Slurp Loudly, It Is Polite

In many places, slurping your food loudly is rude. In Japan, when you eat noodles, slurping is actually polite.

Mange steder er det uhøfligt at slubre højt, når man spiser. I Japan er det faktisk høfligt at slurpe, når man spiser nudler.

There are good reasons for this. Slurping pulls in air with the noodles, which cools down hot broth quickly. It also carries more smell and flavor to your nose while you eat, similar to how people sniff wine before tasting it. Loud slurping can even tell the cook that you are enjoying the meal.

Der er gode grunde til det. Når man slurper, trækker man luft ind sammen med nudlerne, og det køler den varme suppe hurtigt ned. Det fører også mere duft og smag op i næsen, mens man spiser, ligesom når folk snuser til vin, før de smager. Høj slurpen kan endda fortælle kokken, at man nyder maden.

The habit started long ago, when noodles were fast street food and people ate quickly while standing. Next time you eat noodles somewhere like this, try it yourself. A little noise is not bad manners here. It is a compliment.

Vanen begyndte for længe siden, dengang nudler var hurtig gademad, og folk spiste stående i en fart. Næste gang du spiser nudler et sted som det, så prøv det selv. Lidt støj er ikke dårlig bordskik her. Det er en kompliment.