The Correct Way to Eat Sushi

Tuna Sushi

     As the SUSHI MASTA it is my duty to inform our readers on the proper technique required for eating sushi. You might ask yourself "why does this matter? What do I care if the restaurant staff don't like how I'm eating sushi?" There is a perfectly good reason why you should care: the sushi chefs will serve you lower grade sushi. You see, to a sushi chef (and I would know seeing as I am the SUSHI MASTA), it is insulting when you do not use good sushi manners and, chances are, if you are using bad sushi-eating manners the sushi chef can tell that you know very little about sushi. Then, they know, if they serve you lower quality sushi you won't be able to discern the difference. This does not mean that it is going to give you salmonella or make you sick, but it does mean that you will get less value for your money.

     For example, do you know how many grades of tuna are used to make sushi? Probably not--so let me fill you in. Tuna or Toro is considered the most prestigious and well loved of all sushi (with the possible exception of salmon) and has three main types used in sushi (these exclude albacore and other tunas with a distinctly different flavor) with different grades based on fat content. The most commonly seen in restaurants, and the cheapest, is yellowfin. Fatty yellowfin is considered superior to regular (for our purposes lets call it lean) yellowfin because it has a smoother texture. The next grade up is big eye tuna, which is slightly more expensive, and finally bluefin--which is about as expensive as sushi gets (with the possible exception of roe or caviar). How expensive is that? Well, a nice bluefin tuna could pull in hundreds of thousands of dollars on the market, so in the US you won't ever find it for less than 30 dollars a pound or 6+ dollars a piece depending on availability. Forthe best (fattiest) grades of bluefin,(rich) people in Japan will pay almost an unlimited amount of money.

     Now how does this relate to you? Well lets say you decide your going to splurge on a medium grade piece of bluefin tuna (one piece), and you have bad manners when you are eating your soup or other sushi at the sushi bar, and the sushi chef sees you. Now instead of getting a medium grade piece of sushi, you might receive a low grade piece of bluefin, or a medium piece of bigeye.

     Now you might be asking yourself "how do I stop myself from insulting the sushi chef with bad sushi manners?" Here is a list of tips:

1. DO NOT RUB YOUR CHOPSTICKS TOGETHER

     This is perhaps the most important. It is pretty much the worst thing you could do at a sushi restaurant.If you need to start a fire, they usually have a candle for ambiance.

2. Never put wasabi in the soy sauce.

     The sushi chef puts wasabi on the fish for you. If it isn't enough, rub a bit more on the top of the fish before dipping it in the soy sauce (or eating it plain).

3. Flip the sushi over when dipping it in the soy sauce or placing it in your mouth.

     The idea here is that you taste the fish and not the rice. Smart huh? If you are bad at using chopsticks, just use your hands. Sushi and Sashimi are both considered finger foods.

4. If you use chopsticks, hold them as high up as you can.

How to Hold Chopsticks

     In Japanese culture, holding the chopsticks low is for informal meals (like breakfast and lunch), and holding them high up is considered formal, because it takes more practice and is more difficult (chopsticks are a bit like holding a tea cup in England).

5. NEVER REMOVE THE SUSHI FROM THE RICE.

     Honestly, the sushi chef does not care that you are on a diet. Sushi is a low calorie food and is very healthy. If you disagree or don't want the rice, order Sashimi--that is what it is for.

6. Eat the sushi in one bite.

      The main thing here is to not cut it into two pieces--how could you anyway? With a spoon? Chopsticks? Good luck with that anyway.

7. Be courteous and kind to the sushi chef.

     Everyone is kinder when you have good manners, and the sushi chef will likely excuse any bad manners you might have shown earlier.

     Hopefully after reading the correct way to eat sushi, you will not be given substandard sushi at a sushi restaurant.