Sushi is traditionally prepared with bare hands, and good chefs rely on tactile sensation to gauge the quality of the meat – the freshness, the fattiness, the oil content – that they're cutting and molding into just the right bites.
This includes sushi chefs, deli workers, or anyone preparing food that will not be cooked or reheated. Instead, workers are now required to wear gloves or use utensils.
According to the FDA, bare hand contact can transfer dangerous pathogens from hands to food, spreading foodborne illness. In fact, bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods is responsible for 30% of restaurant foodborne illness outbreaks. That's quite a chunk.
Generations of men were preparing, creating, and serving Japan's famous raw fish and rice. "This has always been a man's job," said Chidui. "There was zero chance for women to become a sushi chef. No one had broken into that industry."
Making sushi demands expert knife skills to cut and clean each fish in the appropriate manner. It also involves creating perfectly formed rice cakes, with the right balance of rice and vinegar to complement the fish it is being served with. The rice recipe is in fact a closely guarded secret amongst sushi restaurants.
The Food and Drug Administration recommends freezing fish for several days, or cooking to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Both methods should kill any parasites that may be present. They say well-trained sushi chefs can usually see parasites during preparation and remove them.
And while women may do the bulk of home cooking, Makato Fukue, President of Tokyo Sushi Academy, Inc., estimates that female sushi chefs still account for less than 10 percent of the total number of sushi chefs in Japan, a country home to over 30,000 sushi restaurants.
Don't get scared when the sushi chefs yell in Japanese
"We get everyone at the bar and in the kitchen to say 'irasshaimase' really loud when a customer arrives. It's to welcome you and show that they're enthusiastic about you coming into the restaurant."
You should never use your fingers to eat sushi as this is considered very rude. It is also important to not rub your chopsticks together as this implies that they are dirty. If you need to rest your chopsticks, you can place them on the provided chopstick rest or on the edge of your plate.
Turns out that making sushi is a lot more complex and subtle a specialty than you might think. Skilled sushi chefs who prepare truly authentic Japanese sushi go through years of rigorous training, often up to 10 years, to become an itamae, or sushi master.
It's a requirement that all food handlers maintain excellent standards of personal hygiene, which means they're expected to wash their hands frequently. They should always wear gloves if they have a cut or sore on their hands.
The only time a chef should be wearing a glove is if they have a wound that needs to be covered up. The other major reason is that they rely more on touch to know when certain foods are ready, and since they wash their hands, they're not contaminating the food.
Sushi is traditionally prepared with bare hands, and good chefs rely on tactile sensation to gauge the quality of the meat – the freshness, the fattiness, the oil content – that they're cutting and molding into just the right bites.
He said that sushi chefs are professionally trained people who are properly educated on food handling and sanitation, requiring them to wash their hands frequently and adhere to strict safety procedures.
Teppanyaki grills are found in many Japanese restaurants as long, flat grills around which guests are seated. The chefs grill the food that is ordered in front of the guests, wowing them with their culinary talents and excellent knife skills.
Mixing wasabi with soy sauce is known as wasabi joyu, an amalgamation of the words wasabi and shoyu the Japanese word for soy sauce. According to Sushi Sasaya Korin, wasabi joyu is a violation of etiquette not only when it comes to sushi but all Japanese food in general as the two should always be enjoyed separately.
Finish What You Order
When dining omakase, finishing everything that's put in front of you is essential for good sushi etiquette; it's considered extremely rude, not to mention wasteful, to leave any of the pieces uneaten.
You'll be given chopsticks with your meal, but if you're not comfortable using them, it's fine to ask for a fork. That said, don't be afraid to try: it will show your guest that you're a good sport. It's also perfectly acceptable to eat sushi with your fingers, but sashimi should be enjoyed with chopsticks or a fork.
Arigato: A standard “thank you”. Domo: A less polite, more informal way to say “thank you”. Domo arigato: A more polite alternative to “arigato”, the equivalent of saying “thank you very much”.
For one, sashimi is safe. So are Masago/Tobiko, King Crab, nori, vegetables. Also Rainbow Rolls, California Rolls, and most simple rolls such as the tuna and vegetarian rolls. Ask your server about their gluten-free options, or else get creative.
But even sushi chefs have been known to repeat claims that women's hands are too warm to keep raw fish fresh, or that their periods alter their sense of taste. Others say the job is unsuitable for women because of the long and late hours.
A chef is a chef, there is no female word for it. If you do your job well then it doesn't matter.