How to eat sushi, Japanese cuisine, table rules

The story of how not to become a laughing stock for the Japanese.

Sushi, sashimi, miso soup… – nowadays you won’t confuse anyone with the names of Japanese dishes. We know, we tried it. I remember when the first Japanese restaurants opened in our country, the visitors were embarrassedly asking for forks. But then they got the hang of it and began to wield chopsticks no worse than Asians. Now we imagine ourselves as connoisseurs of Japanese cuisine and do not suspect that we are doing everything wrong. Here are the typical mistakes European diners make in Japanese restaurants.

Mistake 1: eating sushi with chopsticks

You will be surprised, but the Japanese eat sushi with their hands. First, it’s convenient. Secondly, this is how the Japanese show their respect for the sushi chef, who prepares sushi with his hands. That is to say, from heart to heart.

“Of course, if you don’t like the smell of fish, you can use chopsticks, but I like it when people eat with their hands,” says renowned Nobu Matsuhisa, the most influential Japanese sushi chef in the world.

“Yes, it’s funny,” the Japanese woman Junko Aoki smiles while talking to us. – You, Europeans, eat so diligently with chopsticks, you probably suffer, but we just take sushi with our hands.

Mistake 2: gargle sushi with sauce

And you just need to lightly dip the sushi in the sauce. Moreover, the fish side, and not, as we usually do, with rice. The fact is that the rice instantly absorbs the sauce. First, you won’t get the taste of the dish itself. And secondly, soy sauce contains a lot of salt, which is unhealthy.

Mistake 3: mixing wasabi with soy sauce

If you’re a fan of this Japanese condiment, dip sushi in one side, then dip in soy sauce on the other.

“Mixing wasabi with soy sauce is wrong,” says chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

This destroys both the taste of wasabi and the taste of the sauce, and it looks so-so.

Mistake 4: putting ginger on sushi or sauce

This is how you insult the sushi chef. If he wanted to add this spice to sushi, he would have done so. Therefore, eat ginger separately.

Mistake 5: leaving sticks stuck in rice

“If the Japanese will look condescendingly at many of your mistakes at the table, then you should never pierce rice with chopsticks,” says Stanislav Orlovsky, who has been living in Japan for several years.

It turns out that in the Land of the Rising Sun it is customary to leave a bowl of white rice with sticks stuck into it as an offering to the deceased. So, if you don’t want to offend the Japanese, use special coasters for the chopsticks.

Mistake 6: playing with sticks

Yes, yes, it’s very funny – to shove sticks by the cheeks, portraying a walrus. And to build a tough drummer at the table is very “original”. Remember: under no circumstances play with sticks, do not use them as a hair clip or as a pointer. Do not lick or chew. This is all very impolite.

Mistake 7: piercing food with chopsticks

Or try to cut sushi for them. First, everything will fall apart and look ugly. Secondly, this is again indecent. And thirdly, sushi is prepared in such a way that you put it entirely in your mouth.

Video source: Getty Images

How to eat sushi, Japanese cuisine, table rules