SQJ Taipei

I know that people are sometimes quick to mock the use of chopsticks…

“Haven’t they ever seen a fork?”

“They use shovels, so they must know how a spoon would work!”

Well… yeah… of course. But using chopsticks is a *very* practical thing in part because Chinese food is usually prepared so the food is already in bite size pieces before the cooking. In other words… the knife is used in the preparation of the food and it is not needed later. I don’t know if there was ever an economic aspect to this practice (only the cook needs a knife instead of everyone eating) but it makes sense regardless.

If you are wondering about eating rice with chopsticks… Asian rice is sticky… not that dry “minute rice” stuff in the US.

Some people think it will be difficult to learn to use chopsticks… but it really isn’t… when you are hungry! We have lots of visitors here and many can’t use chopsticks when they arrive, but learn quickly so as not to go hungry.

When asked “How to use chopsticks”, I often tell our guests that the only thing that really matters is that you get the food from the common plate to your bowl and from your bowl to your mouth without dropping or stabbing the food. I do believe this… but there is also an “etiquette” of using chopsticks that I usually don’t mention until people show an interest.

Here is a great “How-To” for learning to eat with chopsticks. It also has some etiquette issues and cultural tips as well. There are some pictures.

How To Eat With Chopsticks

As for etiquette… I’d add that the proper way to hold the chopsticks is in such a way that all the fingers are used in holding the chopsticks (I find this very difficult) and that the palm is always facing up toward the ceiling. It is also more elegant to hold the chopsticks as far towards the end away from the tip as possible.

Personally I find the Chinese table setting to be aesthetically pleasing. I prefer it over all those metal implements I grew up using.

I guess you could get these if you need extra help… and don’t mind being laughed at…