eating
the raw deal
A little know-how can go a long way when eating sushi. BY PATRICK CADY
photos by Kit Lefler/Kansan Daniel Lee, Leawood junior, has been a chef at Wa for four months, and learned his trade from the current head chef. "I got to learn it all. There's so much emphasis on little details when it comes to making sushi. It's kind of like an artform. Presentation is the key." Lee said.
The plate gleams. The gray ceramic is untouched except for a small circular piece of sushi. It's like a painting.
The California Roll, created with a compact harmony, contains whites, greens and pinks. Taken in with the swirling music and dim light reflecting off the Wa's woodbar, the entire scene bursts with the essence of the hip and exotic. Chopsticks, or hashi, dangle precariously off another small plate. The chef lays a wooden platter filled with more colorful cuts of raw fish in front of you, which begs the question: How do you eat it?
More importantly, how do you eat it politely? In this hyperglobal society, when your next promotion may rest on how you act in a sushi bar, knowing the correct etiquette could be golden. Even if that isn't the case, learning some new dining rules will improve you as a world citizen. "As Americans we just tend to let things slide when we eat, we're so laid-back," says Daniel Kolsky, manager at Wa, 740 Massachusetts St.
That laid-back attitude may not fly in all cultures. So, if you're interested reader-san, you're in luck. Here are a few tips, gathered with a little help from staff at Wa, to make your Japanese dining experience impeccably couth and smooth.
The first step in this journey is to understand the differences between Japanese and American cultures. Min Shin, a Korean who spent 13 years in Japan and the chief chef at Wa, says when you enter a sushi restaurant in Japan you're greeted by a host and taken to a set of tatami mats. There you sit on the floor and receive warm cups of tea. You also receive constant attention from the staff as you progress through the courses of the evening. That fits. The Japanese cultural imperative stresses courteousness, honor and respect.
If you're lucky enough to meet the chef preparing your meal and he bows for you, it is respectable to bow similarly in front
6 jayplay
thursday, november 13, 2003