Why Chopsticks?

“The honorable and upright man keeps well away from both the slaughterhouse and the kitchen and he allows no knives on table” (Confucius)

Chopsticks were in use by the Shang dynasty (1766 BC — 1122 BC). in fact, the first chopsticks may have been twigs used spear a roast cooked over an open fire. (With 1 twig, the roast will still turn, but with two twigs, the roast will be still). The enduring popularity of chopsticks may actually be linked to Chinese cooking methods — before stir-frying the food is cut into tiny pieces, making them easy to manipulate with a chopstick.

Here in the west, where fork eaters are in the majority, it is sometimes easy to forget that the fork has only recently become an essential item at the dinner table. True, the Byzantines used forks in the 10th century, and Catherine de M’edici introduced the pointed tines to the French court in the early 1500s. But in the United States, it wasn’t until the eighteenth century that people felt the need for more than a knife and spoon. By contrast, chopsticks have been the utensil of choice throughout China since the Han dynasty ( approximately 200 BC to 200 AD).

Chopsticks are usually made of bamboo, wood, or plastic, although more expensive sets, made of lacquered wood, gold, ivory or even jade, are available. Slight differences exist between Chinese and Japanese chopsticks. Chinese chopsticks are longer, about 10 inches, and blunter than Japanese chopsticks, which are tapered at the ends. There are definite riles of etiquette associated with chopstick use — not waving them in the air as you’re talking, for example.

Chinese food aficionados won’t go near a plate of ginger beef without their ‘Kuai zi” (The word “chop” is pidgin English for kuai, which means quick or speedy). Just as coffee loses some of its tangy essence when served in a plastic cup, Chinese cuisine simply tastes better eaten with chopsticks. And there are distinct benefits to having to work a bit harder to obtain your food: for one thing, it forces you to realize exactly how much you are eating.

Given its prominence in Asian culture, it is not surprising that chopsticks have transcended the boundaries of food. Poems have been written about them, and academics are studying whether chopsticks usage helps improve memory. Chopsticks may also aid children in learning to write Chinese.

The correct way to use chopsticks is to hold the pair in the hollow between the thumb and forefinger of your fork hand. The one closest to your body should rest on the first joint of the ring finger and stay relatively immobile. Hold the other one with the forefinger and middle finger, which manipulate it like pincers to pick up the food. The strength applied by the fingers should very with the things to be taken hold of.