Eat Sushi Like a Pro!

I remember when I went into a sushi restaurant for the first time. Never a fan of much cooked fish, I was a little concerned about the prospect of eating it raw. Then, I fell in love. The atmosphere, strange music and overall vibe won me over immediately. There was one more hurdle- the food. I started off easy with California rolls and seaweed salad. I quickly discovered that Sake is not for me, but that Chardonnay seems to go with everything. As time went on my friends, Ellen and Karen, introduced me to Spicy Scallops-which we re-named, "If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Wanna' Be Right." Broiled mayo on top of what some view as a "health" food was just the best! I enjoyed Spicy Scallops again last night with my family at Yosaku and my eyes still roll to the back of my head when I eat them!

After many years of enjoying it, and Mark traveling to Japan a couple of times, I've got some tips on how to eat sushi in a traditionally polite way:

Don't rub your disposable wooden chopsticks together.
If you aren't terrific with chopsticks, you will be relieved to know that sushi is traditionally eaten with fingers! That's why you get the lovely, warm, damp towels before your meal at better sushi restaurants.
Soy sauce and wasabi should be used very sparingly! You don't want to overpower the taste of the fish.
Don't fill up your soy sauce dish to the rim. It's considered wasteful.
The wasabi should go directly onto the fish, not mixed in with the soy sauce.
When you dip a piece of sushi in soy sauce, don't go in rice side down. Your rice gets soggy and heavy and then it falls apart. Roll your piece of sushi onto it's side and dip only the fish in the soy sauce.
Ginger is supposed to be used as a palate cleanser between bites of sushi, don't put it on top of the fish.

Living where we do, there is no better way to enjoy the marvelous seafood around us. My other sushi restaurant tip, deep fried ginger ice cream!

Do you have a favorite sushi spot? Comment on our Fan Page or tweet #mainesushi

Celeste