Stop Embarrassing Yourself With Shoddy Sushi Etiquette

Gabe Zaldivar
by Gabe Zaldivar
Last updated: 2:00 PM ET, Mon September 1, 2014

Image via YouTube

Whether traveling to Japan or visiting a new sushi restaurant in your area, it's best to not make a total doofus of yourself.

Munchies caught up with Japanese sushi chef Naomichi Yasuda who runs Sushi Bar Yasuda in Tokyo, Japan, and he relayed a few helpful tips for would-be sushi devourers.

Here is the video via YouTube.

The end of the video gives the viewer a quick recap on what we've learned: It's completely fine and recommended to use your fingers, because sushi is finger food after all. Never combine ginger and sushi, because ew. And really, it's there to cleanse the palate before your next bite. And remember, shaking is just for the men's room.

The other juicy nugget you should take with you is to dip the fish portion into the soy sauce; rice is far too absorbent and will over power the fish.

When you are eating the good stuff, there are far more rules to follow, which Bon Appétit's Jason Kessler does well to document.

The one that absolutely needs to be highlighted is the wasabi in the soy sauce, which is like putting ketchup on steak. Kessler writes, "Don't ever mix your wasabi into your soy sauce. If the chef grinds fresh wasabi, then you're just diluting the flavor and wasting his carefully-sourced product. It may not get you kicked out, but the chef is always watching to see if you know how to behave-and will adjust your meal accordingly."

Yes, this is your food and you can do as you like. However, please know that many chefs spend years, even decades, training to perfect their dish. So you who have spent all of ten minutes fiddling with it are ruining what was an otherwise delicious and succulent bite.

I hope you're happy.


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