Sushi Etiquette: How to eat sushi like the Japanese.

The experience of savouring an oriental meal is incomplete if you are unable to do it the way it is done traditionally in its country of origin. Meals when eaten with the right etiquette become interesting experiences besides revealing the true taste of the dish with which the chef had planned them. It is with this intent of exposing you to the true culinary delight of sushi that we have decided to share with you a few simple ways to make sushi eating an authentic Japanese affair. To a sushi chef making sushi is a method of worship where every time he tries to improve the few styles with which he works and your right appreciation can go a long way with him. 

So let us begin with the very basics and understand that sushi being finger food can be eaten both with hands as well as chopsticks. It should be eaten in one bite for all its flavorings are crafted in a way that it can be consumed at one go. When taking soy sauce take little quantities since adding flavors to the carefully prepared sushi is taken as an offence or even a sign of incompetence on the part of the chef. The different varieties of sushi can all be submerged in the soy sauce in different ways: say, nigiri sushi should be upside down when dipped in soy sauce and rice side up when eaten while marinated pieces of nigiri sushi should not be dipped at all. When eating sashimi wasabi should be placed atop it and should be dipped in soy sauce but not in quantities that would over power its original taste. 

Traditionally the Japanese drink their soup directly from the bowl and pick the solid pieces of the food with chopsticks. To enjoy the distinct flavor of the various sushi that encompass a single platter the patron can take a small bite of ginger this will help one demarcate one taste from another.  

Finally at the end of your meal compliment your chef and every time a sushi greets your palate enjoy the balance of varied flavors and tastes that enhance your dining experience. So get your chopsticks out and get elevated to an oriental fantasy at Shiro’s with the kitchen god Zao Jun overlooking your meal with his benign gaze.