Sushi Etiquette

Sushi has progressed in all parts of the world, which lead to the discovery and alteration of cultural aspects of the cuisine. In Japan, ingredients that were unheard of 10-15 years ago are now common in most sushi bars. When sushi was introduced in the States, many customs have been redefined; it can be quite a daunting task to grasp the rules of this ever-evolving sushi etiquette. In general terms, as long as one respects everyday dining etiquette, they should not worry about what to and what not to do.

The list below shows the most important etiquette in a sushi restaurant. These are just suggestions and they will vary depending on the country where sushi is served. For instance, eating sushi with fingers is considered as a normal practice in Japan. In the United States, this is a no-no.

Before Eating Sushi

  1. Always clean your hands before visiting a sushi bar. Customarily, this is done with a hot towel at a Japanese restaurant that the waitress or waiter offers. Do not use it to wipe anything else besides your hands
  2. Do not pour sake for yourself first. It is assumed you pour sake for others before you pour for yourself. It is a sign of respect and should be done regardless of what you are drinking. In many cases, the young person or the junior person in the company is supposed to pour sake for the older persons or the more senior people in the company
  3. You are not expected to offer a drink to the sushi chef. In the case you do have a drink with the chef, he will most likely toast to your health (Kampai)
  4. There are no spoons for soup. Traditionally, a soup bowl should be lifted towards the mouth to drink. Chopsticks are to be used to push solids, such as tofu, towards you. Slurping is only meant for noodles, but one should always be respectful of other customers in a restaurant
  5. Chopsticks should not be shaved. If necessary to do so to avoid splinters, do it under the table. Whittling of chopsticks implies that the sushi chef is cheap

How to Eat Sushi

  1. Always use the back end of the chopstick when picking food in a communal dish. It is not courteous to pass pieces of food from one person’s chopsticks to another person’s chopsticks. This practice is reserved for those handling cremated bones
  2. Do not ask for a knife. Fingers and chopsticks are all the necessary tools needed to eat sushi because sushi is not tough enough for a knife
  3. The sliced and pickled ginger should be eaten with chopsticks as a palate refresher and not as a salad. The taste is usually strong and meant to be consumed in little doses in between dishes, so you can fully enjoy the next fish’s flavor
  4. Dipping sauce mixing is meant to add a touch of flavor and not to immerse every grain of rice. One should only mix enough soy to use, but not fully soak the sushi. Leaving a pool of soy mix is considered wasteful and is a sign of insult. It is also considered good manners to only use sauce on the fish part of the sushi and not the rice – although, Americans do this the opposite way
  5. Use wasabi sparingly. In the 19th century it was used to kill parasites in a sushi fish. There is a misconception that wasabi is a Japanese horseradish. However, it is true that most restaurants outside Japan used horseradish to imitate wasabi
  6. Eat the entire served portion. In a sushi restaurant, it is recommended to finish all the food that is ordered. It is considered bad manners to waste food in Japan
  7. It is always recommended to eat sushi in one bite. In Japan, sushi is mostly served in small pieces. In the U.S., sushi sizes are relatively large in size but still edible in one piece. Not surprising that American sushi is bigger…just like other meals

Need to Know

  1. Leave a tip. Although in Japan the service charge is mostly part of the total cost of the meal, sushi bars in America are different and work on the same tipping principle that every other restaurant does.
  2. Never smoke in a sushi bar. Heavy scents such as perfumes, aftershaves, and smoke will cover up subtleties in the sushi. This is likely to disturb other customers that are seated nearby in a sushi bar who enjoy both the taste and smell of sushi
  3. Ordering something other than sushi and sashimi from a chef in a sushi bar is considered bad etiquette. Other non-sushi food should be ordered from a waitress/waiter. This however, greatly depends on how traditional the sushi bar is. In Japan also, those who handle food do not handle money
  4. The lingo of various sushi is important to learn, so you don’t look like you have to take a sushi 101 class. Unagi is eel, tobiko is flying fish roe, inari is a deep fried tofu bag filled with rice, nigiri is fish over rice, etc.
  5. It is equally important to learn and understand few of the Japanese phrases. Just like in any other culture, it is respectful to learn a little bit of the language as a sign of respect. Arigato gozaimasumeans ‘thank you’. Sumimasen is used to mean ‘excuse me’ when calling a waiter or a waitress. In most cases, the Japanese would say Itadakimasu before a meal and Gochisousama deshita at the end. Despite the fact that not all sushi bars are managed by Japanese-speaking people, most of them are and it is good to be prepared just in case
  6. “Is that fish fresh?” Never ask this question to a sushi chef. In most instances the fish is fresh, otherwise the restaurant should not be serving it. If they are serving bad fish, you know to never go back. Beware of conveyer-belt sushi; if the restaurant is mostly empty, you know the fish has been going in circles for a while
  7. Ask the chef for a fish recommendation. Fish is one of the seasonal animals and the freshest catch usually vary throughout the year. Asking for a chef’s opinion not only shows respect, but it is also a way of ensuring access to in-season and fresh fish