re: Sushi Do's and Don'ts in Pictures

Sounds strange but it also makes the fish taste better. The fish hitting your tongue first instead of the rice is definitely the way to eat it.

Never really thought about it either but was having a dinner at Uchi and the waitress brought out the next course and instructed us to eat it that way.

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Don't play dumb, you know the scene I'm talking about. The kind of place a moronic troupe of bachelorette partygoers would drop several hundred dollars while dressed like they're going to a red carpet event, and later that night drunkenly swing through the Taco Bell drive-thru because they left the sushi joint still hungry

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Epic

and very true... mostly of the upscale places like Sake and Rock n Sake. You can get quality sushi at a low profile place like Kanno without the experience you described.

I still don't know how to do the chopsticks.

The only place that fits that bill is rock n sake

I got very spoiled when I ended up working in a restaurant under two chefs from Japan who brought their trade over and opened up their own restaurant. Except for tuna which is so big it only comes in loins, all of our fish was fresh, whole and we fileted it on the premises. We even used real crab in our California rolls...no Krab sticks on the premises. With that said, I really haven't found a place in Baton Rouge (with the exception of Chef Oi) who knows their shite, or a restaurant with quality food. That's why I now exclusively limit my sushi dinners in larger cities, and thank you Zappa for your Dallas suggestions. Tei-an was a real treat.

It's a shame what America has done to that poor cuisine. The entire premise stemmed out of necessity more than "hey, let's eat raw fish". They have the fresh bounty of the sea with very little fuel to cook with.

Anyhoo, yes, a roll or nigiri sushi should be just one bite. If it takes two bites, or you simply can't fit it into your mouth, it's too big. American sushi restaurants pride themselves in huge rolls, crammed in with everything including the kitchen sink. That's another thing about true Japanese cuisine, different proteins are not mixed together ala the Chinese "happy family". How can you possibly appreciate the taste of a fish if a roll has three different kinds in the same one?

Two things about miso soup. The Japanese enjoy it with the sushi, not as a starter like most restaurants here do. I always have to ask for it with my food. Another thing is that miso soup is not consumed with a spoon. You drink it right from the bowl, using your chopsticks to get any remaining tofu or seaweed, and God forbid, don't give me a metal spoon. There should be no metal on a Japanese table. Metals are not abundant on the islands, and it's traditionally seen as flaunting wealth in the face of your guests. Japanese folk are very humble, including their language.

One thing that I found interesting at the restaurant is that Americans would order Japanese beer, like Sapporo, Kirin, etc., while the Japanese clientele ordered mostly Miller Lite...very strange. Also, out of polite respect for each other, Japanese tend to leave the last piece of anything. Communal trays that went back to the kitchen generally had one piece left. Here in the States, someone will always grab that last piece.

There is all sorts of chopstick etiquette, but the one that pisses me off the most is when someone decides he's John Bonham and begins a drum solo. A kid, I can sort of understand the urge, but if it's an adult, I want to grab the chopsticks and bitch slap them.

More chopstick etiquette...don't feed someone else with your chopsticks. That's reserved for wedding ceremonies. Also NEVER stick your chopsticks into a dish and leave them there. That's a taboo and is reserved for funerals. Place them on the side or in front as the OP mentioned.

Also, sashimi traditionally is not served with ginger.

I'll stop my dissertation now.

Sorry, but I'm not paying for a roll and leaving it on the plate just because it's polite in Japan. I'm eating every little bite.

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The entire premise stemmed out of necessity more than "hey, let's eat raw fish". 

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is there a food on earth that didn't start out of necessity?

Getting good...

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quote:But the best sushi is slightly aged - many fish develop more flavor as they decay. This....fresh is not really the best for many sushi fish.

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They must age the fish in house then. I've dealt with a lot of sushi chefs and most will not buy unless the fish is almost still jumping (they inspect the fish, eyes, scales, gills, and check the firmness of the meat by pushing skin of flesh in on fish).