
	Intro: Before you begin Step 1: Understand menu items Step 2: Lay the appropriate groundwork Step 3: Learn what you can order, and from whom Step 4: Start simply Step 5: Step up to more elaborate dishes








	Pronunciation: Japanese is basically a monotonal language, meaning that no one syllable in a word is accented more than any other. As a result, what most Americans, for example, call "sah-SHEE-mee" and "tem-POOR-ah", the Japanese refer to as "sah-shee-mee" and "tem-poo-rah". Intimidated? Don't be! Because even if you flub by accenting your sushi order, your chef will admire you for trying. The crabmeat conundrum: There's one deception that's becoming increasingly common in even the best sushi restaurants (at least in the United States): Items billed as containing crabmeat are actually made with surimi, or imitation crabmeat (usually whitefish dyed and processed). Surimi is much rubberier than real crabmeat, and while some don't mind the substitution, you might resent paying for something you're not getting. If it's just one of many ingredients in a moderately priced roll, you may choose not to make an issue of it, but if an expensive piece of nigiri supposedly has crabmeat as the starring ingredient, you might inquire as to whether it's the real thing. Most restaurants will give you an honest answer when asked directly.

2torial #0606:
Learn2 Eat Sushi
(Continued)

Learn what you can order, and from whom

If the sushi bar is but part of a larger, full-service restaurant, be aware that only sushi, sashimi, soups, drinks and some snacks are served there. Everything else is served in the dining room--the rich aroma of cooked dishes interferes with the appreciation of sushi's more subtle allure. In addition:

Your sushi chef fills only your requests for sushi. If you're having a sushi-only experience, consider sitting up at the sushi bar rather than at a table or booth. That way you can point at what looks intriguing, or even ask the chef to improvise.

Your waiter or waitress takes care of everything else; drinks (green tea, sake and beer are the preferred); soups (most often miso); tsukemono (pickles), and certain other snacks. Some sushi bars offer little nibbles with your drink: don't pass on the edamame--whole cooked soybeans, salted in the pod and eaten like roasted peanuts in the shell.

Step 4