How to have soup
It is very hard for Japanese to have soup.
Using a spoon, many of us can't avoid making slurping noise. Men seem to have this problem more. I guess women are more conscious of manners. I don't care about this problem so much when eating with Japanese. But when having meals with Americans, I'm so nervous about myself not making noises and bothered by others making noises so much that I sometimes want to yell at them, "Hey! The correct manner to have soup is not only using a spoon!" To tell you the truth, I myself am not sure if I have soup in the proper manner, although I try hard every time. Honestly speaking, I don't like to have soup with a spoon because I don't feel like drinking it. The better the soup is, the more I want to hold the bowl up and drain it. (It's a bit exaggerated.) There was such a scene in the Disney cartoon, "Beauty and the Beast," wasn't there?
You know what? I found the secret of how to have soup skilfully.
It was when I vaguely looked at Martha, who is American, having soup at lunch. The way she had soup seemed very natural to me, although I was not so sure that it was perfect from the point of etiquette. I was impressed that there was a way that I could not even imagine.
Then I noticed... She was EATING soup!
Once I noticed this, she looked like eating something in the same way we eat curry and rice (using spoon). I asked Michelle who was sitting next to me, "When you have soup, you usually use 'have' in English. But if you don't use 'have,' do you eat soup or drink soup?"
"What?" she said. "Of course we eat it. Do you think you can drink it?"
"What?!"
Now we know soup is for us to eat.
I heard that how liquid the soup is, potage or consomme, it is not relevant to using the word "eat" . And whether the soup is served in a bowl or a cup is not relevant, either. I posted this same question on the Internet news group and got the same answers. An interesting story told by a person, who has a Chinese wife, is that his wife told him that soup is to be drunk. It is understandable if you know that Chinese and Japanese use the same character.
It is difficult to have soup because you try to drink it with a spoon. You'd better pretend to eat curry and rice with a spoon. Since then I feel I was undeceived. But I should admit that I still can't feel the enjoyment of DRINKING soup.
There is one thing I want to tell the American people. (of course it's not limited to Americans.) Please don't "eat" miso soup with a spoon. Let's drink it by lifting the bowl to your mouth. And don't forget to lift your bowl (CHA-WAN) with your hand when you eat rice. That is the correct manner in Japanese cuisine. Being able to use chopsticks is not enough. (Note: As far as I know, Chinese people lift the rice bowl, too. But in Korea, it should not be lifted up.)
Keiichiro
P. S.
There is one thing to tell to Japanese restaurants here in the U.S.A.
Please don't bring miso soup alone before the meal. Don't you know that miso soup is to be had during the meal? It is not literally "soup," even though it is called "soup" in English.
P.S.
According to the TV show I saw today (May 6th, 2000), Korean people eat rice using spoon, not chopsticks. And rice bowl must not be lifted up.
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