By DON NAPIER

If your family is like many, they are now eating a new food when dining in certain Asian restaurants: Sushi. The question comes to mind, is there a special way to eat it?

According to Masaharu Morimoto there is. You know who Mr. Morimoto is, don’t you? He is one of the Iron Chefs on the popular Food Network and I would say he is the source for tips on eating Sushi. Here are his tips:

• Dip your sushi. He says when eating nigiri sushi (seafood draped over a small mound of rice), to lightly dip the fish — being careful to not dip the rice into soy sauce to best enjoy the flavor.

• Eat in order. Try to eat your different kinds of sushi in the right order. Eat the mild, light-colored types of fish sushi first, then progress to the fattier, bolder-tasting dark fish.

• Use wasabi wisely. Wasabi is served on the side at most restaurants who serve sushi. If sushi came with wasabi on it, most people would not be ordering it a second time. Be forewarned of the extremely hot green paste, which can light you up! Chef Morimoto says do not mix wasabi with soy sauce.

• Cleanse your palate. Morimoto also suggests not putting your pickled ginger directly on the sushi (like I usually do). He suggests using it between bites to cleanse your palate and prepare your taste buds for what’s next.

• No chop-sticks. Sushi originated as a street food, and it is still acceptable to eat it with your fingers.

• Don’t nibble. Morimoto says Sushi chefs carefully choose the proportions of fish, rice and vegetables in each piece — to eat in one bite.

EDITOR’S NOTE – Some of info used in this story taken from Reader’s Digest.