chopsticks or fingers?

[squishy]

hi! i'm new here.

sushi is my new favorite. i usually buy those that come in boxes and eat at home. i say i can hold the chopsticks, not too well maybe, but good enough to hold the pieces together 

i just wonder though how to eat the bigger sushi in higher-end sushi bars. i find it a little too hard using the chopsticks on bigger pieces. shall i use my fingers in public? or is it a no-no?

sorry, i don't think there's such thing as a stupid question 

[osowakki]

Welcome squishy! (stands for shy squid?)

Very good question!

I tend to pass on the chopsticks only with nigiri, especially with unagi which is  to good to have in one bite and therefor the chopsticks are useless.. So it's definitely a not-no-no (meaning it's a yes) in my dictionary.

For all the other bite-size sushi pieces I say practice makes prefect. 

[sushidog]

When Edomaezushi (Tokyo style sushi) was first created, it was a very informal "street food." Edoko would purchase their sushi from rolling roadside sushi vendors known as Yatai. Patrons would stand, eat by hand and dip their sushi into communal bowls of soy sauce. When done, the diner would ceremoniously clean their soiled hands on the short blue noren (curtains) that advertised the shops wares.

Sushi has certainly evolved to more formal settings, but it has never strayed far from it's roots. When my wife used to work for a Japanese company in California, she would often be invited to dine with native Japanese in exclusive, predominantly Japanese sushi bars. Her fellow Gaikokujin (non Japanese) diners would carefully and ritually ply their less than dexterous chopstick skills, subsequently droping their sushi, or violating the convolute Japanese table etiquite with great regularity.

On the other hand, knowing the tradition, my wife simply dove in to the fray without unsheathing her hashi. She was invariably met with a smile and a nod from those native Japanese diners in the know, who would similarly roll up their sleeves (figuratively of course) and dive in, fingers first. It is a signal that you are among friends, and that no pretenses are neccessary as you proceed through the nights merriment. 

In a strictly formal or serious setting, however, follow your host's lead. It is never wrong to use chipsticks, if you are adroit. It may make you look a little stuffy or stand-offish though, when dining among friends or close business associates.

[Ladygaga17]

Chopsticks are a pair of small, equal-length, tapered sticks. They are used as the traditional eating utensils of China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Generally believed to have originated in ancient China, they can also be found in some areas of Tibet and Nepal that are close to Han Chinese populations.

Chopsticks are most commonly made of bamboo or plastic, but are also made of metal, bone, ivory, and various types of wood. The pair of sticks is maneuvered in one hand, between the thumb and fingers, and used to pick up pieces of food.

I guess, it's better to use chopsticks than your fingers while you are eating.





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[jessica]

Well, I often prefer using chopsticks since I'm more comfortable with that but I don't really mind seeing anyone using their fingers especially if its just a bite-size piece.