Japanese basic table manner

If you are a fan of japanese food, I bet you also know that japanese use chopstick instead of spoon and fork, they sit on tatami facing low table and use bowl a lot instead if plate. But Japanese table manner doesn't stop there.

Let's learn Japanese basic table manner.

1. When you are eating with Japanese people, it's important to say "itadaki-masu" before a meal and to say "gochisou-sama" after a meal. These phrases indicate the beginning and the ending of a meal and express appreciations for the meal as well.
2. To eat a bowl of rice or soup or ramen, lift the bowl with one hand. It's proper to sip Japanese soup out of the bowl directly. Eat the ingredients with chopsticks, holding the bowl with one hand.
3. To eat side dishes, you don't need to lift plates or bowls. Cut large pieces of food into small pieces with your chopsticks and move to your mouth.
4. To eat from large serving plates/bowls, you may use the clean top ends of your chopsticks to pick food to your own bowl or plate, if serving chopsticks are not available.
5. To eat sashimi (raw fish slices), mix wasabi (Japanese horseradish) into soy sauce in a small plate and dip sashimi pieces in the sauce. If you like wasabi, put wasabi directly on a sashimi slice and dip it in soy sauce to eat.
6. To eat tempura, dip it in tempura dipping sauce.
7. To eat sushi, clean your hands at first. Pick up nigiri-zushi (hand-pressed sushi) between your thumb and the index finger and the middle finger. Dip the end of the topping (not sushi rice side) in soysauce and bring the sushi to your mouth. It's good to eat the whole piece all at once if you can.

Source : About.com