Manners for Japanese Food

                                                                              

Manners When You Eat Japanese Food

In the previous blog, I talked about Osechi, which is a traditional dish that is eaten in Japan. But to enjoy traditional food, it is better to know about the manners. In this blog, I will talk about the basic manners of Japanese meals. It may seem a little strict, but manners are for enjoying your meal. I will introduce the manners using some popular Japanese food.


SUSHI
Sushi is probably the most famous Japanese food. It is made by rice and raw fish, and sometimes with seaweed. You can eat it with soy sauce and wasabi. Wasabi is a spicy paste that is made from a plant. When you eat it, there will be a stimulus to your nose. I believe that many people know these things. If  you had sushi before, these information won't be new for you. So let's get in to the manners!




No.1
You should not separate the fish and the rice when you eat sushi. The cooks think that the rice and fish is the complete shape of a sushi, so separating them and eating in can be sometimes rood to the cooks.

No.2
Don't smoke. This is because the smell of the smoke can make tasting the sushi difficult. For the same reason, you shouldn't wear too much perfume. It can also make other people difficult taste their food.

No.3
It will be politer if you take off your watch when you are at the table. Little watches are okay, but some of the big watches for man can hurt the table.




EVERYDAY MEALS

There are also rules for everyday meals. To get the idea of an every day meal, I will show an example. This is a common dish in Japan.

The reason I chose this picture is because it obeys the rules of the places of the plates and balls. I will introduce the basic rules.



No.1  Chopsticks
There are no chopsticks in this picture, but when you put chopsticks , the you must make the holding part on the right hand. This is for the right handed people which is the majority of Japan. Although there are some left handed people, the chopsticks are placed easier to grab for right handed people. I know this sounds unfair, but I have never seen chopsticks placed in a different direction.

No.2  Rice and Miso Soup
The rice must come on the left side of the miso soup. There are several reasons, but one of them is also for right handed people. Generally, the bowl for the soup is tend to be lower than the rice bowl. So when the lower bowl is near the hand you use, it is easier to take the food. This is also unfair, so in my opinion, I think the one who eats can change the placements. But when you serve, you should remember this rule because it is a part of Japabese manner.


No.3   Plates and bowls
When you eat, there are dishes that you can lift and dishes that you can't.
Rice bowls, plates smaller than the hand of the person holding it, are allowed to raise up. Other plates  are not allowed to hold them up.






There are more manners and rules, but these are the most basic things. I think if you know these, it will be very helpful when you eat Japanese food. Next time you eat sushi or any other Japanese food, please remember this blog!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjteRDC9zRY