At a banquet, strict protocol exists. The table is set with a bowl of rice and soup, a spoon, chopsticks, salt and vinegar and a paste called hishio (a fermented soybean paste) with a special plate for the mixing of seasonings. This is so the food can be dipped into the seasoning easily.
At the end of a meal, sake is served. Four kinds of food are prepared for a banquet:
Himono (dried food) – dried fish and poultry that are thinly sliced;
Namamono (fresh food) – fresh fish, shellfish and poultry are sliced and served raw or grilled.
Kubotsuki (fermented or dressed food) – like small fish cakes, jellyfish in spicy sauces etc etc.
Kashi (dessert) – fresh fruit or nuts and a variety of small cakes.
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