Is using a fork with sushi considered impolite?
I’ve lived in Japan. Sushi is probably eaten with fingers more commonly than with chopsticks there, though I’ve seen it done both ways. At least at Japanese restaurants, it’s extremely unlikely that anyone would ever look askance at a non-Japanese person using a fork instead of chopsticks; if anything, they’ll be impressed that you can use chopsticks. Since fingers are OK for sushi, I can’t imagine wanting to use a fork. Chopstick etiquette: Never pass a food item from your chopsticks to another person’s chopsticks. This is considered unconscionably rude (it is evocative of part of a Buddhist cremation ceremony). If you want to be especially polite when passing something, flip your chopsticks around so you are holding the food with the unused end. There’s a fine art to noodle-slurping that I’ve never mastered. I always wind up splattering broth all over everything when I try it. This is my secret shame.
