300990 Sat Oct 22 15:26:03 -0700 2005 5 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1676160 Sometimes I order chirashi sushi at japanese restaurants, but I always end up regretting it because I just don't know how to eat it. Some bites are all rice and some are all fish and I always end up finishing the fish long before the rice. The experience always ends up being disappointing in comparison to eating nigiri or maki. What is the proper way to eat chirashi sushi? Are you supposed to mix it up like bibimbap? Is it like nigiri where each piece of fish is supposed to be eaten in one bite? Are you supposed to make your own nigiri? Do you add soy sauce to the bowl or dip each bite? Are you supposed to take that lump of wasabi in the bowl out or do you leave it in there and spread it around? Do you eat the shiso leaf whole or take little nibbles? Sat Oct 22 15:26:03 -0700 2005 0 Humbucker 1 1676172 Nobody's going to flee in "etiquette outrage" if you do as you please (though making your own nigiri would be just plain weird), but my preference is: sometimes I mix it about, more often I enjoy some bites that are just fish and some that are just rice. Many people use the lump of wasabi mixed in their soy sauce dish, I prefer to smear a bit directly on some bites of fish (I like the vivid taste). I wouldn't add soy sauce to the bowl - dip some bites of fish, eat the rice plain (myself, I never use soy sauce at all). I've never seen a shiso leaf. Sun Oct 23 00:32:44 -0700 2005 1676160 0 Wayne Keyser 2 1676177 My favorite sushi place in Tokyo is known for their chirashizushi. It is layered with glistening pieces of toro, salmon, octopus, egg, ikura salmon roe, and much more. There is a small dish on the side for soy sauce and wasabi. I may dip a few pieces of the fish in the soy sauce mix and then bring it back on top of the rice. Key is to try and eat the rice with the fish. If you have shiso, eat the whole leaf in one bite. Sun Oct 23 08:06:50 -0700 2005 1676172 0 Yukari 3 1676990 I agree, trying to eat the rice and fish together, for me at least, is part of the pleasure of chirashi. Enjoy, take your time. I usually eat one piece of a certain kind of fish and then mix the rest with rice. ah.....chirashi Wed Nov 02 00:35:08 -0800 2005 1676177 0 THE GREEK 2 1676259 Concur about the "etiquette outrage" HaHA! My BF is Japanese and he just picks up the bowl and basically likes to stuff his mouth as much as possible with all the different ingredients. He likes it that way...Go figure! Whereas I'm the total opposite. It was quite shocking to see it for the first time, but whatever floats your boat. Just enjoy! Tue Oct 25 01:23:00 -0700 2005 1676172 0 HungryAll the Time 1 1676210 If you've ever eaten any kind of donburi, it's pretty much the same concept. Don't mix it. Take pieces of fish, dip it in soy/wasabi and alternate with rice as you like. I suppose it's like eating anything else where there's an assortment of items on a single dish, like alternating bites of your burger with a few fries, or eating bites from your turkey, then stuffing, then potatoes, and vegetables. With the shiso, try using it as a wrap with your favorite piece of fish (and some strings of daikon, if there's some as a garnish), dip and eat. Don't wrap the rice though. FYI, ika (squid) and shiso go really well together IMO. Mon Oct 24 11:14:47 -0700 2005 1676160 0 Eric Eto