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Sushi etiquette

Knowing how to eat sushi requires the subtlety and decorum of sushi flavours

In Japan, in the old days, becoming a sushi chef was undertaken with a long apprenticeship. It began with the responsibility of preparing tea. This would be done for three years. After that the apprentice would learn to prepare rice, and for the next eight years this would be their sole responsibility. Only after these 11 years would an apprentice be offered the opportunity to cut fish.

Preparing sushi is an art, an amalgamation of skill and creativity. Eating sushi is a process of appreciation for both the elegance of presentation and the variety of flavours harvested from the ocean’s bounty. Or, at least it should be. Given that Whistler, and the West Coast generally, are so sushi crazy, I was interested to find out whether we follow proper customs when we eat Japanese cuisine. What is proper sushi etiquette?

After speaking with three of the six sushi restaurants in Whistler, Sushi Village, Sushi Ya and Sachi Sushi, I am ashamed to say that I am guilty of several gastronomic faux pas in Japanese establishments. Wayne Escott, manager of Sachi Sushi, laughs when he says that "North Americans are barbarians so we can do whatever we want and get away with it."

As far as social conventions go, it is better to know the offence you are committing so that you may avoid it in the future, so read on.

To begin with, before any food is even ordered you may be guilty of an offence before you even sit down. If you are shown to a private table in a tatami room (often referred to, incorrectly, as a booth) it is custom to remove your shoes on the outside of the room before entering. In Japan, as in North America, it is rude to tramp your muddy boots inside the house and the tatami room is representative of a house, being privately enclosed. Tatami is also the name of the woven mat that graces the floor of traditional Japanese homes where meals are eaten sitting cross legged. It would be dreadful to have to sip delicate miso soup while staring at somebody’s stinky outdoor shoes.

Time to order the food – but wait, you wanted your California roll to come first followed by the chicken teriyaki, not the other way around. Local restaurants will accommodate this wish but only if you let them know in advance. In Japan, all the meal’s different dishes are placed on the table together and are to be eaten by selecting different items from different dishes without any particular order. Courses, i.e. an appetizer followed by a main, are not a part of the Japanese dining experience so you shouldn’t expect it to be. Usually food will be presented at the table as soon as it is prepared.

Where are my knife and fork? Again, you can ask for these but normally one would use the traditional implements, chopsticks. These take a little practice to be able to use properly but no one will fault you for trying. Wayne advocates asking for the cheater chopsticks, chopsticks with a rolled up bit of paper and a rubber band to aid leverage, if you are learning. These will get the food to your mouth without any major mishaps. For sushi roll pieces or nigiri "eating with the hands is more than acceptable." says Miki Homma, owner of Sushi Village.

There are a few important tips about using chopsticks. One thing you should never do is stick your chopsticks into a bowl of rice and leave them standing up vertically. A bowl of rice with vertical chopsticks stuck into it is traditionally an offering placed on the tombstone of a dead relative. If this is done anywhere else it is considered a bad omen and brings bad luck to the establishment. Always lay your chopsticks down, either on a holder which is often a little piece of ceramic, or across your bowl of rice. Wayne uses the paper chopstick wrapper to make an impromptu holder – roll up the paper or tie it into a knot and place it on the table beside your plate.

Secondly, as many dishes are shared among several people dining together, chopsticks should be used both to serve yourself and others but in order to do this politely different ends of the chopsticks should serve each purpose. To select an item from a common platter to place on to your own plate or another’s use the blunt ends of the chopsticks to pick up the food, i.e. the ends opposite to the pointed ones you use to put the food into your own mouth. Done properly, this becomes an elegant turn of the hand. Wayne points out that rolls, sashimi and nigiri should be gently grabbed at the sides and raised to the mouth so that the fish hits the tongue first.

In front of you there is a beautiful combination of textures and colours stylishly presented in a sushi roll. Daunted by using chopsticks you pick up the roll with your fingers and delicately take a bite, only to have half the roll collapse down your chin and into your lap. As large as they may seem, especially the extra fat futo maki, pieces of sushi roll, nigiri and sashimi are meant to be eaten in one mouthful. Miki points out that the sushi chef has taken the time to think up and prepare the combination of flavours and textures that comprise the ingredients of individual sushi rolls. You need to have the whole piece in your mouth to allow the flavours "to bloom" on your tongue.

Rob Mc Clean, chef and co-owner of Sushi Ya, explains that many of the more difficult items to eat in one bite are not traditional Japanese combinations but ones that have been adapted to a Western palate – the spider roll for example which looks like a set of fireworks going off on your plate. He also suggested that I watch how Japanese patrons delicately and easily slip a piece of fish into their mouths. There is a technique far more refined than the Western method of shoving a whole bit into the mouth. It is a slower, nibbling movement that starts with the lips and teeth breaking up the bit of fish before enclosing the mouth around it. The fish should touch the lips first. Too hard to describe with words so watch discreetly and learn. Better yet, get a Japanese friend to show you.

Japanese cuisine is a union of subtle flavours and tender textures which delights in the different tastes of fish varieties. That being said, the sushi chef will combine foods that enhance each other and highlight the clean fresh flavour of raw fish. Rolls and nigiri often have wasabi added to them before being presented to the customer as the flavour, in discerning amounts, enhances the flavour of the fish. When the item is brought to your table it is considered a perfect combination of flavours that best showcase the ingredients; it does not need any more added to it except maybe a splash of soy sauce.

In North America our palates are used to foods that have strong flavours and distinct textures and many of us prefer our foods spicy. By adding more wasabi the subtle taste will be lost in the nasal passage, clearing vapour that inevitably ensues after eating too much of the green stuff. In Japan, extra wasabi was used to disguise fish that may not be as fresh as it should be, describes Rob, it was also an effectual bacterial killer. In an upmarket establishment that prides itself on the freshness of its ingredients, piling on a flavour-killing "condiment" can be a bit of an insult. Miki suggests asking your server when ordering for strong or weak wasabi preferences, that way the amount added to the food still remains up to the discretion of the sushi chef while also catering to patrons’ individual tastes.

Similarly, soy sauce should be used sparingly. Rob says that we tend to go "a little overboard" and that the roll or fish to be dipped should be gently slapped through the soy sauce so that just a touch is picked up by the food and the whole item popped into the mouth. Miki explains that you should only put a little bit of soy sauce in the dish at a time and add to the dish as needed. If there is too much sauce in the dish, too much sauce will be picked up by the food and it will cause the rice to disintegrate and fall apart before you get it into your mouth. Wayne concurs about the soy sauce, "it’s a quick dip, not a bath."

With such a selection of different types of seafood and vegetables it is important to be able to taste the differences between them. This is where the pickled ginger, pink or white, plays its part. It should be eaten as a palate cleanser between different selections of food so that each taste is distinct. Traditionally, it is not used as a condiment.

Since there are so many different flavours that accompany a Japanese meal it is difficult to pair a wine that will complement all the tastes. Wine, more often than not, can kill the flavour of some fish while enhancing the taste of others. Beer and sake are the preferred beverage.

Wayne warns of another pitfall: Sake is meant to be sipped like wine, not swallowed like a shooter as it so often is by North Americans. There are several premium brands available, both warm and chilled varieties, so take the time to experiment with a new taste.

Another thing: the Japanese beers that come in the extra large bottles, those are meant to be shared among several diners not on one’s own, says Wayne.

Sushi Village was the first sushi restaurant in Whistler and it was one of only six restaurants in town when it opened in December, 1985. Mikito Homma, Koji Shimizu and Toshi Saito opened the restaurant after falling in love with Whistler for its skiing. They never believed it was going to be such a success. Almost 20 years later, Miki is the sole owner and the restaurant has given birth to others in the area.

Rob McClean, owner of Sushi Ya, worked at Sushi Village to complete his practicum in Japanese cuisine. He worked at Sushi Village as a chef for nine years before leaving Miki "high and dry" he laughs, ("we’re still good friends.") to open Sushi Ya with partner Hisashi Yamamoto, better known as Yama.

Wayne Escott, the manager at Sachi Sushi, also worked at Sushi Village as manager for a time, a position that was taken over by Dean Mawson. Toshi Kobaishi was Sushi Village’s head sushi chef. Dean and Toshi are now the owners of Sachi Sushi.

With so many Japanese establishments in town one might think that it would be easy to get a seat but the lineups remain at the doors to each of these popular restaurants.