To slurp or not to slurp??

[neko_girl22]

ok, I TRY to slurp my udon, somen, whatever! but I can't!! my J-hubby has tried to teach me but I can't so I have given up. It's not a big thing, but I would like to have the option of slurping ;)

Can you slurp? Or perhaps it offends you? (would you walk out of a ramen shop in protest??)

[jeisan]

slurping is fun. there used to be a site (jp.from-hanna.com) that had a comical way of showing you how to slurp amoung other things like how to celebrate "barentains dei" but they have since quit doing it, which sucks because it was a really good site.

[neko_girl22]

oh I remember that article,that guy wrote really funny pieces about cultural things in Japan. I will miss reading those!

oh and by slurping I mean sucking the noodles into your mouth with some soup. I can make the noises but the noodles don't go anywhere hehe. Of course I have no problem using chopsticks, but that just doesn't seem as fun :p

[Anguz]

slurping is nice... I asked a japanese friend if it was or bad manners to do it and she told me it was actually good manners, that you were showing your were liking the food... that was all it took to not make me feel bad to slurp

first it wasn't that easy, now I can do it with lots of ramen or udon hehehe... at the beginning I tried with ramen and I couldn't make it go up either, but I noticed that I was closing the mouth to much, fearing the ramen would fall if I didn't hold it with my lips

with some practice, I noticed that I shouldn't be trying that, that I had to hold them and bring them up sucking them, so I let go the ramen a bit with my lips, enough that I wasn't holding them any more, and sucked hard... they went up really well!

:D

with more drilling, you'll get to a point where you won't spill the soup on the table too much, or your face when the last part of the ramen -or udon or whatever- goes into your mouth, by controlling your suck hehe

you have to suck just enough, not too much so you don't throw soup around, or so little that it'll fall... of course, if you need to stop to get a breath, you hold it with your teeth of lips for a moment... you can help them up a bit with your chopsticks too, although you won't always need it

I do put my chopsticks on both sides of the ramen, a bit under half way up to my mouth, so that they don't move around when I get them up, more to keep them straight than getting them up, but without holding them

slurp away ;)

[Himura]

Yes, I can!! :ramen: Iｴm a Slurp-Master! Haha :p

[SalaryMan]

I won't troll here. I'll just say I dont like it as it runs the risk of inhalig liquid. :happy:

[kirei_na_me]

Call me a slurping prude, but I don't like to slurp nor do I like to hear slurping. I guess it was because of my upbringing. I was taught that it was bad manners, and I guess it just stuck. I don't really think it's necessary to slurp. I don't really buy the theory that they do it because it's hot, because I really don't think slurping does anything to cool it off or whatever. If I am eating any noodles that are in soup--or any noodles in general--I pick them up with my chopsticks, push them into my mouth a bit, and bite them off. I will not suck them up. Besides, when I slurp, I make a huge mess!

[neko_girl22]

I would never slurp in NZ because it's bad manners there too. and I think Japanese people who visit should adjust accordingly - I remember my Mum being a little offended by my sister-in-law who made quite a bit of noise slurping her green tea.
In Japan it's not bad manners so I give it a try ;) We only think it's bad manners because of our upbringing - there is no real reason for us to think that really.
but whether we slurp or not, it doesn't really matter ;)

KNM, doesn't your husband slurp? I know it took a while for me to get used to the noise Achan makes - especially with somen hehe... It doesn't bother me at all now - which is a good thing since I LOVE going to somen nagashi, full of people slurping away.

[kirei_na_me]

Hehehe...yeah, he slurps! :ramen: He slurps like a madman. I sometimes wish I had a picture of myself hearing him slurp for the first time. I'm sure the look would've been priceless. I'm sure it would've been much like the looks on my family's faces when they heard him do it for the first time. Sometimes I don't mind it and I don't even pay attention to it, but sometimes it really gets on my nerves. Say if we were by ourselves and there was no background noise, it would bother me.

It can be embarassing here. When we first started dating, we'd go to our friends' restaurant(they are Chinese) and when they would make ramen for him, he would slurp the noodles and everyone around us would be staring. He would also order it extra spicy, so he would also be snorting and sweating like crazy. What a scene!!!! :eek: :p

[budd]

slurping here, but rather inept, whars mah spoon?
anyway, nothing is more noisy than being at a barbecue fest with five/ten/twenty men at a table
or messy -- an constipated werewolf in bugtussle, for real
edit: sweating here with the nabeyaki udon AND donburi variations :blush:

[SalaryMan]

My wife's mother sucks up (slups) the following foods which I can remeber.

Pizza - Purukogi pizza from Pizza hut ( was the first time i'd seen someone attempt to suck up a pizza ) :D This was the most amazing thing i had ever seen , a 3/4 inch wide peice of pizza DOESN'T fit into the average mouth whilst sucking.

Fries - yup! supprised she hasn't sucked one into her lungs yet.

Chicken from nabe - Cut a peice of and suck it into your mouth for some stupid reason.

Somen , ramen , udon blah blah

yaki niku , any vegetable , curry , ... well , anything really. I really don't see how sound with your food makes it taste better. Besides , we are never in complete silence. If we were we would be able to hear our own blood pumping. So making extra sound really makes no difference.

[budd]

hey, how does she look? i had to ask :blush:

[silver angel]

:ramen: I always do it when I'm in an asian restaurant because then my sister can't yell at me for being rude...hawr hawr :blush:

[beastiebacon]

I learned to slurp when I was in Japan, but it's not appretiated in the US

[kov]

I'l a bit like nzueda -- slurping is not a problem for my ears, it's a problem for my mouth. Although I voted "Yes, I can", it's a pity there's no item in the selection for " ... but I'm lousy at it". While I can eventually slurp in some noodles, it's only after I've had my head in the bowl hoovering madly for a long time.

Why is this? Is it something that you can only learn as a child? Why are people like us so abysmal at it?

[neko_girl22]

oh yay someone like me at last. but it sounds like you're even better than me..... I slurp...make all the right noises but the noodles go nowhere :( so I end up eating lady-like with my chopsticks. My inability to slurp never fails to amuse my friends.....

[ragedaddy]

Yep, I am guilty of becoming acclimated to slurping ramen, soba, udon, miso shiru etc. The bad thing about it is when I go back to the states I will probably unconsciously slurp my spaghetti noodles or soup, and the people with me are probably going to think was this kid born in a barn or what? Oh well, at least my chopstick skills will definitely exceed most of theirs, so it`s all good. :ramen:

[neko_girl22]

still can't slurp.... but I wont give up :p
at least I have absolutely no problem with chopsticks .....I feel more at home with a pair of hashi than a knife and fork

[nata_no]

I can slurp, and it means good manners in Japan.
However, I try not to, its not healthy, slurping means eating air too, lol, will cos tummy to be filled up with air.
:ramen:

[boroboro]

I'm sure everybody reading this post must have seen the movie Tampopo. I can't watch that movie wthout going out to eat. No killer ramen shops in Denver so it's usually a vietnamese pho joint. But as to the manner thing, I think the common sense rule, "when in Rome," applies. Sayoo nara Daisuke :(

[Ayumi-chan]

Yeah, I can slurp... I usually suck at it, but I occasionaly get some in! :happy: It's fun, but it grosses out my parents...which gives me even more reason to do it in their presence! :D Whenever there's silence, SLUUUUUURRRRP! :) :) :)

[beluga]

Just one advice... Don't slurp too hard as it may go into your nose. It has occured to me before. Luckily it's cold soba not hot udon...

[kirei_na_me]

I think I've ruined a shirt or two trying to slurp...

[beluga]

Heh heh... I guess the noodle you were slurping is kinda wavy huh? As you slurp, it starts to wriggle. Heh heh...

[Hachiko]

I think slurping noodles is fine. Not to have anything against not slurping, but it's not like we should be living in a Victorian society or something...this 2004, not 1904, for cryin' out loud! :p :ramen: :p

[m477]

The way I see it, slurping is pretty much mandatory as far as ramen goes. Slurping is the only way to eat it quickly without scalding yourself, and if you eat slowly it will get cold before you're done.

[playaa]

I can slurp, havnt done it out in public yet though :) Should be interesting.

[RockLee]

There have been studies that when you are slurping you can taste the things you eat better...hehe...I'm brought up without the slurping...when I do..I just say to my parents: "In Japan it is polite to slurp...soooo...". :-) Usually they tell me even so not to do it -_-;

[sayuri]

The first time i slurped was quite fun. Actually since then, i can't imagine myself NOT slurping when eating those burning hot noodles.

I remember i was at the Japan Center in London with my boyfriend and we had ordered Curry Udon (oooooohhh so delicious :cute: ) and i started slurping like crazy and he started blushing, he was like :okashii: "are you mad?! what the hell you think you're doing? stop it, you're embarassing me" that made me laugh i was like "stop being such a p***y and slurp your udon too, that's the japanese way of eating" :p . The japanese people around me didn't pay attention at all, but the brits were *shocked* :shock:

I just think you have to adapt yourself to the country you're going to. It's not easy to eat with chopsticks but you have no choice but to use them, you might not like the idea of slurping your noodles but that's how you're supposed to eat them.
Consider yourself lucky, because in some countries you have to eat with your hand (no cutlery of any kind is used) and trust me that ain't easy at all (unless you've mastered the technic of course....)


:dance: DO THE SLURPING :ramen: ! :cool:

[Budderfly]

A friend of mine (who's Japanese) told me that in Japan it's okay for men to slurp but women shouldn't. It bad manners.

[Lina Inverse]

Udon and Ramen are meant to be slurped! You can't really fully enjoy them without slurping! :ramen:

[sora]

..lol..i never really tyr to do that..lol..i think my friend tried that once though..^^''

[Brooker]

I understand that slurping is ok in the Japanese culture and I respect that, but, for me, hearing the sounds of people eating has always been a big pet peeve - it causes me to loose my appetite. But I rarely ate ramen in Japan because it didn't really agree with me, so it wasn't that big an issue.

[yimija]

I think I've ruined a shirt or two trying to slurp...

Yes ! Shirts can be washed, Kirei_na_me !!!

I say : Let's slurp our head off !!!

but then you can't do it if you're invited in the white house (that is if it happens to you, one day) nor if you are in "non initiated company ". But I know I love it within my own personnal circle. Food taste much better that way. It's a way of life, too. But let's not shock or disgust others.

It's like in some arabic countries, if you are invited, you MUST (really HAVE TO) burp at the end of the meal, otherwise you might imply that you were not fed correctly and/or the food was not enjoyable. It's a great insult no to burp.

So, why not ? Let's slurp !!

[reicheru]

Aw man, this is making me want to go make some soba! I love slurping!

[michi]

wow, i never knew that slurping needed to be taught.

I thought it was one of those instinctive things, like chewing...or such.

[Wakaranai]

When drinking coffie I slurp.

[King of Tokyo]

Yes, Yes and Yes, slurping is unavoidable, and the best way to noodles :ramen:

[jieshi]

i didnt think it was possible for people to not be able to slurp noodles! oh well i love slurping noodles. when i have noodles at home i slurp them and my mum tells me to shut up and then i say "mum its the correct etiquette for showing the noodles taste good" and then shes off my case

[Jean-Francois]

I don't slurp and I don't like people slurping when I am eating. It is so noisy... >_<

There are Japanese people saying that it is a custom in Northern China to slurp their udons too. Actually, there are a lot of southern Chinese slurp even when they are eating instant noodles.

[misa.j]

I had "somen" yesterday, tried to slurp once or twice, but I hated it.
Slurping makes hard to eat for me, soup splashes all over my face, suck too much air and noodles at the same time that make me gag.

I used to be able to slurp, though I don't think it's that much fun either.

[mushroom hunting]

slurping is fun. im proud to say that im pretty noisy when i do it.

[Faustianideals]

I went to a noodle house in my town once and I ordered ramen. I sat down at a table with the bowl of ramen and I slurped it. They asked me to leave because the mannered customers were being offended by it.

[TimF]

I can slurp if I want to but I can cut it out at anytime it I guess all depends where I am at. But when it comes to drinking the broth of the ramen you almost have to slurp that beacuse it is so damn hot you only take it in small slurped ammounts. :ramen:

[Lina Inverse]

I had "somen" yesterday, tried to slurp once or twice, but I hated it.
Slurping makes hard to eat for me, soup splashes all over my face, suck too much air and noodles at the same time that make me gag.

I used to be able to slurp, though I don't think it's that much fun either.
You just need some slurping practice! :haihai:
Hold the noodles with your chopsticks while slurping so they don't go all over the place splashing the broth everywhere.

[misa.j]

You just need some slurping practice! :haihai:
Hold the noodles with your chopsticks while slurping so they don't go all over the place splashing the broth everywhere.

You're very kind to give me that advice, thank you. :-)
I had been slurping for 25 years when I ate noodles in Japan, but I think I lost my skill.

[Sinspawne]

Never tried slurping noodles.. i lift it up with my fork to cool it off...
My parents raised me so well, that it rendered me incabable of slurping :blush:

I'm serious. I just can not eat anything in public that i have to slurp.
If i slurp and a person walks by, i feel very uncomfortable even embarrassed.


is there any evening courses on slurping noodles? :D
:ramen:

[Apollo]

nope.......I don't slurp my noodles. -but I can, if forced!! :lol:

Well, it is not polite to slurp here in Europe, so I don't, I was raised that way I guess.
My mother who is Japanese, doesn't slurp her noodles - I think it is because of conventions in Western countries.

[Hero]

Hahahaa.... When I heard that slurping is to show you like the food.. I slurped all the time 'cause all them noodles were always d**n good, huhuhu

Since on the subject of food/noodles... don't try to take someone elses food from their chopsticks using your chopsticks. It's bad manners, as I've found out while trying to take my girls noodles, lol.

DOH~! >.<

[RockLee]

Since on the subject of food/noodles... don't try to take someone elses food from their chopsticks using your chopsticks. It's bad manners, as I've found out while trying to take my girls noodles, lol.
DOH~! >.<When somebody dies, they pass on every piece of bones to eachother into the urn....that's why they don't do it ;-)....also if someone takes something, the other one can't take that.


*ontopic : I slurped so much while in Japan, especially with the ramen en udon and SOBAAAAAAAAAA!!!! oishii !!!!!!!! damn I miss Soba :(

[DoctorP]

I have no problems slurping...and if you hold the bowl closer to your face the noodles and soup don't splash on your clothes or the table! :p

As for taking in the air...that is why you slurp...partly to increase the flavor and the other reason is to help to cool the hot noodles! (it's not like you are immediatly swallowing the air & noodles...you still have to chew! :p )

[Mike Cash]

.....wistfully looking forward to the day when the stock question changes from "Can you use chopsticks?" to "Can you slurp?".....

[DoctorP]

.....wistfully looking forward to the day when the stock question changes from "Can you use chopsticks?" to "Can you slurp?".....

LOL...I know what you mean...I've actually been complimented on my slurping abilities already! :p

[Mike Cash]

This thread is just so bizarre. The interesting thing is that it does take chopstick ability for granted, which means we're giving ourselves more credit than we usually get when out on the town.

[Bob in Iowa]

The first time I heard the thunderous roar of mass noodle slurping was at a little hole in the wall soba shop in Tokyo. It was lunch hour, and my friend and I had trouble hearing each other from all the slurping. I made the comment that these guys must really be in a hurry to get back to work, and was informed that this is the proper way to eat noodles in Japan. "Hmmmm ... I think I'm going to like it here", I thought to myself as I tried to make more noise than the guys next to us at the counter. Despite my conservative upbringing, I became a noodle slurper with little effort.

[Shooter452]

I gotta admit, it took a while to get the knack--or maybe to relax enough to do it--but now, how do you eat soba and not slurp?

Hey Cee-Cee! There was a place on Okinawa, along Route 58, west side of the island, south of Kadena in a village called Kitamae where they served the best soba and fried rice you could ask for. Is it still there?

It was a good place, even if it did cater to Americans.

[BrennaCeDria]

I only had the chance to slurp for the first time last night, and while I wasn't all noisy (only authentic Japanese place in town, but also one of the nicest resturants outside of downtown) I didn't make any messes and I was successful with the mechanics of it on the second or third try. (I was having soba with my meal.)

[ffrost_nova622]

yep slurping is fine. its fast way of eating! but my parents tells me off wen i slurp you see. they say its rude. but japan it just means the noodles taste very nice :wave:

[m477]

This thread is just so bizarre. The interesting thing is that it does take chopstick ability for granted, which means we're giving ourselves more credit than we usually get when out on the town.
Chopsticks?

Hell, I usually just plant my face in the bowl and suck.

[Ackmm7]

i usally alternate ill use the chopstickls until there is more liquid than noddles than i will slup

[ffrost_nova622]

yesterday night i had noodles so i slurped it all down, and it was some experience. i inhaled so much air n when i went to sleep i kept farting ><. too much gass. it was horrible. had to go to the rest room because there was so much gas in my stomach! :sorry:

[Pachipro]

I learned to slurp in Japan, and it still sometimes bothers me when I hear others doing it, but I've become accustomed to it and do it freely whilst in Japan.

The only problem I have is that, when I try try to slurp really hot ramen or udon, the steam sometimes tickles my throat causing me to cough and spit out all over the counter or table the product of my slurping. :blush: This can be downright embarrassing at times. Luckily, though, it hasn't happened too often out in public.

BTW X Japan Rules!

[JustJosh]

Slurping coffee makes it taste better. FACT

I don't care about slurping or putting your elbows on the table or anything like that, as long as you don't chew loudly with your mouth wide open.

[Malaika]

I think I've slurp sometimes, but probably not the good way to slurp, feh, I know it is considered rude in the US, but I don't really care at all.

*laughs*

though I would love to learn how to slurp the right way ^_^

[512kb]

now i have a question to ask...is it considered rude when you *don't* slurp in japan?

[furan]

IT'S THE ONLY WAY! :D
as a matter of fact... i'm eating a bowl of raman right now *eeeee* i love thes stuff, and yes... i slurp... i eat everything with chopsticks, then i slurpedy slurp away ^.^

but... you don;t have to to it in a dismannored way... it can be done very politly and... um... i dunno, words aren't really happeneing today, but... yeah....

[Fukumoto]

I slurp hot tea....does that count? lol

[Kara_Nari]

Oooh I like to slurp in Korea, and im sure I will like slurping in Japan, dont like the excess slurp on my new white skirt, or on my shirt. However I just could never slurp in a non asian restaurant. I had to convince my mother that my boyfriend does have good table manners... thats why he was being extra noisy. Also I have been given a few nudges to be more slurppier when in certain company, its much easier to do when you are surrounded by slurpers. Its funny though because I would be so disgusted if someone was slurping and eating with their mouth open or talking with their mouth full and they werent in an asian restaurant.
About the chopsticks part, I do prefer to use them mostly and just make the noise of slurping haha, less splash that way, and if the noodles are too spicy they make me cough when 'really' slurpping... not good at the dinner table!
Does anyone know any good Japanese style ramen restaurants in Busan (south of South Korea) I really really miss Japanese ramen!

[Jack]

I do my best to slurp whenever its fun and it doesn't hurt anyone.

[lonesoullost3]

::slurp:: It's fun. And I also find it's quite practical: you don't drool soup all over yourself, hahahaha.

[Ambar]

I have never tried but i don`t like slurp the food

[leonmarino]

I'm honestly a bit confused.. Why is the question "Can you slurp your noodles?"
This is a serious question as I am raised slurping; it is not a question of "can" (physically) but of "can" (with regards to etiquette) right?
Anyways, I think it is good to slurp! I havn't answered the poll because my answer "Yes, I always do" isn't there! :blush: Slurping enhances your tasting. As a certified wine specialist I can tell you it is a scientific fact; the more oxygen, the better taste. (Not that your food tastes better, but you can taste it better.)
It is also fun. I organized a wine tasting session just a week ago for friends of mine, novices in the area of wine-tasting. The slurping caused for a lot of fun I can tell you; laughing at each other, spilling wine.. Fun fun fun.

[Han Chan]

I first time I heard my Japanese father-in-law slurping I was very surprised because you just do not do that in Europe! Now I have gradually learned it myself. I must admit that I still do not slurp like a real man, but eventually I will get there!
:-)

[ricecake]

I was taught not to slurp,it's bad manner.

[o0littlehands0o]

well......i don't mind either....i can...but i don't always do....^^;;;

[Goldiegirl]

I can't stand the sound. It's disgusting. I wouldn't be allowed to eat at the table if I made all those icky, smacking sounds. My mother would've have asked me if I was raised in a barn. Truthfully my horses eat quieter. I can't even tolerate the sound of my cats eating canned food! YUCK! Oh, the burping out loud annoys me too!

[antinec]

I can slurp, but the water in the soup flies everywhere, namely in my wife's face :D
She still insists I slurp, regardless.

[Pepe]

I only slurp when I'm alone as it is a bit taboo out west. I don't mind it though, but it's when people chew with their mouth open that I loose it. That's the wrong kind of See-Food diet!

[TuRbOxChAz]

my friends got me to slurp all types of noodles...and now my mom is like "wtf, don't make so much noise when eating!" cuz we're korean and we don't slurp.

[a51ts4]

I'm not used to making the noise. So I tend not to do it. Although, Portuguese people tend to slurp eating soup (at least in my family :P), I have to hear my dad do it !

[lunanueva]

I voted "No, I can't". Sometimes I really TRY to do it when I'm at a Japanese friend's home and the main dish is soba, udon or ramen, just as a sign of politeness and respect to their customs. But as soon as I get tired of trying, I simply say "it's delicious, but I can't slurp anymore". Then I briefly explain manners in Western countries, which usually leads to interesting discussions.

Once I asked a Japanese friend: "when you eat spaghetti, do you slurp?", and she said no, but couldn't really explain to me why.

[bakaKanadajin]

there was a good soba place near my branch in Tokyo, I ate there alot for lunch and dinner. I think generally in Japan, when eating noodles its socially acceptable to slurp and I felt no shame in doing so. Everyone slurped, even the women, its just the easiest way to eat noodles and I think everyones too polite and focused on their food to really care.