pouring sake

[taipeiguy]

I just got back from a trip to Japan. (I had a great time at the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri.) While I was there, I went to an izakaya where I ordered sake. The waitress poured the sake from a big bottle into a cup with a saucer underneath. When she poured, I was surprised that she let the sake overflow to fill both the cup and the saucer.

Is this a standard way to serve sake? Or was my waitress just crazy?

How should I drink this? Do I just drink sake out of the saucer, or should I pour it from the saucer into the cup?

[Psy]

Yeah, this is traditional. By saucer I assume you mean a square box called a masu. It's my understanding that you drink a bit from the glass and then pour the extra into the glass once there's enough room. My izakaya experience is pretty limited so I'm sure others can detail it further.

Were I in your position, I would have just asked her to teach you how to drink properly.

[josiah]

wanna drink sake? this will help you learn how, but let me just say, i looooooove the Masu cup!

http://www.wikihow.com/Serve-and-Drink-Sake

[taipeiguy]

She didn't give me a masu. It was a ceramic cup and saucer. The cup was like a Japanese teacup (no handle). The porcelain saucer was fairly deep.

[josiah]

えええぇーーー？？？　降参です

[Psy]

She didn't give me a masu. It was a ceramic cup and saucer. The cup was like a Japanese teacup (no handle). The porcelain saucer was fairly deep.

Ah, do excuse my arrogant assumption earlier. Still, same difference... drink from the small one first. If that would have seemed awkward I'd have probably tried an ano sumimasen, hajimete mita ndesu kedo or something like that. Next time get brave and ask questions!

[foxyshez]

when i first had it served that way i had to email my friend and ask. we were sitting at the counter so i didn't want to look foolish. She said, theres no special way to drink it. But i usually drink and then tip whats in the masu box (or bowl in your case) into the glass. Works for me!

Japanese sake is yummy

[Psy]

when i first had it served that way i had to email my friend and ask. we were sitting at the counter so i didn't want to look foolish.

Let's reverse the order for a second here:

Situation 1: You're a Japanese bartender and you're serving a drink that your customer clearly has no clue how to drink. He's doing it wrong, and everyone around is starting to look amused but social custom dictates that neither you nor anyone else can say anything about it. The customer leaves unawares, and that's that... another gaijin who doesn't understand the language or the customs.

Situation 2: Is set up the same way, only this time the customer opens his mouth and manages to blurt out an awkward but somehow comprehensible "umm excuse me, first time see this, tell me how to drink please?" You make an explanation through simple words and gestures, and the custom is learned however clumsy the process may have been. The customer leaves, leaving you with the satisfaction that you were able to impart part of your culture to a foreigner who was actually interested in learning about it.

Now, does situation 2 really put the customer in a worse light?

Japanese sake is yummy

That it is, sir, that it is.

[foxyshez]

situation 3-you email your mate and look super cool cuz u seem to know exactly how to drink it ...in this case, knowing that theres no particular way haha