How to Eat Sushi

Do you like sushi? Have you ever wondered how native Japanese eat sushi? Well this guide will tell you how to eat Sushi the way the Japanese do, the right way.

1) Find a good place to eat sushi.

a. Most good places have a sushi bar where you can watch them make the sushi, so you know they have nothing to hide.

2) Know how to hold your chopsticks. If you are a kid and can not hold them correctly, ask for kid chopsticks which are regular chopsticks, but have a paper and rubber band mechanism which helps you hold them.

3) There are three kinds of sushi:

a. Nigiri (fish, shell fish, or fish roe on top of rice)

b. Maki ( a roll of sashimi, rice, and seaweed)

c. Sashimi ( raw and/or chilled fish by itself)

4) If you are having nigiri sushi, hold it fish side down in the soy sauce, then pick it up and eat it.

5) Eat your sushi in one bite. If you can't, take one bite, then keep the sushi in your chopsticks. Do not put it back down.

6) Feel free to use your hands and don't leave even a grain of rice on your plate. Clean it off completely.

Tips:

· If you want, ask the chef what is good and let him pick for you.

· Here are some Japanese words:

o Thank you - Arigato gozaimasu (ah-ree-gah-toh go-zah-ee-mahss)

o Excuse me - Sumimasen (su-mee-mah-sen)

· If you order a soup with your food, eat with your sushi, not as an appetizer

· If you want, ask for no wasabi (this is an extremely spicy mustard). This will not be take as an insult

More on Sushi:

We do not know the exact date sushi was first eaten, but we know that the ancient Japanese did eat it. What we do know is that it originated during the Tang Dynasty of rulers in China, believe it or not.

Sushi is a much enjoyed food in Japan and there are many, many types of fish used for sushi. Just some are:

Salmon
Tuna
Mackerel
Swordfish
Flounder
Snapper
Eel
Yellowtail
Anago

There are many more.

Other condiments for sushi aside from wasabi are gari a pickled ginger. Obviously, Soy Sauce is also a condiment, and it's Japanese name is Shoyu.
In many a sushi bar, you'll be able to order soup. A common type of Soup is called Miso Soup. It has miso paste which gives it its delicious flavor (don't worry, it's not "pasty"), negi, which is tofu, aburaage ( a soybean product), and wakame ( edible seaweed/kelp).
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So next time you're able to enjoy a delicious meal of sushi, you'll know how to be polite the Japanese way!