I had recently mastered the art of using chopsticks and happily gone to a Japanese restaurant to flaunt my skills only to make a complete mess trying to eat from a rice bowl using chopsticks. It was then that I realized that there are separate set of rules to follow when eating from the rice bowl; so for the benefit of all those people who are clueless about how to eat rice from a rice bowl in an Asian restaurant, here is a complete set of smart tips and suggestions.

• The Asians traditionally serve rice in a rice bowl; this bowl is usually filled right up to the brim and slightly above it.  Never use spoon, fork, or hands to eat the rice, rice like all other items must be eaten using the chopsticks.

• Though, picking up small foods like rice grains with chopsticks might sound tricky, it is actually quite simple. The rice used in Asian cooking is slightly sticky; hence, all you need to do is pick a chunk of rice with your chopsticks and squeeze the chopsticks around the rice a little, the rice grains will stick to each other enabling you to easily handle the rice morsel.

• The Chinese normally use long grained less sticky rice in most of their cooking. Hence, to prevent spilling (which is considered rude) it is customary in Chinese dinners to raise the rice bowl to the mouth and just push the rice into the mouth with the chopsticks. 

• The Japanese usually serve the short grained sushi rice, which is quite sticky and much easier to handle. Hence, if you are at a Japanese dinner party you need to raise the rice bowl to your breast, and pick up rice morsels with the chopsticks. 

• Never place the rice bowl on the table while eating, this is considered impolite and an insult to the others at the dinner table; always raise the bowl to your chest or your mouth while eating from the rice bowl.

So this is how you eat rice from a rice bowl in an Asian restaurant, follow these easy steps, and prevent all those possibly embarrassing moments. For further information using chopsticks, do read this article on how to use chopsticks. 

Image credits: flicker.com, google.com