So yeah, we just got invited to our Japanese friends house for a Gyoza party. This will be a first for my wife and me so we are not aware of anything that is expected of us. We are still early on in the friendship so want to make sure we do things properly.
– Is there something we should take or is it rude to take something?
– Should we be complementing the house or is that frowned upon?
Etc etc
Totally in the dark here so any advice would be appreciated.
20 comments
Oh gyoza are my FAVE and we have also had some fun parties making them. You are in for a nice time!
If you want to bring sth, maybe just a guest present which is on theme. Like a real good bottle of sesame oil, or sake, or Japanese beer (kampai!).
Take your shoes off at the door. Bring a few adult beverages if that’s what you guys drink. Enjoy and have fun. Call a daiko if you drive there .
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Yes eat all the gyoza, maybe bring a beverage
Take beer.
Take an apron, it can be messy work.
Learning to “crimp” the skins is really hard, and few people master it on the first try, so you’ll probably make a hash of it, but that’s part of the fun. Just go with the flow.
Take photos of the finished product.
Don’t outstay your welcome. In my experience most home parties last about two hours, although gyoza will take longer if you’re making them from scratch.
Enjoy! The homemade stuff is so much better than the store bought ones.
If you don’t eat your weight in gyoza, you are considered to have failed…. At life (jokes 😅)
Also bring booze.
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I always ask what to bring. It’s best to be specific: “Do you prefer beer or wine? And I’ll bring the desert, ok?”
Apart from good advice like “take your shoes off at the entrance”, “bring an apron when you cook together” and “take photos of the cooking” I think it is always appropriate to compliment the host’s house. Before using the toilet, ask where it is (if you can use it). And when you arrive, ask if you can wash your hands. Wash your hands again before cooking and eating together. I think it is always appreciated if someone is interested and open. Ask questions and show interest!
We often invite and entertain friends and acquaintances at home, a few tips
* Take dessert, fruits or drinks to your friend’s place. Ask them if you can bring anything. Flowers for the house or the woman of the house.
* If house is nice, sure complement them. Don’t overdo. Also, don’t try to suggest, they are “rich”. Treat them as equal.
* Reciprocate by inviting them home in the future or for lunch/dinner together outside.
* Don’t smoke in their house if they are not smokers or don’t light up first. Same about turning on TV, gaming etc.
* Offer to take pictures together etc. but ask for permission first. Don’t post online without first asking for permission.
* if they have kids, don’t ignore them, interact with them, play with them, be friendly.
Prepare to join a cult.
Pretty much the same as the west. Bring some alcohol for everyone to drink, maybe some finger food/drinking snacks, and I always bring a nice bottle of wine as a gift. If you know the host’s preference of alcohol that would be a good gift.
And if course the day of just ask if they need anything. I’ve definitely had to pick up some naganegi on the way to a gyoza party before.
Don’t put your spaghetti in the gyoza.
Ok so you pinch pinch pinch
The gyoza not your Japanese friends.
Bring alcohol. Probably sake. Wine and gyoza makes me feel… like that person might be insane.
I heard someone reading quite a few answers for this question, and I found it.. sorry, quite bizarre. (I’m not making fun of good intent, and I understand where that comes from, however I just thought I could offer some relaxing help.) **It’s ok to ask questions!**
What I’d do:
1. Ask if I need to bring anything (sometimes party runner would rather split the bill and has all that thing already – they may ask for what you’d like to drink – then I’ll only bring in a few that I’d like to have.) If you want to bring something in then nobody refuses. Maybe bring the wine or sake bottle that has been sitting in the kitchen for a while (pretty common), or bring in something you wanted to try out, etc. I usually just get a few beer and snacks. (Like actual snacks you can get in 7-11) whether or not they’re fancy or poor.
2. I compliment cool things, I don’t for things that aren’t particularly cool
3. Flower.. well that’s interesting. If someone brought them in, I’d start to wonder if they think I got married or something. I suppose some special kind of fancy ppl does that and it’s never an offense for sure, but then I’d say it’s unnecessary. (Unless you personally want to.)
If you want to smoke, or watch tv, whatever, you can ask. We don’t use magic to communicate, and it’s okay to ask questions, all the time!
Some other comment saying to bring apron etc is a great advice. You might smell like garlic and get flour on your shirts and pants etc.
Anyhow, I haven’t had Gyoza party in a while. Takoyaki party is great as well.
Oh and lastly but most importantly, make sure you enjoy! This is not ritual lol
edit: Oh and the most Japaneses are terrible at making gyoza: it’s tricky and gets messy by design, so you don’t have to be prepared for that at all! Uglier yours are, the lovelier it gets. (It really does!)
I totally forgot to say: If you had some random stuff you wanted to put into gyoza then that is also cool to bring in. Pocky, banana, whatever bizarre abomination you want to try out. If you aren’t too comfortable going for adventurous route (as I’m sure you want to make sure you aren’t introducing something too weird), then it’s perfectly fine! But it might be interesting to know that, many if not all of us are, when this party got repetitive, going to put some weird stuff just for amusement. I think I liked banana the best. (Same goes for Takoyaki party – some people brings in weird stuff just for fun.) Cheese always works for both. Obviously, it’s great with beer and wine.
If it’s your first gyoza party it’s absolutely essential that you dress in the ceremonial gyoza uniform. If you do not already own the proper attire, you can make your own with papier-mâché or boiled rice paper. When you greet your hosts for the first time, make sure to pour some white vinegar on your head before entering their home. While eating, after every bite, don’t forget to say “Wow! That’s great gyoza!” It’s imperative that you make complete eye contact while saying this, no blinking allowed. If you blink they will think you’re insincere and you’ll be blacklisted from all future gyoza parties. Furthermore, your family name will be written on the wall of gyoza party shame.
Bring beer, beer & Sake is incredible
Maybe can try bringing some local beer or IPA.. to spice it up a bit
Yeah def bring alcohol or some dessert ! No sides .
It’s really hot these days. So may be a big jar of homemade Ayran will be appropriate.
I have some takoyaki party wisdom to impart:
Bring cash in small bills. At the end you might get hit with a splitting of costs. Be the hero and have enough change to help other people split, though the host already likely thought of this. It is polite to ask how much you owe before leaving. If they say no, ask them to round up and you’ll get the number.
If you drink and want to drink at the party, bring a few cans of something low cost and familiar. They’ll probably have the same already, but the more the merrier. You may go home with a few extra cans in a bag after you’ve paid your dues (lol)
If it’s a person you don’t know well, don’t bring a fancy bottle or they’ll be pressured to keep it for you when you visit again. I went to some parent’s end of the year takoyaki party for the kids and I was semi embarrassed that they held the bottle I gave them last year for me
Be punctual and go home at the same time as the first person leaves if you’re not feeling it. Never do an Irish exit at a Japanese house party unless it is a huge pajama jammy jam
Chewing gum or breath mints.