How to Enjoy Eating Sushi

Pick a Location

• The sushi bar is the Japanese equivalent of the English pub, and the best way to experience the food is along with the atmosphere that traditionally accompanies it. It shouldn't be too hard to find a local establishment.

  Given the choice, sit on a stool at a sushi bar. From that vantage point, you can watch the sushi chef, or itamae-san, prepare a selection chosen from the refrigerated display in front of him. Furthermore, from the bar, a newbie sushi addict can ask the chef for advice and recommendations. Even for experienced eaters, the common practice is to ask the chef for recommendations. This demonstrates respect for the chef, and he will thus give you the best pieces. The bar is best place to make small orders continuously rather than one large order at the beginning. This will ensure continued interaction with the chef. And it is never bad to throw in a few Japanese phrases, such as: konichiwa (koh NEECH ee wah), or "How are you?"; dozo (DOH zoh), or "please"; domo (DOH moh) for "thank you"; or domo arigato (ah ri GAH toh) if "Thank you very much" is more appropriate.

  The only thing you should order from the chef is sushi and sashimi. For everything else, from your beverage to the check, ask the waiter.

  If you are eating at a table instead of a bar, you probably will order all your sushi at once. Order a combination plate rather than individual sushi to get an interesting sample of all kinds of sushi.

  You don't have to go to a sushi bar to enjoy sushi. Sushi can be found at supermarkets and convenience stores. A portion of maki sushi serves as a good meal for many people on their lunch breaks. But if it's your first time, do not eat supermarket sushi; it's not as fresh as restaurant sushi, so you might not like it as much.

  You can enjoy sushi at home if you get hooked but aren't willing to shell out the cash for a restaurant meal every evening. You need a few basic tools to make sushi--mainly a bamboo mat, or makisu, and an extremely sharp knife. You also must obtain quality ingredients from Japanese grocers and trustworthy fish stores (see Resources).

  In Japan, eating blowfish sashimi, or fugu, is the ultimate dining experience--and a culinary variation of Russian roulette. The fish contains a toxin that is 1,250 times deadlier than cyanide. But fugu consumption is a status symbol, so many people try it just to say that they have. Fugu is one of the most expensive foods in Japan; you can pay up to $400 for one meal, which must by law be prepared by specially trained and licensed chefs.