You’ll often hear Singaporeans claim that once you eat the sushi in Japan, you’ll never feel the same about the sushi in Singapore again. And it’s not just about the taste, but the whole atmosphere of eating sushi in Japan. That atmosphere consist of people eating sushi properly, in order to best enjoy the dish. Would you use a chopstick to eat prime ribs? Would you drench your fish in ketchup? It might seem silly to compare poor sushi etiquette to those examples, but that’s how you’ll look in a sushi place in Japan if you keep that up.
My mom loves putting ginger on her sushi when they should only be used as a palate cleanser, and I’ve known a lot of friends who love dumping their sushi into a soy sauce wasabi mix, when wasabi should only be applied directly to your sushi. In some places, the chef will gauge your threshold and pre-apply the wasabi into the sushi for you. And it’s a sign of respect to not apply anymore yourself. The chef will of course get assurance from you that that is the right amount of wasabi for your taste.
I found this comic via swissmiss that explains in a nutshell what are the basic etiquette one should observe when eating sushi.
ieatishootipost also did a video segment on the proper way to eat sushi. The one tip to note here, is the way to pick up your sushi with your chopsticks.
I’ve also stumbled onto a humourous take on sushi dining etiquette. I took it seriously when I first saw the starting few minutes and then it just got ridiculous. Made me laugh so hard.
Etiquette, by nature, serves as a guide and is really personal. I always think that having good etiquette in Japan is a way of impressing your friends and showing respect to the staff.
