Proper Suishi Etiquette.
December 13, 2005 9:25 AM   Subscribe

Please be careful to observe proper etiquette when dining on sushi. [31 MB .mov, coralized link]
posted by monju_bosatsu (49 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Ah ring a tow,
posted by hortense at 9:39 AM on December 13, 2005


mmmm.... squirrel sushi. That was delicious, thank you!
posted by malaprohibita at 9:39 AM on December 13, 2005


This is perfect in so many ways. It made my day.
posted by bashos_frog at 9:40 AM on December 13, 2005


I've noticed on more than one occassion that coralizing text works out pretty well but that coralizing media files ends up with missing bits. Am I alone in this? I'm trying the coralized link for giggles but the last few times I've downloaded a video file via coral it has bombed.
posted by cavalier at 9:42 AM on December 13, 2005


According to this thread, the video came from a DVD called Video Victim. I'm really curious as to what else is on the DVD.
posted by FissionChips at 9:43 AM on December 13, 2005


While I owe a debt of gratitude to real sushi tutorials, this was hi-larious.
posted by kosem at 9:47 AM on December 13, 2005


Maybe we can all chip in and have one of the Tokyo-based Mefites buy it for us. I would volunteer, but I'm back in the U.S. now.
Or maybe I can get my brother-in-law to order it for me - he's in the restaurant business, and he'd get a kick out of it, I'm sure.
posted by bashos_frog at 9:49 AM on December 13, 2005


Kosem - I was eating at a yatai on Aoyama-dori one night, when the owner asked me where I was from. When I told him NYC, he pulled out one of Yasuda's business cards and asked if I knew the place, as it was owned by a friend of his. Not only did I know it, but my wife worked there briefly before we met.
But this is the first time I've seen their tutorial - thanks for the link.
(Next time you're there, order the fried eel bones - pure crunchy goodness.)
posted by bashos_frog at 9:53 AM on December 13, 2005


Thanks very much!
posted by Rothko at 9:53 AM on December 13, 2005


If the number is 1, you should show a little guilt in your eyes.

That's what my mother always told me. And that you'll go blind if the number is 1 too often.
posted by JeffK at 9:53 AM on December 13, 2005


[this is fantastic]
posted by mystyk at 10:16 AM on December 13, 2005


Absolute brilliant. Are there more of these? While I realize they were just part of the schtick at the end, I'd love to see their episode on Sumo etiquette.
posted by aladfar at 10:19 AM on December 13, 2005


I'd really like to know how keenly this "proper sushi etiquette" is followed in Japan. I get the feeling that there are Western dish eating protocals that the Japanese are mystifyed by, which westerners rarely adhere to. I've never been to Japan, but in Hong Kong sushi eaters were biting pieces in half, loading wasabi in soy, and generally not being all gay about the whole thing.

I'm sure the Japanese are in awe of our "ceremonies" involving ordering, garnishing and eating Chicago style hotdogs or Philly Cheese-steaks. It's fucking food for christ sakes. I paid for it, I'll eat it how I want.
posted by sharksandwich at 10:32 AM on December 13, 2005


"Maa maa maa maa"
"Oh toh toh toh"

Awesome. Thanks for this!

And yes, Yasuda is really something. And VERY expensive. But wow, the fish! How does it stack up against the top places in Japan?
posted by mkultra at 10:33 AM on December 13, 2005


sharksandwich- Yes, the customs surrounding sushi in Japan seem to have broken down a lot in the past few decades, but there's nothing "gay" about their respect for dining. Their culinary tradition is much older than ours, and being a sushi chef is no minor undertaking. The Japanese also emphasize ceremony across the board.
posted by mkultra at 10:40 AM on December 13, 2005


Now I want to try Yamato w. Cucumber.
posted by Tenuki at 10:51 AM on December 13, 2005


sharksandwich & mkultra, did you watch the video? Or read the comments in this thread? It's a joke, the "traditions" being shown are very dry & subtle comic exaggerations. A clue would have been the "squirrel sushi" shown in the middle of the clip & referenced at the top of this post.
posted by jonson at 11:03 AM on December 13, 2005


I wonder what if any the rational behind proper sushi ettiquette is.
posted by ozomatli at 11:04 AM on December 13, 2005


But my favorite was the shot of pieces with hot-wheels cars instead of fish slices.
posted by mystyk at 11:10 AM on December 13, 2005


Joke, eh? *Whew!*
posted by squirrel at 11:13 AM on December 13, 2005


jonson- Yeah, it's obvious early on that it's a joke (pretty much as soon as they sit down), but there's a degree of etiquette to eating sushi (or, more properly, between you and the sushi chef) that is much more widespread than formal Western dining customs. I was just responding to sharksandwich's flippant dismissal of it.
posted by mkultra at 11:21 AM on December 13, 2005


I watched the vidoe several days ago. I was just posting a flippant dismissal of sushi eating etiquette.
posted by sharksandwich at 11:32 AM on December 13, 2005 [1 favorite]


jonson: I think everyone realizes that this is a joke, and that it's a very funny insider critique of the obsessiveness of Japanese sushi culture.

I may have sent the thread slightly in the wrong direction by linking to actual, non squirrel-based sushi etiquette.

mkultra And yes, Yasuda is really something. And VERY expensive. But wow, the fish! How does it stack up against the top places in Japan?

Yasuda is the best sushi I've eaten in the states. The fish is always flawless--it's my splurge restaurant. I've never eaten in one of the "top" places in Japan, as the omakase in one of those restaurants could be $1000 or more--and an a la carte meal at least $300. That said, I had some incredible sushi in Tokyo. My favorite sushi meals ever happened at 6 o'clock in the morning three days in a row in the Tsukiji fish market (Very useful Mefi discussion here), and particularly at Daiwa. While nothing will ever touch that experience for me, I do think Yasuda's food is equal or better.

on preview: mkultra was right to respond to shark sandwich. squirrel: !!
posted by kosem at 11:32 AM on December 13, 2005


I am pretty sure that this is "Japanese Tradition (Sushi)" by Junji Kojima. This can be found on the Best of ResFest vol 3, although this version seemed very slightly different (with different subtitles and voiceover). Enjoy!
posted by Rattmouth at 11:57 AM on December 13, 2005


So uhhh... what parts aren't real?
posted by jeffmik at 1:28 PM on December 13, 2005


Maybe we can all chip in and have one of the Tokyo-based Mefites buy it for us. I would volunteer, but I'm back in the U.S. now

Well, I'm one of those Tokyo-based Mefites and I can assure you this is a joke. And a funny one, too! As soon as I heard at the beginning "Japanese eat sushi every day", that's all I needed. Japanese don't eat sushi every day or even every week. It's not a delicacy, exactly, but more of a "go out to eat" type of thing.

Great link.
posted by zardoz at 2:39 PM on December 13, 2005


this is gari. no one knows what it is made of.

too funny.
posted by 3.2.3 at 3:00 PM on December 13, 2005


What does "maa maa maa" really mean? I love the idea of having a prescribed thing to say when you pour or receive a drink.
posted by squirrel at 3:03 PM on December 13, 2005


That said, I had some incredible sushi in Tokyo. My favorite sushi meals ever happened at 6 o'clock in the morning three days in a row in the Tsukiji fish market (Very useful Mefi discussion here), and particularly at Daiwa.

I too have done this many times--the best sushi I've ever had as well! Daiwa was wonderful. It basically ruined me for sushi in the States.

Mmmmm, sushi.....
posted by josh at 3:14 PM on December 13, 2005


That is why Japanese people's feet sometimes smell like vinegar...

Hilarious link, thx.. Although I won't thank you for waking the sushi-fiend in me - it's an expensive craving.
posted by hypersloth at 4:09 PM on December 13, 2005


oh also,

Ten ways to make a sushi chef lose it:

1. “Hold the onions and slap some gravy on the fries willya?”
2. Send back every piece of Nigiri and yell, “Don’t you people know what medium-well means?”
3. Ask for ketchup.
4. “I don’t know what’s in sushi, but it sure is good! Just glad there’s no seafood in it cause I’m deathly allergic to fish.”
5. Tell the chef his sushi was, “Not as good as the refrigerated sushi at Costco.”
6. “Waaassssssaaaaaaaabbbbiiiiiiii!”
7. “What is this shit? It looks like raw fish and rice.”
8. “My goldfish died today. Can we eat him?”
9. “I’ll take a breast and thigh meal.”
10. “Are the Godzilla rolls really made from Godzilla?”
posted by hypersloth at 4:11 PM on December 13, 2005


Aa, monjusan, sankyuu beri machi.
posted by GooseOnTheLoose at 4:33 PM on December 13, 2005


"Maa maa maa maa"
"Oh toh toh toh"


That's actually not a joke. I watched this video awhile ago with my japanese friend here in Japan, and she confirmed its embarrassing, yet hilarious, truth. I use it all the time now.
posted by jsonic at 5:10 PM on December 13, 2005


"Maa maa maa maa"
"Oh toh toh toh"


I can only give a rough approximation of the meaning as my extended family uses similar expressions though I've never been given an actual explanation of it. Essentially it's akin to saying:

"Here, have some (more)"
"(Thank you), not so much"


You'll never find it in a dictionary because these are more closely related to grunts and noises than actual language.

< /disclaimer: chinese perspective>
posted by junesix at 5:43 PM on December 13, 2005


this is such a great combination of truth and lies, it's brilliant.

and oh man, the kappa rolls at the end are hilarious.

also, I love the sort of stella vibe that the two guys have.
posted by dorian at 6:02 PM on December 13, 2005


"Maa maa maa maa"

That one is still used occasionally.

"Oh toh toh toh"

I haven't heard that once in 3 years in Tokyo. It's more of an older-generation thing (i.e. people in their 50's 60's.)
posted by gen at 6:10 PM on December 13, 2005


That was great! What fraction of that was serious etiquette? Also, is there no wasabi in Japan? I'm hungry...want sushi now!
posted by ParisParamus at 6:26 PM on December 13, 2005


Brings back for me the mystery of things no longer mysterious; French culture, actually. When there actually was a French culture.
posted by ParisParamus at 6:27 PM on December 13, 2005


Also, is there no wasabi in Japan?

I've found that the sushi chefs in Japan put a certain amount of wasabi in or on the sushi itself, unless that particular piece doesn't need wasabi.
posted by jsonic at 6:30 PM on December 13, 2005


At a sushiya in Fukuoka day before yesterday, the chef kept hitting me with free stuff (I was the only one in the place at the time? I looked hungry? I dunno), one of which was "roast beef nigiri". No A1 sauce though, but it was fine.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:48 PM on December 13, 2005


Zardoz: I know it's a joke, it's the first thing I've seen online in months that made me laugh out loud. I want to see the other funny stuff on the DVD. I'm gonna try some of the Japanese video stores here, before I order it from abroad, though.

And , yeah, I think I had sushi (in a restaurant) maybe a dozen times in the 3 years I lived in Japan. ALthough there were a couple of inexpensive, conveyor-belt, sushi places that were fun to go to with the wife and son.

(I'd also love to see one of these done for ramen, though I think Tampopo covers that ground pretty well.)
posted by bashos_frog at 6:53 PM on December 13, 2005


Joseph Gurl, since you're on the island of Kyushu, try some basashi (raw horse sushi) next time. It's a famous delicacy in sushi shops in the Kyushu area.
posted by jsonic at 7:04 PM on December 13, 2005


tampopo is evil in that it always makes me deliriously hungry for quality ramen. good thing there is the reasonably decent ramen district in nyc just south of central park. and no I'm not saying what my favorite shop is, get your own damned ramen!
posted by dorian at 7:26 PM on December 13, 2005


Just how rare is it for the average Japanese to have sushi? Is it a once a month thing? A few times a year? More?
posted by ParisParamus at 7:33 PM on December 13, 2005


That was beautiful...
posted by hototogisu at 9:12 PM on December 13, 2005


IT IS THE SAMURI WAY!
posted by Citizen Premier at 10:20 PM on December 13, 2005


Jeezuss, theren't words for how much I adore sushi, so it pains me to direct you to the Chicago Tribune's recent expose on mercury in fish" (It's basically everywhere). registration and imbedded video, bastards
I'm gonna eat it anyway... fish, not the Tribune
posted by OneOliveShort at 12:56 AM on December 14, 2005


jsonic - I was just in Fukuoka for a day. I live in Seoul, where I will likely have some live octopus this week. mmmm...
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:43 PM on December 14, 2005


[fabulous]
posted by seawallrunner at 5:36 PM on December 15, 2005


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