Would you go to Izumi (sushi) if ....

[SweetPea]

You cannot use a pair of chopsticks to save your life?

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

17 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

You cannot use a pair of chopsticks to save your life?

 

Oh yeah.  I launch my sushi into the air when I try and use chop sticks.  Even though I lived in Asia for 3 years, I have never mastered that particular skill.

I still love to go to Izumi and just ask for a fork.  They don't discriminate (at least, not to your face !).

[OCSC Mike]

Wait, sushi isn't a finger food? Who knew?

[Ryan79]

My wife can’t use them to save her life and eats sushi all the time. Forks may get you a chuckle at your expense by the staff behind your back, but you do you! 

[CruisingNewb]

Not only is it acceptable to eat sushi with your hands, it is the traditional method to which sushi should be eaten.

Now...obviously Izumi has non-sushi dishes such as ramen noodles and salads.  If you eat those dishes with your hands, let the ridicule begin lol.

Kidding....in what world does a Japanese restaurant (not otherwise located in Japan) only provide chopsticks?  Ask for a fork.  Enjoy your meal.

[OCSC Mike]

24 minutes ago, CruisingNewb said:

Not only is it acceptable to eat sushi with your hands, it is the traditional method to which sushi should be eaten.

That's kinda what I thought but I'm far from an expert. I just know I prefer nigiri to rolls but will take what I can get because my wife won't go near seafood, period, let alone raw fish, lol. She'll eat hibachi or tempura chicken so Japanese isn't totally off the table at least.

Thanks for the support.

[anneglubis]

Tamago is what converted me to sushi.  And tamago for sure with my hands even though I can use chopsticks.  Stir some wasabi into your soy sauce (with a chopstick lol). I can't wait to get on that dang ship!

These guys are kidding with you. The staff will think nothing of giving you a fork. I guarantee they only want you to enjoy your meal. Be confident. That's the key.

Good luck!!

[tjcruisers]

Sure why not. My wife and kids use forks whenever they had sushi. I don't see the crew caring

Me on the other hand I had more pressure to learn. I worked on the border of Chinatown in Toronto and then worked up in Markham. Some of those restaurants really didn't have forks.

[CruisingNewb]

20 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

That's kinda what I thought but I'm far from an expert. I just know I prefer nigiri to rolls but will take what I can get because my wife won't go near seafood, period, let alone raw fish, lol. She'll eat hibachi or tempura chicken so Japanese isn't totally off the table at least.

Thanks for the support.

I'm American born and bred Asian. Can't use chopsticks if my life depended upon it.  I get the blunt of ridicule at every Asian restaurant I eat at.  So you are in good company! 

[OCSC Mike]

27 minutes ago, CruisingNewb said:

I'm American born and bred Asian. Can't use chopsticks if my life depended upon it.  I get the blunt of ridicule at every Asian restaurant I eat at.  So you are in good company! 

Hey, I can get by with my chopstick skills (not a fan of trying to shovel my rice though, lol), I just don't use them for sushi, which you told me was proper.

[MathLady112358]

I mean, if you're really truly embarrassed to ask for a fork, you could just bring one from the buffet  I just use my hands

[tingtang]

What I do is sharpen the chopsticks to a point, then stab the sushi.  

[PRMLVM]

On 5/10/2023 at 9:27 AM, OCSC Mike said:

Wait, sushi isn't a finger food? Who knew?

[OCSC Mike]

I know I saw a video about the proper soy sauce dipping technique of fish first. I will continue to use my fingers but if some of my rice hits the soy sauce, oh well.

[anneglubis]

Don't mix my wasabi into the soy sauce? How dare they?!

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, anneglubis said:

Don't mix my wasabi into the soy sauce? How dare they?!

Yeah, forget that one too. Maybe if I ever travel to Japan I'll adhere to proper etiquette.

[WAAAYTOOO]

I do all the wrong things…too bad.  I always mix my wasabi into the soy sauce and I love getting the rice soaked with soy sauce (and wasabi !).

[Geezer Of The Seas]

Sure. I have never eaten sushi nor drank sake until our trip on Jewel last November. The waiter and I had fun with my inability to operate chopsticks. That's the fun of cruising for me, to boldly eat/drink what I have never eaten/drank before. Certainly could do it back home, but the cruise, trying new cuisine is part of the adventure. Our hibachi chef on Wonder worked me and by bumbling chopsticks into his act. Loved it........and the chilled sake was pretty good too.

[CruisingNewb]

the soy sauce thing is a little different in my opinion.

In Japan, the sushi is simply amazing.  Even the sushi sold at Costco Japan is good.  The rice is flavored well and the amount of wasabi pre-applied is good. So in Japan, I never feel the need to add wasabi to soy sauce.  In fact...some sushi is not meant to be dipped into soy sauce at all.  And to top things off, only the fish is to be dipped into the soy sauce.

Now...to get the kind of sushi I speak of above, you have to pay top dollar or find a sushi chef that really knows.

So, here, in the States, I mix wasabi into my soy sauce to my heart's desire and dip like a mad man.  Soy sauce on the fish. SOy sauce on the rice.  Yum, yum, yum.

Trust me when I say this, as a full blooded Asian, most sushi places outside of Japan have sushi chefs that are not likely Japanese or even Japan trained.  So what do they care?  I doubt the chefs at Izumi give 2 cents whether you mix, dip, or use a fork.

[DisneyGay]

I’m traveling to Alaska, for the first time, on Royal’s Brilliance. For Izumi, can one simply walk in for lunch? Are reservations required? Do I need to purchase anything ahead of time to go to Izumi? Thank you, in advance, for the help. 

[Ampurp85]

4 hours ago, DisneyGay said:

I’m traveling to Alaska, for the first time, on Royal’s Brilliance. For Izumi, can one simply walk in for lunch? Are reservations required? Do I need to purchase anything ahead of time to go to Izumi? Thank you, in advance, for the help. 

For the specialty restaurants, reservations are required. That is not to say on rare occasions you can't walk-in. However, the best price will be beforehand in the cruise planner. The onboard price will almost never be cheaper than getting it beforehand. 

[DisneyGay]

5 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

For the specialty restaurants, reservations are required. That is not to say on rare occasions you can't walk-in. However, the best price will be beforehand in the cruise planner. The onboard price will almost never be cheaper than getting it beforehand. 

Thank you for the reply. On the app I see that Izumi offers lunch specials. If what I want to order is a couple of rolls of sushi… is there something offered for me to pay for that? I guess I’m still a little confused.  Maybe I should call and make a reservation for a set day (my cruise is on June 4th to Alaska); I should also pay for two rolls ahead of time? 

[Ampurp85]

21 hours ago, DisneyGay said:

Thank you for the reply. On the app I see that Izumi offers lunch specials. If what I want to order is a couple of rolls of sushi… is there something offered for me to pay for that? I guess I’m still a little confused.  Maybe I should call and make a reservation for a set day (my cruise is on June 4th to Alaska); I should also pay for two rolls ahead of time? 

So what you can do is go into cruise planner and pay the lunch price, you might pay $28 but you get credit for $35. Izumi does have a la carte pricing but getting a reservation when you board may be hard. It is better to just book the time you want ahead of time.