The Proper Deportment for Sushi
The socially correct rules of eating sushi

A perfectly prepared spicy tuna roll.

Unlike most rules of society, the rules for eating sushi are actually easier and more comfortable than what most people do. And it most assuredly makes it a tastier adventure. In Japan, sushi is a very relaxed event – relaxation is part of eating sushi. We call most sushi-serving establishments "sushi bars." This is no doubt because in Japan, many places serving sushi have an atmosphere that is much like a neighborhood bar in America. Friends gather for a drink, and to share some sushi.

Eating sushi is absolutely a social event – much more so than most dining experiences. It might help if you think of sushi like a more widely known social meal: fondue. Not only is it social, it is supposed to be a leisurely, very relaxed dining experience shared with friends.

Another good comparison would be the way you might share some buffalo wings or potato skins with friends at a bar. You don't pick up a knife and fork, put a napkin on your lap and proceed to Emily Post your way through the tasty little tidbits. You simply reach out, grab one, and chow down. And that's the way sushi was meant to be enjoyed. And like watermelon, eating it can get a bit untidy – which is all the more reason to experience it with friends.

So I guess you've already figured out that you eat sushi with your hand, or fingers, anyway. The same way that you'd eat buffalo wings. It's only relatively recently that American establishments started giving out chopsticks with their sushi dishes. Americans were, for some reason, reluctant about picking the food up with their fingers. Perhaps it is the shiny, wet look of the food that makes people hesitant to touch it.

Sushi is a Japanese dish. Sushi starts with boiled rice that has been flavored with sweet rice vinegar. The blend is called "Sushi Meshi." When the rice cools, it has an attractive sheen, and the cooked grains of rice separate easily. There is essentially a limitless variety of sushi including "nigiri sushi." Nigiri sushi is made with very thin slices of raw fish that is seasoned with Wasabi and then wrapped around or layered into sushi meshi. Futomaki is thick sushi rolls. Hosomaki is thin sushi rolls. These sushi rolls are made with a variety of chopped or stripped vegetables, raw fish, Tofu, or whatever the chef wishes to use. The mixtures created are wrapped in thin sheets of seaweed (Nori). The finished rolls are always carefully cut into slices. Soy sauce, and lately teriyaki sauce, is often served with sushi as a dipping sauce or juice. By the way, "sushi" never gets an "s" added to the end of it: there is a sushi; there is a lot of sushi.

The sushi chef assumes that you will place each entire piece in your mouth, not cut it in half or only eat a bite of it. This will most often mean that your mouth is going to be very full. That's okay – it's that sort of an eating event.

When sushi chefs create your selected dish, they carefully and precisely place things in such a way that only by taking the full piece will you enjoy all of the flavors the chef intended. It is the combination of flavors that makes sushi so special. If you go to Japan and eat sushi in cut up bites, you can expect to get some funny looks – and likely offend the chef.