
You will generally be provided with complimentary hot green tea and your teacup will always be kept full. It is considered rude of the host to allow your cup to be empty, so do not be surprised if your server continuously comes back to fill it. Try to leave some tea in the cup when you are finished with it so that it is not refilled and the tea wasted.
A sushi dinner is often started with a sashimi appetizer. Sashimi is simply raw fish (it is often categorized by non-Japanese to be sushi in itself) and is meant to give you a good idea of the quality of the fish before you begin the meal. Eat sashimi with chopsticks, dipping only the end into soy sauce so that it does not overwhelm the taste of the fish. Most sashimi is cut into bite-sized pieces and can be eaten all at once.
If your dinner is also complimented by miso or other soups, you may use your chopsticks to pick out most or all of the filling before drinking the soup itself. It should come in a bowl small enough to lift with one hand, similar to the way in which you lifted your teacup. If you have noodles in your soup, slurping them is not at all considered rude--in fact, quite the opposite, it indicates that you are enjoying the food!
If you have also ordered a rice dish, it will most likely come in a bowl which you can hold in one hand while using your chopsticks with the other. Hold the bowl close to your face so that you do not lose your rice en route to your mouth.
You will be provided with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi to garnish your sushi. These are all optional but can add a lot of flavor to your meal. Be sure to use wasabi VERY sparingly by adding a smear to your soy sauce and dipping your roll, sashimi or nigiri sushi into it. When dipping nigiri, be sure to turn it topping-side down so the rice does not disintegrate and only dip a small area. Dipping your entire piece is considered rude and will mask the flavor of the filling. Eat the pickled ginger in between pieces of sushi to refresh your palate, not with the sushi itself.
Whether it is your first sushi experience or you are an enthusiast, keeping track of all the customs is not always easy. Just remember to be confident and enjoy your meal, and you'll be fine.
