Eating Habits

I often wonder what eating habits I'll take back with me when it's time to leave Japan. Everything from etiquette to serving size to the utensils is fairly different, and took some getting used to. Now, however, I find myself eating a lot of the Western style food we eat at home as if I were out at a restaurant or in the work cafeteria.

Noodles are by far the best. I suppose my wife would hope this habit doesn't stay with me, but anytime I'm told that slurping is polite, well, I think it's only natural to oblige. All through childhood we were told not to slurp, but here in Japan it's considered a sign of how tasty your noodles are the louder you slurp. Noodles are not easy to eat with chopsticks, so using your mouth as a vacuum, so-to-speak, really expedites the process and allows for any faults I may have with my chopstick technique to go unnoticed.

Picking up your bowl to bring it close to you is very convenient. A lot of Japanese dishes are served in small bowls - rice is an obvious, albeit boring, example. Needless to say, it's quite advantageous, especially if you have a long track record of stained shirts! I think part of it stems in the way you sit at the table. Men typically sit cross-legged on the floor so it helps to grab your food and bring it to you rather than straining out of that awful position. This is one habit that I've increasingly noticed myself doing while eating at home. Hey, it's just really easy to bring that plate of salad to your face and shovel it in...really I do have decent table manners...

Finally, not touching your food. The best example I can give of this is eating out at Mos Burger. Look at the wrappers the burgers are served in - and this is how they're served basically everywhere. They are really conducive for eating out of the wrapper and not touching your burger. The only downside is that you end up with your face planted in the wrapper.