Summary: These are the dialogues for podcast #09 ““How to order Sushi at a Japanese Restaurant”<br> In this week’s podcast Yoshiko and Alex discuss useful Japanese vocabulary and cultural points and advice for ordering sushi at a Japanese restaurant like a native.<br> The good news is you don’t have to learn a huge amount of vocabulary to order your your favorite dishes if you learn just a few useful key phrases.<br> Sushi Vocabulary<br> 大将 Taishō – (Sushi) chef<br> サーモン Saamon – Salmon<br> マグロ Maguro – Tuna<br> たまご Tamago – Egg<br> 雲丹 Uni – Sea urchin<br> いくら Ikura – Salmon roe<br> 貫 Kan – Counter for sushi<br> 一貫 Ikkan – 1 piece of sushi<br> 二貫 Nikan – 2 pieces<br> 三貫 Sankan – 3 pieces<br> 一貫ずつ Ikkan zutsu – One piece of each<br> お願いします Onegaishimasu – Please<br> さび抜き Sabinuki – Without wasabi<br> あがり一丁 Agari ichō – Tea<br> できますか Dekimasu ka – Can you make it?<br> お冷や Ohiya – Cold water<br> お椀 Owan – Soup<br> 茶碗蒸し Chawan Mushi – Egg and custard dish<br> えんがわ Engawa – Fin of flounder (flatfish)<br> ごちそうさまでした Gochisōsama deshita – That was delicious<br> 回転寿し Kaitenzushi – Conveyor belt sushi<br> お腹いっぱい Onaka ippai – I’m full<br> 刺身 Sashimi – Slices of fish<br> 寿司 Sushi – Slices of fish on rice<br> つまみ Tsumami – Used when ordering just the meat of the fish rather than sushi<br> ガリ Gari – Slices of ginger in sweet vinegar<br> Main Dialogue<br> A: 大将！サーモン２貫ください Taishō! Saamon Ni Kan Kudasai – Chef, 2 pieces of salmon please.<br> B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes<br> A: 雲丹といくら１貫ずつできますか Uni to ikura Ikkan zutsu dekimasu ka – Can you do 1 sea urchin and 1 salmon roe?<br> B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes<br> A: さび抜きでお願いします Sabi nuki de onegaishimasu – Without wasabi please.<br> B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes<br> A: お腹いっぱい。大将あがり一丁 Onaka ippai. Taishō agari ichō – I’m full. Chef, 1 tea please.<br> B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes<br> 10 Cultural Tips for Ordering Sushi<br> Here are 10 useful cultural points that will really help you when ordering sushi in Japan.<br> 1. Call the Sushi chef “Taishō”<br> When you order from a sushi chef it is custom to refer to them as 大将 – Taishō. This means various things including general, boss, cheif etc. but in this context is used specifically to adress a sushi chef.<br> 2. Use “Kan” counter to order sushi.<br> When counting pieces of Sushi you usually use the counter “kan”. For example:<br> 一貫 – Ikkan – One piece of sushi<br> 二貫 – Nikan – Two pieces of sushi<br> 三貫 – Sankan – Three pieces of sushi<br> 四貫 – Yonkan – Four pieces of sushi<br> <br> <br> <br> Japanese<br> Pronunciation<br> English<br> <br> <br> 大将サーモンを一貫下さい<br> Taishō saamon o ikkan kudasai<br> One piece of salmon please chef<br> <br> <br> 大将マグロを二貫ください<br> Taishō maguro o nikan kudasai<br> Two pieces of tuna please chef<br> <br> <br> 大将たまごを三貫ください<br> Taishō tamago o sankan kudasai<br> Three piece of egg please chef<br> <br> <br> 大将雲丹を四貫ください<br> Taishō uni o yonkan kudasai<br> Four pieces of sea urchin please chef<br> <br> <br> <br> An important thing to remember is it is not so common to order more than 2 or 3 pieces of the same type of sushi at the same time. The most common is ２貫 Nikan – two pieces of sushi. It is possible to say something like this:<br> たまごを二貫、サーモンを二貫、マグロを二貫ください<br> Tamago o nikan, saamon o nikan, maguro o nikan kudasai<br> 2 pieces of egg, 2 salmon and 2 tuna please.<br> 5) Use the word “agari” to order green tea<br> When you want to order tea say あがり一丁 agari ichō. This is a special way to order green tea that is particular to sushi restaurants. When you order, they usually bring it to you in a cup. However, in many conveyor belt sushi restaurants it’s common to make your own tea by putting green ...
