EDITORIAL

1. You may be offered a hot, wet towel at the beginning of your
meal. After washing your hands, fold it back neatly the way it was
before.

2. Do not rub your chopsticks together as it is an insult, insinuating
that you were given poor quality sticks. When chopsticks are not
use during the meal place on the shoyu (condiment) dish. When
finished with the meal the chopsticks are to be placed parallel at the
top of the plate.

3. The shoyu dish is to hold soy sauce and wasabi if you prefer, but
only sashimi (raw fish without rice) is to be dipped in it. Sushi (raw
fish laid upon a rice ball) has already been dabbed with wasabi on
the underside of the fish reflecting what the itamae (sushi chef)
feels is the proper balance to the fish. If you prefer more sneak a
dab.

4. It is OK to eat sushi (with rice) with your hands, but sashimi (fish
without rice) is only to be eaten with chopsticks.

5. Do not pick up a piece of food from another person's plate with
the part of the chopstick you put in your mouth. Instead use the
opposite end to transfer the food to your plate and turn them back
around to eat again. It is too closely symbolic to passing the
deceased bones at a Japanese funeral. Most ideal is to pass the
plate allowing an individual to pick up their own food.

6. It is proper to eat sushi in one bite as to not destroy the
presentation and make a mess. In Japan pieces are made a proper
size to eat tidily, but not necessarily so in America. Try your best to
eat it all in one piece.

7. Gari (ginger) is not to be eaten in the same bite as a piece of
sushi. It is intended to be a palate cleanser and eaten between
bites. It also aids in digestion.

8. If you are not given a spoon for the soup, do not ask for one. You
are expected to drink directly from the bowl using the chopsticks to
direct the solid pieces to your mouth.

9. Technically one drinks sake only with sashimi It is felt that since
sushi and sake are both rice based they do not compliment each
other. Otherwise sake is to be consumed before or after the meal.

10. Perhaps most important, try not to leave food on your plate.
Japan has seen much famine and to waste food is a serious offense.
If you do not like a particular sushi item discreetly put it in a napkin
to dispose of it or better yet, be brave and swallow it anyway! Try
ordering food one item at a time as to not end up with too much.
Pour small amounts of soy at a time. You can always add more, but
you can't take it back.

11. The itamae (sushi chef) farthest to the left is generally the head
chef. Asking him to choreograph your meal or make suggestions is
a compliment. At the end, and even during your meal it is a friendly
gesture to offer him a drink of sake. If you are sitting at the sushi
bar the tip is to be given to the itamae otherwise leave it as you
would to the waitress.