Chopsticks

Chopsticks (箸 pronounced “Hashi”) are an eating utensil used with most Asian cuisines and particularly used in China, Japan, Korean and Vietnam. They can be made from any type of hard material, including trees, bamboo, ivory (now illegal in most countries), metal and plastic. As long as there are no sharp edges which could damage the mouth, it is possible to make chopsticks out of them.

Chopsticks are characterized by two sticks of equal length (there is no minimum and maximum length for chopsticks, though they are almost always less than 1 foot and larger than 4 inches. They are expected to be symmetrical with rounded tips for easy grabbing from any angle, though the backs are usually square shaped (sometimes with rounded edges) for better grip.

History

It is thought that the practice of using chopsticks for food may have been as early as 3000 BCE, but it is thought now that it was introduced into use in the 1600-1100 BCE. Chopsticks have been unearthed in from as long ago as 1200 BCE when bronze chopsticks were found in the tomb of Yin Ruins. Japan was the 6th Asian country to use chopsticks in known history.

Today, it is estimated that 30% of the world still uses chopsticks on a daily basis.

How To Use Chopsticks

To use chopsticks, your hand should be holding the ends of the sticks. The upper chopstick is to be held with your thumb, middle finger and index finger. The other chopstick is meant to be held by the ring finger and the bottom of the thumb. The second chopstick is never expected to move. Rather, the first chopstick is meant to be closed upon the second chopstick to grab the food. In addition, when grasping the food, it is okay to perform a light swooping motion with your fingers so that you scoop up some of the food rather than simply grasp at it. As your fingers gain strength using chopsticks, it should be easier by grab most items directly, yet slippery items can still be gently scooped.

Manners

Because chopsticks have so much tradition around them, there are several ways that one is supposed to use chopsticks so as not to appear impolite:

• Never use all 5 fingers to hold the chopsticks, even if you are carrying them with you from one place to another.
• When you are done eating, place the chopsticks on a plate facing left.
• Never point your chopsticks at anyone else.
• Do not pass food with chopsticks unless putting it on someone’s plate. One is not to use chopsticks to grab something from someone else’s chopsticks even if they are offering it to you.
• Never spear food with your chopsticks, even if you are frustrated and the food you are eating is soft enough to poke a hole into.
• Waving, sword fighting, or inappropriately using chopsticks is taboo.
• If your lips and spit have touched chopsticks, use the back end of the chopsticks to grab new food from a shared plate.
• Do not suck from your chopsticks to get excess food off of them.
• Sticking your chopsticks verbally in rice is not allowed, because this is traditional at funerals.
• Sometimes you may see someone at a restaurant open a new package of chopsticks and rub them together to get rid of excess wood splinters and round the tips. At a cheap restaurant, this is questionable, but at someone’s home this is very taboo as it gives the impression that the host is cheap.

External Links

• Video on How to Hold Chopsticks
• Chopstick Manners
• Chopsticks History