Chopsticks

[00bob00]

i like to think i can use them well but apparently i hold them wrong, i hold them like a pen and you're not supposed to!

bad habits die hard

and yeah depending what i eat, i use a spoon to eat off a plate, unless i'm given chopsticks in which i case i'll pick up the rice bit by bit to eat

 

[theleg]

aren't korean chopsticks metal?

yup

# Chinese: longer sticks made of different materials that taper to a blunt end.
# Japanese: short to medium length sticks that taper to a pointed end. This may be attributed to the fact that the Japanese diet consists of large amounts of whole bony fish. Japanese chopsticks are traditionally made of wood and are lacquered.
# Korean: medium-length stainless-steel rods that taper to a square blunt end, traditionally made of brass or silver. Many Korean metal chopsticks are ornately decorated in the untapered end.

japanese style on left, korean on right

 

[Raymond Lin]

yup

# Chinese: longer sticks made of different materials that taper to a blunt end.
# Japanese: short to medium length sticks that taper to a pointed end. This may be attributed to the fact that the Japanese diet consists of large amounts of whole bony fish. Japanese chopsticks are traditionally made of wood and are lacquered.
# Korean: medium-length stainless-steel rods that taper to a square blunt end, traditionally made of brass or silver. Many Korean metal chopsticks are ornately decorated in the untapered end.

japanese style on left, korean on right

I can use 2 biros like chopsticks to pick up marbles. These little differences makes absolutely no difference to me.

 

[SpicyDuck]

Before I came to China, I had never even tried using chopsticks in my life. Upon getting here, a knife and fork simply wasn't an option. But I've always wanted to learn how to use chopsticks, so I got stuck in.

For the first few weeks here I was absolutely starving because I couldn't eat a whole lot of food without a whole lot of trouble!

6 months on, I will happily call myself an intermediate chopstick user! Dumplings with a sauce, plus plastic chopsticks = hell. I'm sure when I go to a restaurant they think I'm just throwing the dumplings around for fun.

Anything else is fine, but I hate plastic chopsticks. I prefer the wooden ones, to be honest, although I haven't tried metal yet! I'll buy some.

 

[Feef]

Got wooden, metal and plastic pairs, and I have to say I prefer the wooden ones for pretty much any application.

Parents taught me to use them from a young age, and plenty of practise over in Asia, though I sympathise on the eating dumplings front, was faced with them in the school canteen on a near-daily basis - big green plastic chopsticks = bad..

 

[Raymond Lin]

There are 2 key points to use chopsticks.

1 - technique, the true way is to make it open and close, not crossing each other. It is the latter method that causes lots of food to "flick" and spin into the air as a crossed chopsticks is not in the same level/plane.

2 - Know your food, think before you pick it up. See which bit would give you "angle" to suceed. If you think you have trouble picking up an dumpling, poke it with your chopsticks. Job done.

Like i said before, if you get the technique right, materials make little difference.

 

[badgermonkey]

I can use them, except when the japanese resturaunt gave me them to eat my ribs with. I mean.... how??

 

[Mr Mag00]

dont forget 'New year' on the 18th

 

[Snow-Munki]

yup use a pair almost every night so pretty easy....

although parents always tell me i'm using them wrong

 

[singist]

I can use them quite well until it comes to eating some of the large chunks of meat that shouldn't be attempted whole; my "bite" is not good so I have trouble holding the piece with chopsticks whilst trying to bite off a smaller bit, especially if the large bit is a little tough.
Any advice Raymond? ........... is this a case for asking for a knife?

 

[Scam]

2 - Know your food, think before you pick it up. See which bit would give you "angle" to suceed. If you think you have trouble picking up an dumpling, poke it with your chopsticks. Job done.

I've always wondered about this. When i was in Hong Kong i kinda got the impression that this was cheating somehow! I never saw anyone 'stab' a bit of food and i felt a bit guilty doing that

I think where most people go wrong is that they expect to hold the food all the way from the plate/bowl on the table (long distance when it's a slithery prawn or pork ball!), instead from what i've seen, the done thing is to hold the bowl right up close to yoru face when needed. It's a bit of a clash of cultures -- it might seem rude to eat like that to us Westerners but i guess it's not really over there.

For added points you can pick up a large bit of something and take bites out of it without dropping it -- now that is tough!

Also when i was in Hong Kong i was quite intrigued when a large party next to us got cake. Not only did they sing 'happy birthday' in English but they got forks to eat their cake with. Cheats!

 

[theleg]

I can use 2 biros like chopsticks to pick up marbles. These little differences makes absolutely no difference to me.

its harder to pick up individual bits of rice with blocky chopsticks...

 

[theleg]

I can use them quite well until it comes to eating some of the large chunks of meat that shouldn't be attempted whole; my "bite" is not good so I have trouble holding the piece with chopsticks whilst trying to bite off a smaller bit, especially if the large bit is a little tough.
Any advice Raymond? ........... is this a case for asking for a knife?

how big are you talking? ive got this image of you holding an 8oz steak in your chopsticks wondering how to munch it

 

[BrightonBelle]

its harder to pick up individual bits of rice with blocky chopsticks...

I think its in my blood... been picking up peanuts with chopsticks since I was 4 (ok not me but my cousins can)

And it is bad luck to leave your chopsticks stood up in rice.

BB x

 

[theleg]

I think its in my blood... been picking up peanuts with chopsticks since I was 4 (ok not me but my cousins can)

And it is bad luck to leave your chopsticks stood up in rice.

BB x

Peanuts are pretty big dude...

 

[kbc]

its harder to pick up individual bits of rice with blocky chopsticks...

You wouldn't need to. Most Westerners eat rice from a bowl by using the chopsticks as a spoon to scoop it into their mouth... but all you need to do is keep the bowl close to your mouth and shovel the stuff in.

Regardless of how you hold your chopsticks - I more than often cross them when I pick items up which technically isn't correct but it's pretty irrelevant as long as you got a grip on the food and can eat with them - it's fine.

 

[Shoseki]

I love using chopsticks, much more fun way to eat

Knife and fork feels like shovelling food in with a spade...

 

[platypus]

I use them differently to the traditional chinese method, apparently. I use my middle two fingers instead of my index finger. Ah well.

 

[SpicyDuck]

And it is bad luck to leave your chopsticks stood up in rice.

BB x

Indeed, and it's one of the first things a Chinese friend will tell you when you come to China. It's easy to just stab them into the rice when not in use but it's bad luck because they use incense sticks at funerals in the same way, by making them stand in a bowl. I believe.

I did it once, without thinking (as it really is quite useful) and a table of Chinese noticed and their faces just changed to horror. I'm sure not all Chinese think in the same way, but the majority of people are very traditional in their views. Even the girls who go out and have sex with random foreigners, funnily enough.

 

[theleg]

You wouldn't need to. Most Westerners eat rice from a bowl by using the chopsticks as a spoon to scoop it into their mouth... but all you need to do is keep the bowl close to your mouth and shovel the stuff in.

Regardless of how you hold your chopsticks - I more than often cross them when I pick items up which technically isn't correct but it's pretty irrelevant as long as you got a grip on the food and can eat with them - it's fine.

I have never needed to but ive wanted to....when i ran out of rice and tried make a clump by picking up the individual grains in my bowl..

and lifting the bowl isnt an option for me as its very rude.