How to Practice Sushi Etiquette

You have been eating like a civilized human being your entire life, so it may not have occurred to you that eating sushi has it's own set of rules. From working your chopsticks to clearing your plate, sushi requires a very strict etiquette following a long tradition. A few simple tips can help you save face the next time you venture out to a sushi restaurant.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Set your chopsticks in front of your parallel to the table. If there is a chopstick rest, make sure that the narrow ends are resting on the groove. Never rest your chopsticks on your plate, as it is considered bad etiquette.
2. Serve yourself from communal platters by scooping up sushi with the wide end of your chopsticks. This is considered polite as the wide end of the chopsticks should never touch your hands nor your lips. Passing items from one pair of chopsticks to another should also be avoided. During Japanese funerals, the bones of the dead are passed by family members using chopsticks; therefore passing food is never practiced.
3. Place pieces of fish served over rice upside-down in your soy sauce and then eat with the rice covered side face up. This will keep the rice from falling off of the fish, as it will never touch the soy sauce and will make for perfect table etiquette.
4. In sushi in one bite whenever possible, but never more than two. Never set your food back on the plate once you have taken a bite, as this is considered bad table manners.
5. Use your fingers instead of your chopsticks if you have trouble working the wooden utensils. This is considered perfectly fine and most sushi restaurants will over damp towels for this very reason.
6. Clear your plate of every piece of food as it is considered bad etiquette to leave even a single grain of rice remaining on your plate.