Japanese Food Table Seating Etiquette

Every country has a different culture and has its own unique cultural etiquette. So do you know the Japanese table manners? The following is my carefully prepared Japanese cuisine table seating etiquette, you can refer to the following content Oh!

First, the characteristics of Japanese food

Want to understand the table manners of Japanese food, we must first understand the characteristics of Japanese food. The main features of Japanese food can be summarized as "five flavors", "five colors" and "five methods". Five flavors refers to the different seasons, the Japanese people's dietary tastes focus is also different, usually spring bitter, summer sour, autumn nourishment, winter sweet, in addition to the preference for astringent taste. The five colors refer to the color combinations of the dishes, usually green in spring, vermilion in summer, white in autumn, and genki in winter. And five methods refers to and food cooking methods, mainly steam, burn, boil, fry, raw and other five.

Here's a tip to keep in mind: when eating sashimi and deep-fried food (tempura), the order of enjoying the food is from light-colored, light-flavored food to dark-colored, heavy-flavored food. This way the palate is not disrupted and you can fully enjoy the fresh flavors of each food.

The use of cutlery

If you go to a restaurant, the cutlery is often already set up, so you don't need to worry too much about setting it up. However, if you are invited to a Japanese home as a guest, then you need to pay some attention. Japanese tableware mainly has chopsticks, tea cups, rice bowls, soup bowls these four. The way to place them is to put the rice bowl on the left, the soup bowl on the right, and the chopsticks should be placed horizontally on the chopstick holders.

1. Teacups and Sake pots

It is important to note that teacups are different for men and women in Japan. Men use taller teacups, while women's are shorter. The same goes for sake pots.

2. Rice Bowls and Soup Bowls

So how do you tell rice bowls from soup bowls? Rice bowls have a wider bowl portion, while soup bowls are deeper and have a pronounced concavity. In this case, the rice bowls used by men are larger than those used by women, while soup bowls are a bit taller than those used by women. Both rice bowls and soup bowls have lids, and the lids are opened together during the meal, with the left one on the left and the right one on the right. Put the lids back on when the meal is over.

3. Chopsticks

Although the Japanese also use chopsticks, but with us it is still very different, and the way to use is the most important thing to pay attention to. In Japan, chopsticks are called Hashi, which are pointed chopsticks, not the flat ones we use at home. How to use chopsticks properly is the basis of Japanese table manners.

So why are Chinese and Korean chopsticks placed vertically, while Japanese chopsticks are placed horizontally? There is no precise answer to this, but there is a theory that when chopsticks were introduced to Japan, the ancient Chinese chopsticks were placed horizontally. During the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't like to put chopsticks horizontally, so China gradually put chopsticks vertically, but the Japanese never changed it because they thought it was disrespectful to put chopsticks vertically to point at people. This is also an answer to the question of chopstick placement.

Picking up chopsticks

First, pick up your chopsticks with your right hand, remove the covers if there are any, and place them to the left of the food or next to a cushion.

Next, hold the chopsticks underneath with your left hand.

Then slide your right hand under the chopsticks.

Putting the chopsticks

Hold the chopsticks in your right hand and rest your left hand underneath.

Slide your right hand to grasp the top side of the chopsticks.

Quietly place the chopsticks across the chopstick holder. Always place the chopsticks horizontally, and return them to the chopstick rest halfway through the meal, again horizontally, with the chopsticks not facing another person. If chopsticks are stained with leftover food, wipe them clean with a napkin. Do not lick your chopsticks, as this is very unsightly. If you don't have a chopstick pillow, gently tie a knot in the chopstick cover and use it as a chopstick pillow.

Although you can hold chopsticks in both your left and right hands, if you want to look sophisticated, use your right hand to hold the chopsticks, with your thumb and forefinger pinching the top end of the chopsticks, and the other three fingers bending naturally to hold the chopsticks, and making sure that the ends are aligned.

In addition to this, you should also pay attention to the use of sanitary chopsticks. Most people use chopsticks for hospitality, but more formal restaurants use high quality chopsticks such as cedar chopsticks with a clear wood grain. Once you have picked up the chopsticks as described above, it is more elegant to hold them flat and "just pull" them as if opening a fan, rather than stand them up and break them apart. Also, except in the case of very simple chopsticks, pulling them apart and rubbing the tips is a very bad habit.

So, knowing the various habits, what happens to the chopsticks when you're holding the bowl in your hand? When you eat Japanese food, you mostly eat with a bowl in your hand. If you already have chopsticks in your hand, and then take the bowl or put it down with the same hand, it does not violate the etiquette, but it does not look very elegant. The elegant thing to do is to put down the chopsticks in your hand and then straighten all your fingers to pick up the bowl. If you already have a bowl in your hand, the way you pick up the chopsticks is different. When holding the left end of the chopsticks between the middle and ring fingers of your left hand (or between the ring and little fingers), then reverse the hold with your right hand. If you find it cumbersome, then make sure to put down the chopsticks in your hand first every time you want to reach for the bowl.

It's important to note that after eating, you should always return all used utensils to their original location, put the lid back on the bowl, and return the chopsticks to the chopstick case, chopstick tray, or paper bag. In addition, there are ten other taboos to remember when using chopsticks, or else you will be perceived as having a low level of personal literacy:

Precautions

Lick your chopsticks with your tongue.

Using chopsticks as toothpicks.

Don't swallow chopsticks upside down in your mouth.

Sticking chopsticks in rice or using them as a fork to fork something.

Use your chopsticks to pick at your food.

Holding the chopsticks over the rice and wiggling them around, holding them up.

Don't put your chopsticks on top of your plate or bowl.

Don't suck chopsticks like candy.

Don't use the tips of chopsticks to point at people or things.

Don't use chopsticks as knives.

In addition to these items, pocket paper is also very important in Japanese food, but it is not prepared by the restaurant, but brought by the guests themselves.

4, Kaiseki

Kaiseki is folded up and put in the arms of the kimono carry two folds of washi paper, change the plate or drink tea after wiping the mouth of the bowl of tea prints when used. Nowadays, some restaurants also prepare kaiseki for their customers, which can be used in the following ways:

It can be used in place of a napkin. You can use it to wipe the corners of your mouth or wipe the stains on the table.

It can be used instead of a small plate. You can put a pocket paper on your left hand when you are eating food with crumbs like dry snacks or when you are eating food with juices.

When eating grilled fish'. Wrap the head of the fish with the paper to remove the spines. You can also cover the leftover fish bones with a piece of tissue paper to make it look more beautiful.

If you want to express your knowledge and literacy, then the appropriate use of wai paper is a good way to express.

Three, dining etiquette

Before and after the meal to express two feelings in a loud voice, before the meal to say "Itadakimasu" (I want to start eating); after the meal to say " go-chiso-chiso-chiso-chiso". go-chiso-samadeshita (thank you for your hospitality)" to express gratitude to the host for preparing this delicious meal.

A Japanese meal usually consists of a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, and two or three dishes. The more side dishes you have, the more formal and elegant the meal is. Looking at a table full of delicious food, where do you start to taste it? The correct order of eating is to start with a small sip of hot soup, and then start tasting the dishes in the order in which they were served. But if there are a lot of dishes, or are served together, then there is no requirement for the order of eating dishes, but do not just focus on eating a dish, there is an order to taste each dish in a cycle, so that the proportion of each dish are equal, in order to eat all the dishes at the same time. In addition, in the dining process, you also need to pay attention to these items.

1. Don't talk about the restroom during meals

2. Don't talk when there is food in your mouth

3. Don't spit out what you eat in your mouth

4. Avoid coughing, sneezing, or hiccups during meals

5. Don't put fish bones and spikes on the table when you eat fish.

6. You can't eat food in a hurry

7. Warm towels that have been used should be folded and put away, not left lying around.

8. Pay attention to the person next to you at the table, especially women or older people

9. Don't eat before the food is served.

For many of us, when we eat soup, we always put our hands under our mouths for fear of the soup dripping. This is very rude in Japanese food, if you are worried about the soup dripping, then use the pocket paper to replace the plate, so that it is not rude. For women, don't wear perfume that smells too strong when you go to a banquet, and it's best not to wear a big ring on your hand, because sometimes the vessels that hold the Japanese food are very valuable, and if the ring scratches the vessel, it's not worth it.

1, row seat

If you are going to a banquet, the host will usually arrange the guests' seats. The guest of honor or the guest of honor couple will sit facing the host couple. When you come to the restaurant, the oldest is usually seated first. If there are guests, the guests will go first. For formal banquets, the latecomers arrive before the elders. After entering a private room, the host or superior should sit in the place farthest from the door, and the person with the lowest position should sit near the door to make it easier to pass the food or close the door. For private parties, the person who pays the bill sits close to the door.

2, sitting

In dining, if the restaurant provides us with common tables and chairs, then maintain a normal, decent sitting posture can be. What we need to pay attention to is the uncommon "tatami" sitting posture. When you enter a tatami room, you must remove your hat, gloves, and shoes, but you can wear socks. Japanese people sit on a zabuton (Japanese word for "seat") when sitting on a tatami mat. The correct way to do this is called Shoza, or Seiza in Japanese, and requires you to kneel with your knees together and your buttocks pressed against the root. This type of sitting is very formal.

The more relaxed practices are cross-legged seating (called Agura in Japanese) and horizontal seating (called Yoko suwari in Japanese). Men generally do cross-legged seating, which means crossing their feet in front of them and landing on their hips. For women, it is yokozuna, which means that they place their legs a little sideways, with their body not pressing down on their feet. Above we have talked about the Japanese dining etiquette of seating order, sitting posture, precautions to be taken during meals, use and placement of tableware, etc. So what are the other table manners that you need to pay attention to when savoring different foods? Below, take a look.

3. Sucking

In Japan you will find that soup is served without a spoon. So you can lift the bowl, take a whiff of the aroma and then drink it slowly. If there are edible ingredients in the soup, you can just use chopsticks to take a sip and then take a bite. If there are shellfish like clams in the soup, you can use chopsticks to press down on the shells and then savor them.

4, sashimi

That is, sashimi, usually accompanied by white fish, shellfish, tuna, shredded white radish, shiso, wasabi and so on. Eat it by starting with the pale white, less fatty white meat sashimi, then moving on to the richer or more flavorful red meat sashimi. When eating lower-end Japanese food, such as rotary sushi and the like, people often dissolve wasabi in soy sauce and dip it in, but if you're eating higher-end Japanese food, be sure to note that wasabi cannot be dissolved in soy sauce!

The correct way to do it is: wasabi should take a small amount and dip it into the sashimi, then dip the other third of the side into soy sauce, not too much or too little, and condiments in small quantities in order to eat the original flavor of the sashimi. When you are eating different sashimi in a row, use mashed daikon radish to clear your taste buds. Daikon leaves should also be eaten at the same time, and it's easier to eat them wrapped in a large leaf.

5, boiled things

Boiled as a cooking method of intermediate dishes, Kanto boiled generally boiled until the soup boiled dry, the flavor is heavier; Kansai boiled will retain more soup, the flavor is lighter. Like taro a class of difficult to use chopsticks to clip the food, never use chopsticks tie to eat! Keep in mind that stabbing with chopsticks is a behavior that is absolutely forbidden when using chopsticks. You should not use your hands to transfer a portion of food from a large plate to your own small plate. Vegetables that have large pieces need to be able to be eaten with their faces covered.

6, burning things

That is, grilled food, usually grilled fish. Eat grilled fish, you can break the fish tail, and then use chopsticks to poke open the fish belly, a chopstick to press the head, a chopstick to turn off the skin (because the skin of the fish by the charcoal grill, the skin is a healthy and elegant way to eat), from the left to eat. Eat grilled fish can not be turned over, use chopsticks to pick out the fish head, tail, bones on the dinner plate to put, in continue to eat the other side. At the same time eat some white radish has the effect of removing fishy. After eating, you need to use the decorative industry to cover the food residue.

7, Yang thing

That is, fried food, Japanese food is the most famous Yang thing is tempura, which is the crown of the shrimp. Tempura hanging batter the thinner the better, the hotter the more flavorful, the best fried now eat, good tempura outside the crispy, delicious, soft and sweet material. When eating tempura, you should bite into it slowly, not in one gulp, but little by little. What is the order of taste when eating tempura? Generally yang food is arranged according to taste, usually in the order of fried shrimp, fried fish, fried vegetables.

8, steamed things

That is, steam-based dishes, sometimes as a substitute for boiled and burned things. When eating steamed food in a teacup, hold the teacup steady with one hand, and with the other hand, cut the diameter of the spoon, and then cut a circle along the wall of the cup in the interior to perfectly separate the egg from the teacup. After that, you can eat it with a spoon.

9, vinegar things

That is, vinegar mixed with cold dishes, can not be used as a main dish. Western-style salad has become an important member of the gazpacho series after Japanese improvement. It is best to eat vinegar coleslaw in two or three servings, not all at once.

10, imperial rice, juice, fragrant things

That is, rice, miso soup and other staples. Miso soup is divided into clear soup and miso soup, also known as a stop bowl, indicating the end of a complete set of dishes in the order in which they are served. Rice can only be filled seven or eight minutes full, and filling the bowl means saying goodbye forever. When eating, the bowl must be used for the mouth, avoiding only using chopsticks to clip rice. Rice to eat half to eat kimchi, and must clip a piece to eat a piece, avoid only a small bite and temporarily placed on the rice.

11, sushi

Sushi when the Japanese people's traditional food, before ordering a warm towel to wipe your hands clean, and then order. If you don't know what to order, ask the chef for his opinion. In Japan, it is polite to ask the chef's opinion. Do not use chopsticks when eating sushi, but use your hands. Don't dip the sushi in too much seasoning either, as it will affect the fresh flavor. It is best to put the sushi directly into your mouth and eat it in one bite. In the process of dining, do not let the chef take drinks, chopsticks, bills and other items, which is very rude to people.

Steps

1. Hold the sushi - don't pinch it.

2. Tilt it slightly.

3. Turn it upside down.

4. Dab it lightly with soy sauce.

5. Put the whole sushi into your mouth and taste the texture and flavor of the sashimi with soy sauce.

Note: The reason for turning the sushi upside down is simple: dipping the rice directly into the soy sauce can cause the rice to fall apart. It also spoils the flavor of the sushi by getting too much soy sauce on the rice.

12, soup

Japan's Miso soup (Miso shiro) is very famous, when you drink soup, you should hold the bowl in your left hand and chopsticks in your right hand, bring the bowl to your mouth to drink, and drink while using chopsticks to stir. When holding the bowl, the thumb holds the mouth of the bowl and the index, middle and ring fingers hold the bottom of the bowl. It is best to make noise when drinking soup, do not feel unseemly, making noise shows that the soup is very good, is a kind of respect for the chef.

13, noodles

Many friends know that in Japan to eat noodles must make a sound, which indicates that the noodles are very good. This is true, but when the noodles are served, you can't eat them right away. You have to enjoy the "foreign trade" first, then smell the flavor, and finally eat. Japanese people usually take the noodles directly from the soup bowl into their mouths. You can't add seasoning to the noodles before you eat them, which means you don't trust the chef to cook them, but after you've had a few bites, you can add any seasoning you want. When drinking soup, Japanese people usually pick up the bowl and drink it, but you can also drink it with a spoon.

14. Rice

The rice here refers to white rice (Gohan). When you eat, use your left hand to bring the bowl up to your chest, with your thumb on the mouth of the bowl, and your index, middle, and ring fingers on the bottom of the bowl, and don't get too close to your mouth, and use your right hand to hold the chopsticks afterward. Do not wolf down the food, it is best to finish the food in your mouth before taking the next bite. It is important to note that you should not put the dish on top of the rice, but rather eat the meal first before eating the dish.

15, curry rice

Curry rice is not just a traditional Indian food, Japanese curry rice is also very famous, in Japan curry rice is called Kare Raisu. to eat the meal, first put the curry spices on the rice, and then use a large spoon to eat, do not use chopsticks, and then eat slowly.

16. Drinking Etiquette

In Japan, you can only drink alcohol after the age of 20. How to hold a glass for men: lightly press the rim of the glass with your thumb and forefinger, and bend the rest of your fingers naturally inwards. How women hold the glass: Hold the glass with your right hand, and with your left hand, center your middle finger on the bottom of the glass with your fingertips. The first time someone pours you a drink, out of politeness you must take a sip, if you are not able to drink and do not want to drink more you can say so at the second time, Japan does not have the habit of persuading people to drink.

In Japan, you don't pour yourself a drink, but two people pour each other a drink. When pouring, look at the mouth of the glass, and when you leave your seat to pour, don't pour from your own bottle, but always use the bottle that is sitting on the other person's table. When pouring, be careful not to let the cups and the decanter collide. If the decanter or the bottle is heavy, hold it with your right hand while holding it gently with your left hand, and be careful to pour to the brim. The other party should not hold the glass in their hands while pouring, but place it on the table.

Drinking

When drinking alcoholic beverages, it is customary for Japanese people to pour alcohol for the other party, rather than pouring it for themselves. So when drinking in Japan, you can always check your friend's glass and pour them some wine when their glass is almost empty. Likewise, if a friend offers you a drink, quickly empty your glass and pick it up to accept the offer. In some fine restaurants, such as Japanese restaurants serving Kaiseki cuisine (Japanese feasts), getting drunk is considered to be a very bad form of behavior. In a foreign country, you should try to avoid the unpleasantness of drunkenness even in an ordinary bistro.

At the beginning of a meal, it is common to say "kanpai" (干杯) and raise your glass***. At this point, you should avoid saying the Chinese phrase "请，请(ching,ching)", because the pronunciation of "请(qing)" can be easily heard as "qin" in Japanese, and "qin" in Japanese. ", which is pronounced "qin qin" in Japanese, meaning male genitalia.

17. Tea Drinking Etiquette

The Japanese love tea and serve different kinds of tea at different times of the meal. Generally speaking, green tea is served before the meal, and sencha is served during and after the meal. There is a distinction between men and women in tea drinking etiquette. The correct way for a woman to drink tea is to hold the cup in her right hand, with the fingers of her left hand supporting the cup. For men, one or both hands can be used to hold the cup.

Four, other notes

1, do not let the table on the dirty mess

Leftover fish bones, chicken bones, meat bones, and seafood shellfish, etc., do not put directly on the table above, should be focused on a plate of a place to try to not let the people at the same table to see the residue of the impact on the appetite, but also let the store to see the residue, the people will also be able to see the food. The restaurant's service staff will also be able to clean up the table easily.

2, dining should be held in the hands of the bowl and plate

In the dining, should be picked up to the chest of the bowl or plate to eat, if you do not pick up the bowl or plate, but low close to the cutlery to eat, not only is not beautiful, but also give people a bad impression.

3, depending on the amount of personal food to take the right amount of food

Japanese people believe that not leftover food and food is not wasted food is the etiquette of dining, is the respect for food. Therefore, when dining in a Japanese cafeteria, it is important to take as much or as little food as you like to avoid wasting it.

4, started and thank you for hospitality

In Japan, before eating, everyone should put their hands together and say "start" (pronounced: i ta da gi mas), after finishing the meal to say "thank you for hospitality" (pronounced: i ta da gi mas), and after finishing the meal to say "thank you for hospitality" (pronounced: i ta da gi mas). "(pronounced: go qi sou wu sa ma dei xi ta). This is a way of honoring and respecting the food and the chef who made it.

5. Drinking after a toast

In Japanese pubs and izakayas, the Japanese, like the Chinese, toast together before eating. However, in Japan, after the toast, the Japanese do not drink it all in one gulp, but take a sip first, and then chat while eating, the Japanese prefer to enjoy the process of drinking slowly. The Japanese prefer to enjoy the process of drinking slowly, which is different from the meaning of the Chinese cheers.