The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Eating Japanese Food

For those Oriental food lovers in the Western world who have only just about grasped the correct way to use chopsticks, we’re afraid that there are actually a whole host of other hurdles standing in the way between you mastering the art of eating Japanese food as it should be enjoyed! With such skill and care taken to delicately produce quality traditional dishes, many of which require a high standard of technique and intricate levels of detail, it is important to respect the correct way of enjoying such tasty bites. So what should you avoid doing?

Using too much soy sauce with your nigiri

The flavourful soy sauce can overpower the delicate flavours of raw fish when sushi is drowned in the sauce. Soy sauce should be used more sparingly, as a complementary addition to the dish, rather than making it all you can taste! If you douse the sushi with soy, then the rice is going to soak it all up. To avoid this, you can dip the slice of fish into the soy sauce instead, as this won’t absorb too much, creating an overpowering taste.

Pickled ginger tends to come alongside a serving of sushi, and many people layer this on top of their bite as a garnish, which is not meant to happen! The ginger slice is actually meant to be a palate cleanser, to be eaten between each different type of fish is eaten, so that the full flavours of each can be experienced without a tastebud confusion.

While you may think that it is polite to eat food… well, politely, this is actually not quite the case when it comes to ramen! Some people attempt to avoid slurping up noodles by sipping at the soup, or even cutting up the noodles; however, this is seen to be an insult to the chef. It is actually polite to slurp the noodles, which not only shows respect to the chef, but also has the bonus of helping to cool the noodles down.

Pouring boiling water on matcha

Pouring boiling water straight on to matcha tea will leave the leaves burnt and with a bitter taste that certainly doesn’t do the tea the credit it deserves. Matcha should also be whisked when made to remove any lumps.

Eating miso with a spoon

Miso is not a thick soup, and it tends to be served in a fairly small bowl. Because of this, it is seen as silly to use a spoon to eat the dish when you could just sip it. This will, of course, save on washing up so we can see why spoons are a no!

In Japan, it is customary to pour each guest at the table their serving from a bottle or jug, before you pour your own. Each serving your own sake is not seen as the right way, as it is not as sociable.

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