How do YOU eat sushi? Do you smear extra Wasabi on top? Pick up the sushi with chopsticks and dip the rice into soy sauce (and let it linger to absorb the salty juices)? I like to bite into the sushi to split it in half; then, I can feel the tenderness of the fish (and feel like I have more pieces to eat). Some people I know like to use mayo, Sriracha, or eel sauce on their sushi. I like to mix the wasabi and soy sauce together to form a greenish-brownish paste. And others remove the fish from the rice and enjoy them separately, or even discard the rice. Many people don’t know that there is actually a “proper” way to eat this beloved cuisine. Eating sushi comes with its own unique table manners that got lost with the rise in popularity and accessibility. However, knowing these rules can give you insight on what you are being served and how to show respect/gratitude to the chef. How to eat sushi the “proper” way: Pick up the sushi with your clean hands, not chopsticks.

That way, you don’t ruin the perfect form of the sushi that was made by the chef’s crafty hands. Sashimi and ginger are picked up with chopsticks. Tilt the sushi fish-down to apply only a hint of soy sauce. The rice and the soy sauce are not supposed to touch. Place the sushi on your tongue face-down as well. This way, you get the full flavor and freshness of the fish. If adding extra wasabi, take your chopsticks and only put the smallest amount needed on top of the fish. The sushi chef already applied just the right dab of wasabi between the fish and the rice for you. And do NOT mix wasabi into the soy sauce. Eat the sushi piece all in one bite. Splitting it in half is apparently very rude to the chef, who spent time making the perfect piece for you. If the sushi is too big, tell the chef so he can adjust the proportion for you. He will find the best part of the fish that can accompany the size of sushi to suite you. Eat ginger between sushi pieces, not while you still have fish in your mouth.

The ginger is supposed to serve as a palette cleanser.The chef created the perfect texture, vinegar flavor, and temperature to compliment the sushi. Its quality is just as important as the fish itself. Finally, do not tip the chef. Instead, you can buy him Sake to enjoy with you. These rules are probably not applicable in casual places. However, if you are sitting in front of the sushi chef, it’s nice to know that you can show appreciation for the food through your actions rather than repeating “Arigato” over and over. I have become pickier about the rice in my sushi, and I’ve come to despise places that squirt too much sauce on the fish. Basically, I stopped seeing sushi as something to hoard in my mouth (oh, you should have seen me in all-you-can eat sushi restaurants). Sushi is delicate and thoughtful, and I appreciate those chefs who serve something worth savoring. However, I still make my wasabi-soy sauce paste. You're eating sushi all wrong! Tokyo sushi chef teaches proper way to eat sushi

Apparently eating sushi three times a week doesn't make you an expert. According to Tokyo sushi chef Naomichi Yasuda, we've been doing it all horribly wrong.  In a new video by Vice's Munchies, seen above, the chef explains the right and wrong way to eat sushi. how much sushi vinegar do i useRule one, eat cut rolls with your hands. best food delivery london ontarioWe know, we were shocked too when we learned that using chopsticks to shove pieces of blue crab roll into your mouth was not proper sushi etiquette.dead sushi watch online And when you dunk your piece of sushi roll into soy sauce, well, don't dunk it. sushi delivery richmond london

Just dip what Yasuda says is "enough" to taste the soy sauce, then eat it. And don't ever, ever eat the pickled ginger with your sushi. It's meant to be eaten by itself, after you've eaten a piece of sushi.Everyone who shoves the unlimited supply of ginger on the table at Sushi Stop onto every single bite of sushi is silently crying. sushi cat play onlineYou know who you are.best sushi rolls manhattan SIGN UP for Jonathan Gold's Counter Intelligence dining newsletter >>And one of the biggest no-no's was how people normally dip nigiri into soy sauce. you me sushi voucher codeYasuda explains how to properly dip sushi so that the fish, and not the rice, makes contact with the soy sauce. This makes sense when you think of all the times you've asked for a new soy sauce dish because yours is full of runaway pieces of rice. 

And just when you thought he couldn't say anything more to shock you, he drops this bit of wisdom like a sake bomb: "What's important about sushi is the rice. The rice is the main ingredient. So people talk about the fish. But the fish, this is the second ingredient."Tell that to the people who ferociously bid on tuna at Tsukiji. I like to dip my sushi in ponzu sauce. Follow me @Jenn_Harris_ ALSO7 easy steps to making a rolled sushi bentoList: Jonathan Gold's 101 best restaurantsFish tales from a landmark: Newport Beach's century-old seafood market © 2017, Los Angeles TimesImagine you are out to eat some sushi or sashimi at your favorite sushi joint. Just before your plate arrives, what do you do? Take your chopsticks out and rub them together? Hopefully not, or at least not out in the open, as that’s pretty disrespectful in just about every Asian culture. What about your soy sauce dish? Do you put a little soy sauce in it and add a good amount of wasabi as well, being sure to dissolve all the little chunks?

It’s a pretty common practice actually, and many well-traveled individuals will find that some Japanese people also do it. But if you are going for a “Downton Abbey”-level of class when you eat sushi, you’ll find that mixing your wasabi and soy sauce is not proper. We won’t tell you it’s wrong, but apparently it isn’t the right way either. So here’s why, according to RocketNews24, along with how you can eat your sushi and sashimi with class. 1. It destroys the taste of soy sauce. Okay, you won’t find gourmet soy sauce or ponzu at just any sushi joint in the U.S. where regular and reduced sodium Kikkoman reign supreme, but if you do find a legit joint (which will probably be impressively expensive), odds are the sushi chef there has hand-picked the soy sauce they serve there. A traditional and proud chef will add soy to your fish if needed, meaning that if you add more to the original mix of flavors, you are slapping the chef in the face and telling him you don’t think his mix of flavors is correct.

Oh, are you also a master sushi chef that has devoted their entire life to this fine art? 2. It ruins the taste of wasabi. Again, we are only talking about those legit sushi restaurants where instead of using wasabi that comes from a powder or tube, the chef has hand-picked the wasabi stem and ground it fresh for you. Adding this wasabi, which took time and love to pick out, to soy sauce is another slap to the face. Especially when you sit at a sushi bar, that chef who has created edible art for you is always watching to see if you can even appreciate his work. 3. It’s not beautiful. Have you noticed how impeccable sushi and sashimi look? Are you aware that Japanese culture has one of the most elaborate and artful set of manners in the world? Everything about sushi and eating it should be beautiful, so creating a mix of some sewage-colored solution in your soy sauce bowl is another no-no. Leave the dark brown soy sauce and the bright green wasabi separate, as it should be.

We can’t lay down a bunch of rules on soy sauce and wasabi without mentioning the last most common item to the trinity — ginger. To set the record straight, David Gelb, the director of “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” and someone who knows a thing or two about sushi, told Bon Appetit: “One thing to never do: don’t put ginger on top of your sushi and don’t put ginger in your soy sauce either … If the sushi chef wants some ginger on the piece of sushi for balance, he will have put it on there himself.” The ginger is there as a palate cleanser, not a supplemental taste item. Cleanse your palate, don’t mix and match, and respect the art. If you must add the taste of soy sauce and wasabi to your rolls or sashimi, the proper way is quite simple. Place a small chunk of wasabi on one side, dip the other side in soy sauce, and prepare your mouth for the proper trifecta of flavors. If you are ever headed to a traditional sushi restaurant here in the U.S. or all the way to Japan, you should watch this video.