Eating a whole fish with chopsticks

Hi everyone!

Well, I am for sure not a master in eating with chopsticks. But I have a some years of experience.

How do　Japanese eat a whole fish with chopsticks? I had a grilled fish this evening with a lot of fishbones inside. Do Japanese eat the fishbones？

How do　Japanese eat a whole fish with chopsticks?

Basically you split it in half and then take the meat from the bones. If the innards are still there, you remove them (some people eat them too). Depending on the fish (and person), the skin is also eaten.

Only small fish are eaten as a whole with bones and head. If the bones are hard, you don't eat them. You have to be familiar with the fish dishes in order to know which ones can be eaten whole and which ones not.

Grilled ayu are about the biggest that I have eaten as a whole with head and bones:
http://www.kirakuya-inn.co.jp/pic/men-fuk-ayu.jpg

Wow...

I think I'll choke to death eating a fish like that!

Probably what made me take up sashimi and sushi instead. Guaranteed boneless.

We eat whole fish with hashi at home all the time. I generally bake whole croakers, flounder or sheepshead (a fish similar to kurodai (spelling?)) and we eat them with hashi. Once you get the hang of it, I actually find it easier than using a fork. The trick is to eat the meat off one side at a time, start with the tail and area above the ribs. If the fish is cooked right, the meat will pull away easily leaving the backbone and fin bones behind. Along the top of the ribs there are small bones which you must watch out for, just be careful & pick them out. Other than that, the ribs are the only bones to deal with on the 1st side. Once you finish the 1st side, start at the tail & pull the backbone up and away from the lower side until you pull away the head and all. The ribs may or may not stay behind. Pull away any of the dorsal or ventral fin bones and you should be left with a relatively bone-free piece of sakana!

I had a great whole-fish experience in Tokyo.

Ordered the flounder and a big fish was served, grilled, with lemon wedges and a light soy.

So delicious.

To eat, simply peel back the skin (if you don't like to eat it) with your chopsticks (hashi) then pick out lucsious juicy morsels and place in your bowl, or direct to your mouth if you cannot wait!

When once side of the fish is picked clean, turn it over and start again.

Very easy to do. And very satisfying, as you taste every single mouthfull - unlike when shovelling food in with a fork!

I am an Asian, but not proficient in using chopsticks ( at least in the correct way). Sometimes, I find it easier to remove tiny fish bones by using my fingers instead of chopsticks especially when they are inside my mouth. Some people may view it as bad table manner. I guess it should be alright if we do it discreetly.