Here is part 2 of Fine-dining etiquette for Japanese dating. On the first part, we discussed more of the basic dining etiquette mainly discussing eating utensils, grace and condiments. Now, we will discuss specific food etiquette. Yes, there are right and wrong ways of eating certain food in Japan. Now, know-how in eating these traditional Japanese foods will surely give the impression that you did your homework prior to dating a Japanese lady. Remember, knowing about her culture makes her feel important because you actually took the time to learn it.

Sushi

Sushi is one of the best known Japanese food in the world. This is depicted in a lot of Japanese shows, anime, manga even in trinkets and knick knacks. But, did you know that there are actual rules in eating this delectable little morsel? Well, to make things simple, remember to dip your ngirisushi (This is the one with the rice at the bottom with delectable toppings) topping-side up. This is to avoid the sushi to disintegrate in the soy sauce, also to avoid soaking up too much of it. It is also frowned upon to add too much wasabi to your soy sauce as sushi already contains wasabi. And, it is perfectly acceptable to eat this kind of sushi with your hands.

Sashimi

Sashimi is the cousin of sushi in a sense that it is basically sushi without the rice. Or, to some, slices of raw fish. But don’t worry, if you haven’t tried this, it is actually very delicious due to the fact that only the best and freshest fish are used for this dish. Unlike sushi, this dish is primarily eaten with chopsticks. Another difference is with this dish, you are actually allowed to put a little more wasabi in your dipping sauce.

Soups and noodles

Almost every Japanese meal will include miso soup and in Japan, it is very much acceptable to drink your soup straight from your personal bowl. Although it is okay to drink miso soup with the large spoons they provide, it is more common to simply drink it from the small bowl it is served to you on. Also, when eating noodles, very unlike the west, it is actually appropriate to slurp your ramen. This helps a lot especially when the noodles are hot, slurping allows air to be taken in with the noodles thus eliminating the need to blow on the noodles. But slurping is only acceptable with Japanese style noodles, never with western types like spaghetti and other pasta.

Rice

When going into the world of Japanese dating, you might as well get used to the idea of eating rice with practically every meal. It is a staple and main meals will generally include rice. Sushi in itself has rice, so even when going out for sushi, rice is still a part of the picture. Eating rice also has simple dos and don’ts. When eating a bowl of plain rice, it is generally acceptable to bring the bowl near your mouth as it is a graver offense to spill the rice. The Japanese do not look kindly upon excess and would like resources to be used efficiently. With this, it is also not acceptable to pour soy sauce directly on rice. This goes for sushi and sashimi as well. When eating fried rice, it is perfectly okay to use the large spoon (the one that you use for soup as well) as fried rice tends to scatter. With plain rice, it is usually more manageable to eat with chopsticks as plain rice tends to be stickier and tend to hold up in little clumps that your chopstick will manage to pick up.