Sushi: Soy Sauce or without?
#17




Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Gran Canaria, Singapore, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold to Silver to Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond, GHA Platinum
Posts: 5,500
There is no right or wrong way, it's all about how you like to eat your food. If you like your sushi without soy, fine, if you like to drown it in soy, that's fine too. Who's to tell you that you can't have your food the way you like it?
#18
In memoriam
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: IAD, BOS, PVD
Programs: UA, US, AS, Marriott, Radisson, Hilton
Posts: 7,203
Originally Posted by aster
There is no right or wrong way
a fork and knife.
on the plate (or, shudder, the soy sauce dish).
#19




Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Gran Canaria, Singapore, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold to Silver to Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond, GHA Platinum
Posts: 5,500
#20
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SAT
Programs: Hilton Honors, AA Gold, Delta Silver Medallion, UA Premier Executive
Posts: 113
I don't use soy sauce with my sushi (unless it's already on). I just smear a little wasabi on and top with a piece of ginger. It may not be etiquette but I like it.
#21


Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,651
In Korea, I have to insist that they serve me sushi with no wasabi (I hate the stuff, it's the devil's spawn) but they just roll their eyes and the sushi they bring me has wasabi in it. Then I lift the fish off the top of the rice ball, physically scrape off every bit of green, then eat the fish and rice separately. Oh and if you go to a raw fish place they serve you a whole bunch of food you can't identify (I don't touch anything in which I can't identify all of the ingredients and the method of cooking-places that give you a menu with pictures and no description I despise). And then they charge me $100 a plate or something ridiculous like that. Now I just don't eat sushi anymore.
....and I start counting the days left until August 1st, 2012 or thereabouts.
....and I start counting the days left until August 1st, 2012 or thereabouts.
#22
Moderator, Argentina and FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: MIA / EZE
Programs: Lord of Malbec & all Wines Argentine. AA EXP / Marriott Lifetime Gold / Hyatt Explorist / Hertz PC
Posts: 36,204
It depends.... different pieces of sushi deserve different treatment. I agree with the sea salt and wasabi option... ^
#23
Moderator Communications Coordinator, Signatures


Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: deep within the Eskimo lair
Programs: TubWorld, Bar Alliance, Borratxo Legendarium
Posts: 16,970
This is a fun read for anyone interested in sushi
http://www.amazon.com/Story-Sushi-Un.../dp/0060883510
http://www.amazon.com/Story-Sushi-Un.../dp/0060883510
#24


Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: MLU DL fans know where that is.
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Avis
Posts: 490
How to eat at a Sushi Bar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc6v8IUe_0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc6v8IUe_0g
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: About 45 miles NW of MCO
Programs: Acapulco - Gold, Panama - Red, Timothy Leary 8 Mile High Club
Posts: 31,268
I smear a little wasabi on top, cap with a slice of pickled ginger. I might like a little soy, but I'm so bad with chopstix, any detour between the plate and my mouth is inviting disaster.
#27
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend




Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 47,150
It's probably an urban legend, and more so given that 99.9% of the wasabi served in restaurants is not even fresh wasabi, but I believe mixing soy sauce (a salt) with wasabi (antiseptic properties) helps kill off any bacteria which might be growing on the outer surface of the fish. I give the fish a good dip, then wipe the excess off on a spare rice ball. I also eat plenty of the gari, which helps digestion.
If I'm at a good, high quality sushi restaurant, I trust the freshness of the fish and wouldn't do this, but if it's a place I have no experience with, I'm more inclined to be safe than sorry - and so far (touch wood), I've never been sick and I eat ALOT of sushi and sashimi.
If I'm at a good, high quality sushi restaurant, I trust the freshness of the fish and wouldn't do this, but if it's a place I have no experience with, I'm more inclined to be safe than sorry - and so far (touch wood), I've never been sick and I eat ALOT of sushi and sashimi.
#28

Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 599
I guess it's like any other meat... So-so sushi would generally get a bit of soy sauce. Good sushi would never, ever get it.
I used to roll my eyes at the folks who mixed the wasabi and soy sauce, but whatever. If someone thinks that putting ketchup on their wagyu makes it taste better, they probably don't care what anyone else thinks of it either (nor should they).
I used to roll my eyes at the folks who mixed the wasabi and soy sauce, but whatever. If someone thinks that putting ketchup on their wagyu makes it taste better, they probably don't care what anyone else thinks of it either (nor should they).
#29

Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Bonvoy Platinum, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,862
I usually put wasabi with my soy sauce when I eat sushi. Before dipping the sushi into the wasabi/soy sauce mixture, I put some ginger over the sushi. 
I prefer sashimi and I prefer using gochujang instead of soy sauce and wasabi. Obviously, I will only find it at a Korean-owned restaurant unless I get lucky.

I prefer sashimi and I prefer using gochujang instead of soy sauce and wasabi. Obviously, I will only find it at a Korean-owned restaurant unless I get lucky.
#30
Moderator: The British Airways Club


Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,183
Correct, that's how I was taught to eat sushi by Japanese chefs. However, only a tiny bit of soya sauce, not soaked in it.

