Rice
One of the most
fundamental foods in Japan, rice is almost always served in its own
small bowl.
-
Eating rice with chopsticks can be intimidating to the beginner. Japanese rice is sticky and you usually can scoop up/grasp a clump of rice without too much difficulty. If you are having trouble, try to watch some other diners who know how to use chopsticks.
-
Lift this bowl in your left hand; you may even leave it in your left hand while you take a bite of another food in between bites of rice.
-
Don't lift the rice bowl right up to your mouth (the bowl can be close to your mouth, but it should never be touching) and shovel it in with your chopsticks.
-
Don't put soy sauce on your rice. This is one of the best ways to signal to anyone watching that you are a novice regarding Japanese cuisine.
Soup
Japanese
dinners are not usually considered complete without some kind of
soup, often served in a small bowl with a lid.
-
Remove the lid and place it upside down on the table while eating. Replace the lid when you have finished.
-
If there are any solids in the soup pick these out with your chopsticks.
-
Soups served in larger bowls (such as udon) will be served with a soup spoon. For smaller bowls of soup (such as clear soups or miso soup), simply hold the bowl with both hands, with fingers below the rim, and drink directly from it.
|
|
|
|
Noodles
Noodles can be
served hot or cold, in soups, in stir-fry, or just by themselves.
-
Noodles are quite long and will dangle slightly from your mouth while you eat. This is perfectly acceptable, although you may feel less than graceful at first.
-
Slurping your noodle soup is also just fine. Soups are often served piping hot and as you eat, you must suck in a bit of air to cool them off. (Just a note for the younger diners, while slurping is okay, burping is still considered bad manners.)
Back to Basic Etiquette