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Is it gross to eat sushi that the chef pressed with his bare hands?

22 Comments
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24

Fine food and good hygiene are two things Japan values, which oddly enough makes for an unusual mental conflict when it comes to sushi, the country’s most representative cuisine.

The most popular kind of sushi, nigiri sushi, the kind with fish or other toppings on rectangles of rice, is traditionally made by hand. The word nigiri itself even means “grasp” or “hold” (it’s the same base word as in the phrase te wo nigiru/to hold hands with someone). But while just about everyone would think it’s a plus to have a skilled chef personally prepare their food, as opposed to some sort of automated contraption, in the case of pressing nigiri sushi no gloves or utensils are used. The chef directly and firmly presses his palms and fingers directly onto the fish and rice that’ll soon be touching your tongue, and unlike, say, a hand-kneaded hamburger patty or doughy pastry, the sushi won’t be sterilized by a cooking flame before you eat it.

Since this is the standard way of making and serving sushi, it’s something that most Japanese people are OK with (or at least they can mentally block out their concerns long enough to enjoy their meal). However, there is a portion of the Japanese dining public that finds the system kind of gross, and to get a handle on how many people feel that way Internet portal Sirabee ran an online survey asking “Do you feel squeamish about eating sushi that someone else pressed by hand?”

1,733 responses were collected, with a little more than one in six people, 15.6 percent, saying they feel hesitant to pop a piece of hand-made nigiri sushi in their mouth. What’s more, there were some pretty large differences between different age/gender groups.

“I feel squeamish about eating sushi that someone else pressed by hand.”

● Men age 10-19 23.3 percent

● Women 10-19: 16.4 percent

● Men 20-29: 17.4 percent

● Women 20-29: 14 percent

● Men 30-39: 20.3 percent

● Women 30-39: 19 percent

● Men 40-49: 14.9 percent

● Women 40-49: 12.9 percent

● Men 50-59: 10.4 percent

● Women 50-59: 17.8 percent

● Men 60-69: 13.5 percent

● Women 60-69: 13.7 percent

With the majority of sushi chefs being men who’re middle-aged or older, one might have expected young women to be the least enthusiastic about eating hand-made onigiri sushi. Instead, though, it was teen boys who were most likely to dislike the idea, and by a pretty wide margin. However, male responses mellowed with age, with guys in their 50s having the fewest hang-ups about hand-pressed sushi, followed by women in their 40s, men in their 60s, and women in their 60s.

Two possible reasons for older diners greater acceptance for nigiri sushi come to mind pretty quickly. The first is that in modern times, some sushi restaurants have machines that make the sushi, or at least press the rice into blocks before employees add their toppings. But because the introduction of such machines is relatively recent, diners in their 50s and up grew up in a world where hand-pressed nigiri sushi was pretty much the only kind available, and are more likely to be accustomed to the concept.

The second reason is that restaurants that do use sushi-making machines tend to be larger, less expensive eateries, such as Japan’s chain conveyor belt sushi restaurants. At fancier sushi restaurants, which ostensibly serve better cuts of fish, nigiri sushi is still always pressed by hand, and the perceived higher quality of the ingredients, as well as the more personal hospitality of the chef, might be more than enough to offset any hygiene quibbles that might otherwise make a gourmet diner feel uneasy.

But if teen boys are going out to eat sushi with their pals, budgetary concerns mean that nine times out of ten they’re going to a conveyor belt sushi joint. Machine-pressed sushi is the norm they grow up with, and so even if their demographic usually has a stronger resistance to “gross” things, the traditional nigiri sushi making method likely feels like a lot of unnecessary touching.

Source: Sirabee via Niconico News via Jin

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© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

22 Comments
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Silly question. Machine-made sushi is gross.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Yes it is kind of gross especially in these times. When I visited Osaka a few years back and ate at one of the kaiten sushi places, all the chefs preparing the sushi for the conveyor belt were wearing disposable gloves as they should

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Zichi - I am certain that bears do not eat salad...(just kidding) Good morning!

6 ( +8 / -2 )

To be fair to sushi, most fine dining restaurants prepare their meals with bare hands. That is how most chefs around the world cook. The issue isn't sushi in Japan for me. The bigger issue is McDonald's in Japan. They don't use gloves and when I first saw that, I never ate at McDonald's here again.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

It's not just sushi, as wait staff touch damn near everything with their hands - coffee lids, glasses, flatware, silverware, plates, napkins, etc. I often see staff with their fingers inside glasses and in the middle of plates. The potential of getting all kinds of germs is always there.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Is it gross to eat sushi that the chef pressed with his bare hands?

not unless he picks his nose before making it.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

@Zichi: Bear hands? I think you need to paws for thought.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Well is kinda the traditional way, but I guess outsiders probably find it "gross", and would prefer cultural homogenization

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I bet those squeamish types eat bentos and sandwiches etc. Don’t they eat home cooked food?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I probably wont eat sushi for the next 5 years.... not even at Yoshitake

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Silly question. Machine-made sushi is gross.

True. I just find the thought of the machine's sweat, grease and odour really off-putting.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I trust Japanese hands than any other hands of other countries because at least they prepare food by heart.

Bakery Dough, Pizza, Roti, almost all food are prepared by hands. The machine used foods are just one of many steps, rest are by hands or even legs.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I think Japanese people believe it is ok with male hands, but female hands are not suitable because they are hotter and more likely to sweat. That is what I have been told when I have asked why sushi chefs always seem to be male.

Personally, I don't believe it. However, I believe bare hands are often used in cooking and it is ok if the hands are clean.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Good quetion. As long as he wearing plastic gloves like see anyone haldeling food at taco bell. To see someone preparing food with there bare hands means your eating the grease and sweat off there hands. I rather not eat it unless im preparing my own sushi and besides it doesn;t take a rocket scientist go create your own sushi at home. Lazy people will dine out to a sushi bar. Or make DIT(Do it yourself). Plain and simple.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

My other most concern is how cockroach infested are the restaurant you are eating at?? I use to work at taco bell and i seen roaches here and there crawling around in the USA.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Imagine the chef pick his nose and itchied is rectucm and made a sushi for you before washing the hands..Can you really trust everyone?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

As a general rule, the more expensive the restaurant, the more your food is touched by bare hands. At a burger joint, there's hardly any need for the kitchen staff to touch the food. At a high end restaurant, everything has to be arranged just right. By hand.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Well, then press the rice yourself by hand or machine at your home and it will be how? Exactly, equally or even more contaminated with all kinds of anything vivid... Double or triple up for your pleasure with the fish on top... lol

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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