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Is it Rude...

jrobin's picture

Is it Rude... (post #69797)

jrobin on Mon, 04/26/2010 - 19:16
in

...to request that sushi be cut into smaller pieces when you place your order??

I love the stuff, but you can't successfully cut them and a whole piece almost suffocates me they are soooo big!

jennifer

-A +A
JAlden's picture

I wouldn't think (post #69797, reply #1 of 6)

by JAlden in reply to jrobin [original] on Tue, 04/27/2010 - 06:24

I wouldn't think so.

 

Did someone give you a funny look or something?

 

jrobin's picture

I've never asked to have them (post #69797, reply #2 of 6)

by jrobin in reply to JAlden [original] on Tue, 04/27/2010 - 06:34

I've never asked to have them cut smaller. I didn't know if it is considered disrespectful to make that request.  I love sushi, but the bites they cut them into are huge.  How does anyone stuff all that into their mouth??  And then if you get the wasabi jammed up into your upper lip, with a stuffed mouth your sort of stuck until you can swallow some of it.

Jennifer

jkvogel's picture

sushi (post #69797, reply #3 of 6)

by jkvogel in reply to jrobin [original] on Tue, 04/27/2010 - 09:05

Jennifer,

I lived in NYC for many years so I'm probably not the best person  to respond to this, but I checked "The Japanese Kitchen" by Hiroko Shimbo.

In her section on etiquette she says that if the food is too hard to cut with chopsticks, pick it up with chopsticks, take a bite, and put the rest back on your plate.

I remember some years ago being told by a Japanese friend that maki and most sushi can be picked up by hand and eaten in two bites without worrying about chopsticks.

Hey - the worst that could happen is the chef gives you a funny look. Oh, well.....LOL

 

Ken

 

Pielove's picture

Two-bite sushi (post #69797, reply #4 of 6)

by Pielove in reply to jkvogel [original] on Tue, 04/27/2010 - 18:09

Jen, interesting idea-- I find it very difficult to gracefully bite some of those rolls in half, without having the rice and other stuff fall all over the place.   I love the idea of bite-size sushi!

pie 

jrobin's picture

I really thought there might (post #69797, reply #5 of 6)

by jrobin in reply to Pielove [original] on Wed, 04/28/2010 - 04:57

I really thought there might be a Japanese etiquette thing... like not waiving your chopsticks around.  It is an art to the whole presentation of colors, textures, tastes.  I do not want to offend the chef who puts time and effort into his creation. 

Methinks from now on I'm going to just ask ahead to have them cut smaller.  Darn things are impossible to cut, bite in half and then forget about trying to organize that second half into 2 skinny pieces of wood without falling all apart into your soy sauce! Oy!

Jennifer

 

Gretchen's picture

If I were on the other board (post #69797, reply #6 of 6)

by Gretchen in reply to jrobin [original] on Wed, 04/28/2010 - 06:24

If I were on the other board I would be inviting "Yeah, really big mouth", but I don't have a problem with  being able to either eat it in one bite, which I have been told is correct--or to take a bite and put it back. I can't keep track of which is the rice on the outside, which doesn't do at all well with two bites.  Maybe it is our sushi places  that wrap it tighter, cut it smaller, etc., but just not a problem.

Gretchen