How to Eat Sushi: A Quick Lesson on Sushi Etiquette

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If it's your first time at a sushi restaurant or you don't regularly go out for it can be tough to know exactly what the proper way to eat sushi is. It's important to note that not everyone knows how to use chopsticks and not everyone will have studied other cultures to know what eating habits are considered normal or polite. At our College Park sushi restaurant, Shanghai Tokyo café we offer a relaxed environment where it's very comfortable to try sushi for the first time and try a number of different dishes free of judgment. When it comes to finding the proper way to eating sushi and this style of Japanese food, there are certainly a number of different ways that you can eat at the table following the right sushi etiquette. 1. Try chopsticks, but when in doubt use your hands: using your hands isn't something that's frowned upon especially when it comes to sushi and sushi rolls. Sushi is a great food that you can share amongst a big group but there are certainly some sushi rolls and dishes that can be difficult to pick up with chopsticks. If you find yourself stuck don't be afraid to use your fingers to pick up sushi rolls. We wouldn't want you to go hungry after all. 2. Don't be afraid to try the chef’s preferences: many people in the U.S. stick to the staple foods and seafood that they know. Ordering the Chef special or taking the sushi chefs recommendation can really surprise you and help you open up some borders with sushi. 3. Never pour soy sauce over your rice: sushi rice is an art and it tastes very different than rice you might find in other restaurants. Chefs are extremely proud of their rice and it's important that you can still taste it rather than just soy sauce. 4. Don't pass food from chopstick to chopstick: this is one of the small etiquette rules in a sushi restaurant. Part of the reason for this is a cultural space constriction rule as well as a distinct no-no in Japanese sushi etiquette. When passing food hold out your plate and let someone place food on it rather than pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks. These are just a few rules to remember in sushi etiquette for your next trip to our College Park sushi restaurant, Shanghai Tokyo Café.